Three Weeks Behind Us

RAKGA, it sounds like you folks are doing pretty well, and he is handling the treatment well except for the normal glitches he has had with nausea and constipation. These are all things normal with the treatment and meds you take with it etc. I also had a Run of diarrhea at one point in treatment (Pun Intended). There are many odds and ends that happen with this treatment, the best thing to do is stay on top of them and if it is something unusual or something you can't take care of with Over the Counter meds contact your care team right away.

I am glad you have the PEG, it makes things easier, and if he can eat, great, if not you have the PEG.

Getting enough fluids? Just use the feeding tube for water, soda, or whatever liquid you want to keep him hydrated. You may have to try different times and amounts to avoid bloating but get enough in. You may have to tolerate bloating for a period, I was extremely puffed up for a time and had to get larger pants, and they weren't regular I just used the stretch pants during treatment.

One other thing, for the thick saliva you will want to have him rinse with a baking soda and salt recipe as often as he needs it. Thick saliva will get worse and it is important to keep it cleared out by spitting and using the rinse. People have also used a suction machine you can get but I think that is for severe cases. I will post the recipes for the rinse below. At first he may need it once in a while and then more often as needed. At the worst, I was rinsing every 20 minutes or sooner, he will know. It keeps the thick saliva cleared and refreshes the mouth.

Take care, God Bless

Russ

RAKGA Here Are Recipes

For the salt/baking soda mixes.

Rinse as often or as little as needed to deal with thick saliva even the stringy stuff.

The trick is to stay ahead of it as best you can.

There are no easy solutions but this will eventually quit.

You may find it beneficial to sleep in a recliner to keep the thick stuff out of your throat and airway.

Laying down directs it to the back of your mouth/throat area.

Even in a recliner I would wake up at times with my air cut off and had to work at getting it cleared out.

Wishing You The Best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Mouth Rinse Recipes to Use During Chemotherapy

Soda and Salt Mouth Rinse

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup of warm water

Mix well until salt dissolves. Rinse your mouth gently, being careful not to swallow the mixture. Follow this with a plain water rinse to clean out any remaining salt or soda.

Soda Mouth Rinse: A Good Rinse for Before You Eat

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of warm water

Mix well to dissolve the baking soda. This is a good rinse to use before and after a meal because it may soothe any mucositis pain you have, making it easier for you to eat well. Swish and spit, but don't swallow this mixture.

Saltwater Mouth Rinse

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup of warm water

Mix well to dissolve the salt. This saltwater rinse is close to the natural chemistry of your own saliva. This may make mouth sores feel better. Rinse well with plain water to remove excess salt.

Salt and Soda Rinse for Gummy Mouth

Some chemotherapy drugs can increase the acidity in your mouth, leading to thick saliva that can be very annoying. This rinse works well for "gummy mouth."

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking soda

4 cups of warm water

This rinse will help to neutralize the acid in your mouth and will help dissolve or loosen thick, gummy saliva. Don't drink it, just rinse and spit it out.

Peroxide Rinse for Crusted Sores

If your mouth sores are crusting over, it's important to allow the natural healing process in your body to continue, so a peroxide rinse should be used for no more than two days consecutively.

1 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 cup water or

1 cup salt water (1 teaspoon of salt in 4 cups of water)

If you have crusty mouth sores, try using this rinse three or four times a day for two days. Don't use it for more than two days at a time, because it could prevent mucositis from healing.

Use a non-peroxide rinse for two days, before returning to this mixture.

My husband just finished treatment last week. Unfortunately, I am so exhausted. It would be difficult to tell you everything we did to help him get through this.

However, we both 100% believe these three things helped him immensely.

https://a.co/d/jkpFpYu

https://a.co/d/frubMrX

I’ll go more in depth in a separate thread tomorrow.

Wishing you the best. ❤️

,

I used Gatorade through the tube to keep hydrated. With the diarrhea you can buy banana flakes on Amazon and they go through the tube and will get rid of diarrhea almost immediately.

I am so glad things are progressing well for your husband, also makes your life easier.

So correct, one breath, one day at a time.

Take Care, God Bless

Russ