Starting road to recovery

doitforoj
doitforoj Member Posts: 64
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I had my first radiation today. 32 more to go. I have my first of 3 chemo treatments tomorrow. I just wanted to thank everyone on here for their prayers and support. Mostly I want to thank everyone for just being on here. To repay all of you for just being here I will make sure I am always on here to help others in the future how I have been helped. I could not image starting this journey without all of you along with me.

Thanks
Kurt

Comments

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #2
    Kurt

    Hang in there, keep positive, and keep us updated on your progress, my prayers are with you.
  • pattyanny
    pattyanny Member Posts: 544
    #3
    Hi Kurt, Glad to hear you have taken your first step in battle of recovery. I want to wish you strength,faith and a positive attitude. This is a great forum of people with a wealth of knowledge and support, and I, like you, was so releived to find it! I am 3 weeks post tx, and my Oncologist said she has seen a "remarkable" improvement. I must admit at times to early morning pity partys. Also,sometimes fear and doubt would rear it's ugly head - but my faith, prayers, and these wonderful people have gotten me this far. A place I could not imagine being during the first steps this journey. Stay connected to your faith and these boards. I know with your outlook you will beat this! Keep us posted. Good Luck and Prayers to you!

    Patty
  • cwcad
    cwcad Member Posts: 117
    #4
    pattyanny said:

    Hi Kurt, Glad to hear you have taken your first step in battle of recovery. I want to wish you strength,faith and a positive attitude. This is a great forum of people with a wealth of knowledge and support, and I, like you, was so releived to find it! I am 3 weeks post tx, and my Oncologist said she has seen a "remarkable" improvement. I must admit at times to early morning pity partys. Also,sometimes fear and doubt would rear it's ugly head - but my faith, prayers, and these wonderful people have gotten me this far. A place I could not imagine being during the first steps this journey. Stay connected to your faith and these boards. I know with your outlook you will beat this! Keep us posted. Good Luck and Prayers to you!

    Patty

    Good luck on your recovery!!
    Ya, that is the way it should be...Stay Positive. Do whatever you need to do. Drink and eat. It will be hard. Does not mean that you cannot do it. It is kind of like eating broccoli for me. I hate the taste,texture, and tang of broccoli. But I eat it any time it is served. Well I had seven weeks of broccoli/ radiation with a bunch of other stuff. I did it. You will too!! I am sure of it!!!
  • Landranger25
    Landranger25 Member Posts: 210 Member
    #5
    cwcad said:

    Good luck on your recovery!!
    Ya, that is the way it should be...Stay Positive. Do whatever you need to do. Drink and eat. It will be hard. Does not mean that you cannot do it. It is kind of like eating broccoli for me. I hate the taste,texture, and tang of broccoli. But I eat it any time it is served. Well I had seven weeks of broccoli/ radiation with a bunch of other stuff. I did it. You will too!! I am sure of it!!!

    Stay Tough!
    Hey Kurt, stay tough. I'm 4 weeks out from about the same thing. 33 radiations and 3 separate chemos over 6 weeks. You can do this. Find the thing that will get you moving every day. For me it was my 10 year old daughter. I tried as hard as I could to keep the things that were ours alone still just ours. I still made breakfast every morning and at bedtime we fed and watered all her "critters" together. Since my radiation ended I have felt a little better everyday and I know it will continue. (My PEG comes out Friday, another milestone) You can do this!

    Mike
  • doitforoj
    doitforoj Member Posts: 64
    #6
    Hondo said:

    Kurt

    Hang in there, keep positive, and keep us updated on your progress, my prayers are with you.

    Mike
    Thanks, I appreciate all the advice and support.
  • doitforoj
    doitforoj Member Posts: 64
    #7
    pattyanny said:

    Hi Kurt, Glad to hear you have taken your first step in battle of recovery. I want to wish you strength,faith and a positive attitude. This is a great forum of people with a wealth of knowledge and support, and I, like you, was so releived to find it! I am 3 weeks post tx, and my Oncologist said she has seen a "remarkable" improvement. I must admit at times to early morning pity partys. Also,sometimes fear and doubt would rear it's ugly head - but my faith, prayers, and these wonderful people have gotten me this far. A place I could not imagine being during the first steps this journey. Stay connected to your faith and these boards. I know with your outlook you will beat this! Keep us posted. Good Luck and Prayers to you!

    Patty

    Patty
    Thanks for the words. Congradulations on your completion of treatment. I understand about the pity parties, but believe they help. Lets us just get it all out. Thank you for the time you spend on here...if you ever wonder if it does any good, then just remember me.

    Gratefully,
    Kurt
  • doitforoj
    doitforoj Member Posts: 64
    #8
    Landranger25 said:

    Stay Tough!
    Hey Kurt, stay tough. I'm 4 weeks out from about the same thing. 33 radiations and 3 separate chemos over 6 weeks. You can do this. Find the thing that will get you moving every day. For me it was my 10 year old daughter. I tried as hard as I could to keep the things that were ours alone still just ours. I still made breakfast every morning and at bedtime we fed and watered all her "critters" together. Since my radiation ended I have felt a little better everyday and I know it will continue. (My PEG comes out Friday, another milestone) You can do this!

    Mike

    Mike
    Your words are inspirational. Congrats on completion of the treatment. I guess you don't know how close to home your words hit. doitforoj. Do it for Owen and John. My 16 month old twin boys. They have been my inspiration. They have no clue dad is sick and yet they make me laugh and love life everyday. I have a wonderful wife and mother also. I did my first chemo today. 100 cesplatin. Got there at 9 am and left at 6 pm. Lonnnnggg day but not so bad. Went down and did my second rad. Damn I hate that mask. lol. problem with the chemo is i am so amped up about not being dehydrated that between me drinking water and the flush that they give me....I peed a lot. I mean a lot. But feel really good. I am getting a little tired and do understand that could be a day or three and it hits me, but that is ok because today I feel good. Thanks for your comments.

    Kurt
    PS. Man to get rid of this tube. Have had it for 3 weeks haven't had to use it but already want it gone. LOL
  • Landranger25
    Landranger25 Member Posts: 210 Member
    #9
    doitforoj said:

    Patty
    Thanks for the words. Congradulations on your completion of treatment. I understand about the pity parties, but believe they help. Lets us just get it all out. Thank you for the time you spend on here...if you ever wonder if it does any good, then just remember me.

    Gratefully,
    Kurt

    Kurt, my wife and I had a
    Kurt, my wife and I had a laugh at every chemo over the peeing. I had to travel about 50 miles one way everyday to my treatments and on those all day Mondays we used a McDonalds and a rest stop so that I could make it home. Do you have a pump with add'l chemo for the rest of the week? First chemo was the easiest for me. I too wondered why they put that PEG tube in and I had it for weeks without using or needing it. Trust me, it will eventually be your new best friend. Try to keep drinking all through your treatment, I truely believe that my throat has recovered quickly because I used those swallowing muscles my whole treatment. (Don't lose your swallow!) I may not have been able to eat but I was always sipping water or some juice or gatorade. (hydration, hydration, hydration) Don't get dehydrated, you will feel better if you stay hydrated. My last radiation was October 15 and yesterday for lunch I had a quarterpounder! I have gained back 10 lbs. in those 4 weeks. Your body is still strong and able to tolerate what they are doing better in the beginning. Know exactly what you mean about mask and radiation. Stay relaxed and try to find the thing to think about that helps you remain calm for that 10-15 minutes you are on that table. Like you I also have awesome wife. Helped she is a nurse but this was all completely out of her realm of expertise. We figured it out together. She was super and I owe her much. Treatment is an emotional as well as physical roller coaster. Your boys are quite a bit younger than my daughter but I know that I was stronger and tougher because of my love for her and you can use that too. She is a hockey player and was quite bummed when I was not able to go and skate with her at the start of the season. I have since skated 5 times in the last 2 weeks with her and her team and know she is happy her "old' Dad is back and the skating has helped me as well. There are sunny days ahead beyond these dark ones. You can do this, I did it and so have have others. Hang in there!

    Mike
  • delnative
    delnative Member Posts: 450 Member
    #10
    doitforoj said:

    Mike
    Your words are inspirational. Congrats on completion of the treatment. I guess you don't know how close to home your words hit. doitforoj. Do it for Owen and John. My 16 month old twin boys. They have been my inspiration. They have no clue dad is sick and yet they make me laugh and love life everyday. I have a wonderful wife and mother also. I did my first chemo today. 100 cesplatin. Got there at 9 am and left at 6 pm. Lonnnnggg day but not so bad. Went down and did my second rad. Damn I hate that mask. lol. problem with the chemo is i am so amped up about not being dehydrated that between me drinking water and the flush that they give me....I peed a lot. I mean a lot. But feel really good. I am getting a little tired and do understand that could be a day or three and it hits me, but that is ok because today I feel good. Thanks for your comments.

    Kurt
    PS. Man to get rid of this tube. Have had it for 3 weeks haven't had to use it but already want it gone. LOL

    Me too
    Hey Kurt: I had 36 rads and 3 rounds of Cisplatin. I had to laugh out loud when I read about your peeing so much. When the docs and nurses told me HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE, I took them at their word and hydrated the hell out of myself. Then I had some pretreatment bloodwork done and all that hydration had lowered my potassium levels way below where they were supposed to be. So then they asked me, are you drinking a lot of water?
    "Of course I am," I replied. "You told me to HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE."
    So then the gave me new marching orders: DON'T HYDRATE SO MUCH DON'T HYDRATE SO MUCH DON'T HYDRATE SO MUCH.
    Sheesh, make up your minds!
    Anyway, between that and all the fluid that they pumped into me during chemo, I think I am largely responsible for the rise in sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay.
    Good luck. Keep a positive outlook -- and your sense of humor. It will help.

    --Jim in Delaware

    P.S. You'll learn to love the mask ... NOT
  • doitforoj
    doitforoj Member Posts: 64
    #11
    Landranger25 said:

    Kurt, my wife and I had a
    Kurt, my wife and I had a laugh at every chemo over the peeing. I had to travel about 50 miles one way everyday to my treatments and on those all day Mondays we used a McDonalds and a rest stop so that I could make it home. Do you have a pump with add'l chemo for the rest of the week? First chemo was the easiest for me. I too wondered why they put that PEG tube in and I had it for weeks without using or needing it. Trust me, it will eventually be your new best friend. Try to keep drinking all through your treatment, I truely believe that my throat has recovered quickly because I used those swallowing muscles my whole treatment. (Don't lose your swallow!) I may not have been able to eat but I was always sipping water or some juice or gatorade. (hydration, hydration, hydration) Don't get dehydrated, you will feel better if you stay hydrated. My last radiation was October 15 and yesterday for lunch I had a quarterpounder! I have gained back 10 lbs. in those 4 weeks. Your body is still strong and able to tolerate what they are doing better in the beginning. Know exactly what you mean about mask and radiation. Stay relaxed and try to find the thing to think about that helps you remain calm for that 10-15 minutes you are on that table. Like you I also have awesome wife. Helped she is a nurse but this was all completely out of her realm of expertise. We figured it out together. She was super and I owe her much. Treatment is an emotional as well as physical roller coaster. Your boys are quite a bit younger than my daughter but I know that I was stronger and tougher because of my love for her and you can use that too. She is a hockey player and was quite bummed when I was not able to go and skate with her at the start of the season. I have since skated 5 times in the last 2 weeks with her and her team and know she is happy her "old' Dad is back and the skating has helped me as well. There are sunny days ahead beyond these dark ones. You can do this, I did it and so have have others. Hang in there!

    Mike

    Mike
    Again I do appreciate the words. Always help to hear from someone who has gone through something I am now going through. Especially since it is still so fresh to you. Hardest part is the not knowing right now about knowing how much the chemo is going to effect me or when. LOL kills me. But I am doing great the radiation is less horrifying and and I feel good. One thing I have experienced starting yesterday is the sudden hiccups and then sudden ending of hiccups. They come and go been crazy. I am going to put a post on here. I am very glad to here your recovery is progressing so well, but not from luck. From the hard work and determination you have met this challenge with...again your are an inspiration.

    thanks Kurt
    PS I going for the Big Mac. LOL
  • pk
    pk Member Posts: 192
    #12
    doitforoj said:

    Mike
    Again I do appreciate the words. Always help to hear from someone who has gone through something I am now going through. Especially since it is still so fresh to you. Hardest part is the not knowing right now about knowing how much the chemo is going to effect me or when. LOL kills me. But I am doing great the radiation is less horrifying and and I feel good. One thing I have experienced starting yesterday is the sudden hiccups and then sudden ending of hiccups. They come and go been crazy. I am going to put a post on here. I am very glad to here your recovery is progressing so well, but not from luck. From the hard work and determination you have met this challenge with...again your are an inspiration.

    thanks Kurt
    PS I going for the Big Mac. LOL

    Big Mac
    You laugh about this now, but you will eat one again. My husband is 6 weeks out of treatment and food is not very enjoyable yet, BUT he has eaten McDonalds burgers. Keep up with the great attitude. It helps so much. PK
  • fishingirl
    fishingirl Member Posts: 188
    #13
    Be strong and keep
    Be strong and keep believing! You will make it!! I just went through 35 radiation treatments. Some days you will feel like giving up...and others you will be sooo upsbeat about it! Just hang in there!!!

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