Ginger ale

terryscarlett
terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Have heard it helps with the nausea? Is it supposed to be instant relief or does it take several days of ingestion to feel the effects? Have given David about 1/2 cup yesterday and another 1/2 cup tonight through his peg and he said he feels no better! His peg is only nourishment he is getting at this point. We talked with Rad Dr today and he said David has 6 more full rads and 11 more with the tumor and nodes spotted only, with less damage, "I quess to the throat after the next 6 treatments". He told us he is doing great as his throat looks good with no sores in the mouth or thrush, can still take liquids with no pain to speek of. His skin on his neck is amazingly in great shape with only a pink tint from the rads. Dr was very positive for him having had 22 treatment thus far!!

Dr also told us he feels Dave has 70 to 80% recovery for 2 years if this treatment has removed the cancer in his throat and the 2 lymph nodes.
Then if no return of Cancer within 4 years he is out of the woods (Yeeee Haaaa) looking forward to that day:) can't come soon enough I am not one to wish time away as it flys by any way. BUT I have to say let time fly so I can see him well again, enjoying life, and EATING some tasty foods!!!. I miss going out to eat with him and the time we spent taking other family members with us to eat. I miss it and feel bad if I eat in front of him, so I go out by myself or eat in another room out of sight. He say's it doesn't bothr him but it bothers me and I just won't do it.
So I am wanting to know if anyone has tried the ginger ale , how much , how often, and how long it takes to feel better? Hope everyone has a great weekend!! :)
Waiting on some feed back.
Terry

Comments

  • team stevens
    team stevens Member Posts: 46
    #2
    ginger root
    My husband gets fresh ginger root in the produce dept. we cut off about an inch or so of it, peel it & pour hot water over it to make a tea. just let it get room temp.that might help David. Mike will have some 2 or 3 times a day when his stomach bothers him. doesn't take long for him to feel better.
  • terryscarlett
    terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
    #3
    team stevens said:

    ginger root
    My husband gets fresh ginger root in the produce dept. we cut off about an inch or so of it, peel it & pour hot water over it to make a tea. just let it get room temp.that might help David. Mike will have some 2 or 3 times a day when his stomach bothers him. doesn't take long for him to feel better.

    Thanks team stevens
    I will pick some root up in morn and give it a try. He is drinking tea daily so I see no problem adding the ginger root as a daily drink. thank you for the info!
    Terry
  • rozaroo
    rozaroo Member Posts: 665
    #4
    terryscarlett said:

    Thanks team stevens
    I will pick some root up in morn and give it a try. He is drinking tea daily so I see no problem adding the ginger root as a daily drink. thank you for the info!
    Terry

    Hi Terry!
    I sipped on ginger ale during & after treatment, however, it did not help to settle my stomach at all. I had to take gravol during the times that I could not hold my feeding's down.
  • terryscarlett
    terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
    #5
    rozaroo said:

    Hi Terry!
    I sipped on ginger ale during & after treatment, however, it did not help to settle my stomach at all. I had to take gravol during the times that I could not hold my feeding's down.

    rozaroo
    Thanks for the reply and I will keep gravol in mind if Dave starts to up chuck.
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #6
    terryscarlett said:

    rozaroo
    Thanks for the reply and I will keep gravol in mind if Dave starts to up chuck.

    Fresh Ginger,
    As above, fresh ginger is the way to go for a natural anti-nausea treatment. Simple, cut off a piece about as big as 1/2 of your thumb, either wash it well or peel the skin off, Then just slice the section very finely and toss in a teapot with hot water. Let it steep a while, cool then sip all day. It is a good idea if you can Manuka Honey and mix that in when you make the brew and even green tea (other good honey is OK but Manuka the best). You can reuse the ginger a few time before the potency goes. Ginger Ale is nice but really just soda and full of sugar with much less of the ginger you want. If he is able, sucking on one of the raw ginger slices is god for the nausea but it might burn - as in spicy hot type burn.

    Scam
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #7
    Scambuster said:

    Fresh Ginger,
    As above, fresh ginger is the way to go for a natural anti-nausea treatment. Simple, cut off a piece about as big as 1/2 of your thumb, either wash it well or peel the skin off, Then just slice the section very finely and toss in a teapot with hot water. Let it steep a while, cool then sip all day. It is a good idea if you can Manuka Honey and mix that in when you make the brew and even green tea (other good honey is OK but Manuka the best). You can reuse the ginger a few time before the potency goes. Ginger Ale is nice but really just soda and full of sugar with much less of the ginger you want. If he is able, sucking on one of the raw ginger slices is god for the nausea but it might burn - as in spicy hot type burn.

    Scam

    Manuka honey
    Scam,
    Is there a certain type of Manuka you use? At my local health food store, there is one that has a "5" on the label. I think I read on here somewhere that something should be at least 15. Dunno what the numbers represent. It's very pricey here - don't want to fork over the bucks, then learn I've bought a wrong product.
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #8
    Pam M said:

    Manuka honey
    Scam,
    Is there a certain type of Manuka you use? At my local health food store, there is one that has a "5" on the label. I think I read on here somewhere that something should be at least 15. Dunno what the numbers represent. It's very pricey here - don't want to fork over the bucks, then learn I've bought a wrong product.

    Manuka Honey and UMF
    Pam, Manuka Honey is from New Zealand & Australia. They don't all have UMF. The ones you want - have UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) & rating number of between 10 and 20. The amount of UMF is tested for and then the rating /number allocated to that batch. It is mainly good for the antibacterial effects above and beyond the normal antibacterial effect in most honeys. The higher the number, the more potent the UMF and also the higher the price. Buy the higher value you can afford, but if it is rated with UMF, it will be good, even if a lower #.

    Normal honey is still good but only buy good quality unprocessed honey which may be darker and courser in texture and can be a little crystalized. The Manuka honey will however retain the antibacterial qualities even when heated, while regular honeys will lose their properties when heated hence not so good for mixing with hot tea. Many of the supermarket brands will have been pasteurized and had the good stuff destroyed before they package it.

    Scam
  • Bigfuzzydoug
    Bigfuzzydoug Member Posts: 154
    #9
    ginger ale
    I can't speak for ginger ale regarding nausea because I'm not on chemo. But I do know that for thousands of years, Chinese sailors chewed on ginger root to prevent sea sickness. I've been sailing all my life and being on a boat actually settles my stomach.

    But I will say that the thought of anything carbonated is like battery acid to me right now. I couldn't image trying to drink a soda even if it were ginger ale, with my radiated neck right now. Ouch!
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #10
    BETTER THAN SPRITE OR SEVEN UP
    I bought some Ginger Ale over the weekend on the advice of another poster. Personally it went down better vs Sprite or 7up and seemed to comfort my gut better.

    Do not know why, but it worked.
  • terryscarlett
    terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
    #11
    luv4lacrosse said:

    BETTER THAN SPRITE OR SEVEN UP
    I bought some Ginger Ale over the weekend on the advice of another poster. Personally it went down better vs Sprite or 7up and seemed to comfort my gut better.

    Do not know why, but it worked.

    ginger ale
    That is great news, I bought David some fresh ginger root from Krogers. I boiled a quart of water and steeped about 1/2 inch of the root after I peeled, and sliced it. Fixed it like I would if making tea. Let it cool to room temp and put it in his feeding tube. We have been doing this for a couple days now and his nausea is much better. You might try it. You don't get the sugar like with the sodas and the ginger is stronger effect with fresh root. Hope this helps, So glad you are feeling better. Hang in there it will pass quickly and recovery is around the corner.
    Terry

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