longtimesurviver

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rarph123
rarph123 Member Posts: 64
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Your post to Mike regarding B.O.T. reaccurance percentages left me with a another question

At the age of 78 and Diag. with the above plus lung and treatment of 36 rads neck & 36 to lung plus chemo of 8 all in a two month period.--left a little messed up. As I understand chemo has little value in B.O.T. I have a date with the "pep" scan the first of the year and the C.T. scan 5 wks. post was not to good---so my question is--with no further treatment how fast does this C grow to the point of me being a veg. I'm really looking at food,juiceing,bakingsoda or any other natural method of survival rather than Rad?chemo. My vitals from the last treatment---well they just about had to scrape me off the floor. I'm 3 mo. post now and weight from 115 to 131 now--can you share some thoughts on the above --or anyone can give me there thoughts

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  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
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    I wish I had a high quality answer for you
    but as i think about your situation, there just isn't one. The problem with BOT cancers is that they sit right at the point of the "swallowing mechanism". As they enlarge, eventually we just can't swallow well enough to keep nutritionally in balance. As we tend to loose significant weight because of the cancer, and frankly because of the treatments, we don't have great nutritional reserves to begin with. Your current weight is a significant problem.

    How quickly our malignancies enlarge is variable. In my case, I tend to form cancers that grow very rapidly. I go from normal to big trouble in just a month or two. Other people have malignancies that take years to grow to any significant size. Our cancers tend to not metastasize. Even if they do, the local growth tends to be our biggest problem.

    You and I will never be vegetables. If we lose the battle, it will be because of nutrition. I wish I had better answers for you sir.

    Best wishes.

    Pat
  • rarph123
    rarph123 Member Posts: 64
    #3
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    longtermsurvivor said:

    I wish I had a high quality answer for you
    but as i think about your situation, there just isn't one. The problem with BOT cancers is that they sit right at the point of the "swallowing mechanism". As they enlarge, eventually we just can't swallow well enough to keep nutritionally in balance. As we tend to loose significant weight because of the cancer, and frankly because of the treatments, we don't have great nutritional reserves to begin with. Your current weight is a significant problem.

    How quickly our malignancies enlarge is variable. In my case, I tend to form cancers that grow very rapidly. I go from normal to big trouble in just a month or two. Other people have malignancies that take years to grow to any significant size. Our cancers tend to not metastasize. Even if they do, the local growth tends to be our biggest problem.

    You and I will never be vegetables. If we lose the battle, it will be because of nutrition. I wish I had better answers for you sir.

    Best wishes.

    Pat

    B.O.T
    Thanks for your reply, you must have spent a little time researching this C any way as the old saying goes " We have to play the hand that is delt to us "
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    #4
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    Curious
    Do you have a peg tube to get the extra nutrition to keep your weight up?
  • rarph123
    rarph123 Member Posts: 64
    #5
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    robinleigh said:

    Curious
    Do you have a peg tube to get the extra nutrition to keep your weight up?

    B.O.T.
    Had peg tube in thru out treatment--6cans per day--wife started feeding me creme of weat--very thin and chicken soup from blender. 4 wk post had tube removed and lived on creame of wheat.7wk post neck exersize& tounge 3 times a day eating eggs hash browns and bacon with lots of gravey

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