Finally got this show on the road

HelenBack
HelenBack Member Posts: 87 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

My husband has finally started his treatments! Wednesday was an all-day cisplatin affair followed by his first and second rads Thurday and Friday. Mostly, things are fine but he has a heavy duty case of the hiccups, two days in a row now. He's been a real sport but it is causing him to have some acid reflux. Fortunately, he's not getting naseous but it's still making it hard for him to eat.

We are following an unusual peice of advice of cooling the inside of his mouth with ice water right before radiation and will report how that goes. One of our radiation oncologists patients had good results with that preventing sores. He had none. However, he was a bit older than my husband and I think I read somewhere that younger people suffer with more mucositis than older folk.

Fingers crossed.

It's nice to finally get this thing going. We have the gloves on and are ready for a good fight!

Helen

 

Comments

  • ToBeGolden
    ToBeGolden Member Posts: 695
    #2
    Welcome

    To our little group. It's better to have treatment on its way (rather than waiting for it to start). I'm sure you'll find the advice and support you need on these boards. Rick.

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #3
    glad trmtns have started, now

    glad trmtns have started, now u can look forward to them ending.  it is always a good feeling to get started.  praying for smooth sailing although i'm sure there will be some rough days.  hang in there it is doable.

    God bless,

    debbiejeanne            Laughing

  • cureitall66
    cureitall66 Member Posts: 913
    #4
    Glad to hear it...

    My loved one completed his tx at the beginning of December and end of February got his clean scan so we are not too far ahead of you. I can't relate to the hiccups, but I know I've seen somewhere on one of these boards of some folks that had them during tx.

    I hope the mouth sores are kept at a minimum with the advice that was given to you. We relied on the good old Magic Mouth wash and did the salt/baking soda/water rinses frequently. Not sure if anyone stressed the swallowing that is needed during tx, but be sure he is using that swallowing action as many told us "use it or you'll lose it"....so, we kept the swallowing of water up...for both the exercise and hydration.

    Sound like you're doing well. It's a tough journey, but such a small price to pay to be cancer free in the end!

    ~C

    ** Dx: BOT w/ 2 lymph nodes involved (same side), Stage IV, HPV16+  

    ** Tx: Chemo (Carboplatin w/ Paclitaxel & Rads- 7wks) No surgery.

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #5
    Had Both..

    Hiccups and acid reflux..., talk to them, they will have something for it...

    Glad you're on the road..., one step closer to killing the beast, and even better, being finshed...

    JG

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #6
    on with the show

    Helen,

     

    I guess you can say there were hiccups to getting started.

     

    Being ready for a “good fight” is an apt way of putting it.  There is no being too prepared for this battle.  Give the beast a knock out blow and get on with life.

     

    Matt

  • akbear49
    akbear49 Member Posts: 51
    #7
    Acid reflux

    I had a similar issue - my daughter said I was lactose intolerant - never happened before treatments - the docs disagreed saying that lactose intolerance wasn't the issue - my wife bought me almond soy milk anyway and the acid reflux got better

    keep up that salt / baking soda mouth rinse, it helped me quite a bit

    I also took 2 anti nausea meds ahead of symptoms and never vomited which I believe saved my throat and swallowing abillity.   I was re reading a journal I kept during and after my treatment - I was on anti nausea meds for more than 2 weeks after my last chemo session.    My docs all said "what ever makes you feel better".

    Today, 21 months out, I've regained most of my weight, saliva and taste are almost normal and I'm doing well

    This sucks, don't want to sugar coat it at all so you know what to expect but there is an end to the treatment and a long life ahead

    Hang in there

    Ed

      

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #8
    Wonderful!!

    it is very cathartic to finally get to battle after all that hurry up and wait.  Gives a patient the feeling that they're finally doing something themselves to get the monster out.

    Hope he gets passed the hiccups soon...that would make me crazy....

    p

  • Roar
    Roar Member Posts: 269 Member
    #9
    Forgot about the hiccups

    I forgot about the hiccups - good luck on the new adventure - I kept a daily journal for every day I was in treatment - it made me feel like I was contributing to my treatment. I would write everything down- how I felt that day what meds I was given- who I met with etc. as I got later into the treatment it helped me to look back and see where I have been and where I am going. Particularly when I was on all kinds of medications and I was losing track of the days. It helped me to focus. I even made it to treatment during hurricane Sandy- I forgot about that too- the chemo was a challenge for me. In addition to the hydration I drank a ton of water for the first two chemo treatments- the last chemo treatment I was in bad shape and couldn't drink as much but I tried. You ot to keep flushing the kidneys- the more he pees the better. Good luck

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member
    #10
    phrannie51 said:

    Wonderful!!

    it is very cathartic to finally get to battle after all that hurry up and wait.  Gives a patient the feeling that they're finally doing something themselves to get the monster out.

    Hope he gets passed the hiccups soon...that would make me crazy....

    p

    What do you mean?

    cathartic 

     

    Which definition of the word do you mean, not sure how speeding up the poopster machine help much. LOL

    I did not know about the first definition and being where we are here, it surely seems in gneral context. 

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathartic

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member
    #11
    Yep yep...

    I got the hiccups as well after the 1st couple chemo treatments. Along with that comes acid reflux and all the fine little nasties that go along wth it :(
    They prescribed an acid reducer (Prevacid) and that's taken care if the issue.

    "T"

  • HelenBack
    HelenBack Member Posts: 87 Member
    #12
    fishmanpa said:

    Yep yep...

    I got the hiccups as well after the 1st couple chemo treatments. Along with that comes acid reflux and all the fine little nasties that go along wth it :(
    They prescribed an acid reducer (Prevacid) and that's taken care if the issue.

    "T"

    Prevacid?

    Did that help with the hiccups or just the acid? 

    I know you're in the home stretch, how are you holding up? I guess if you have the abilty to give a reply you must be doing pretty well.

    Keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth finish.

    Helen

     

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #13
    fishmanpa said:

    Yep yep...

    I got the hiccups as well after the 1st couple chemo treatments. Along with that comes acid reflux and all the fine little nasties that go along wth it :(
    They prescribed an acid reducer (Prevacid) and that's taken care if the issue.

    "T"

    Protonix...

    Acid reflux was handled with Protonix for me...

  • akbear49
    akbear49 Member Posts: 51
    #14
    debbiejeanne said:

    glad trmtns have started, now

    glad trmtns have started, now u can look forward to them ending.  it is always a good feeling to get started.  praying for smooth sailing although i'm sure there will be some rough days.  hang in there it is doable.

    God bless,

    debbiejeanne            Laughing

    treatments

    I fought hard to get my treatments started ASAP - about 1/2 way thru I kept thinking "and I fought for this" - in the long run it is worth it

    and I agree

    keep a journal - you can refer back to it later on in your treatment to see what did and didn't work

    hang in there

    Ed

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member
    #15
    HelenBack said:

    Prevacid?

    Did that help with the hiccups or just the acid? 

    I know you're in the home stretch, how are you holding up? I guess if you have the abilty to give a reply you must be doing pretty well.

    Keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth finish.

    Helen

     

    It Helped....

    For me, the acid reflux triggered the hiccups so treating one helped to eliminate the other.

    I'm holding up as best I can at this point. It's almost funny calling it the "home stretch" as I equate this to a marathon. The only difference is the amount of endorpins released in that last couple of miles.    

    "T"                                  

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