Finished treatment!

Hi Rich. 
The two weeks refers to how long the RT keeps working. I despair at oncologists telling people they will start improving after two weeks. It’s not true. 
By six weeks I was feeling a bit better but I was in morphine till Twelve. The blood in the spit is normal if it just streaks. If it is an actual haemorrhage she needs to go to A&E. These are rare. 
I wasn’t on oxycodone but was on oramorph which I took by the clock…. Not when needed. Taking pain relief for severe pain works better if you keep the blood levels high and stay in front of the pain. Instead of fentanyl I had long lasting morphine twice a day. 
if your wife’s pain relief is inadequate get onto her CNS asap and get it sorted. Honestly getting pain relief done properly is a game changer. It certainly was for me. 
It will get better 

Keep her nutrition and hydration up via tube. My NG was in for six weeks after treatment and I couldn’t have done without it. 

Thanks Dani your a star.

Looks like i have to have a conversation with her tonight that she won't want to hear.

It’s just time. What has been done to her is awful and takes a long time to repair. Along with the local damage the body goes into a strange physiology to cope. She will be tired for a good while. Radiation fatigue is like no other. You can’t fight it you have to rest. It can come on suddenly at times and knock you flat. But all this is normal. She’s had a cancer with an exceptionally good cure rate. She will get better. Give her a big hug from me. Tell her not to be frightened. And don’t you  worry too much. You sound as if you have done everything you could. You can’t help but share her pain I know that. My husband was my rock. He looked after me when I couldn’t, gave me space when I needed but gave me a kick when I needed that. 
Have a read if this essay about recovering from cancer. 
It will help both of you. 

https://www.workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf

Hi Rich

Well done to your wife on finishing the treatment ....pain will continue for a while yet so make sure you have plenty of meds available...especially for weekends and bank hols...blood streaking in spit was common for me as my oral cavity was very delicate...still quite sensitive one year post Chemoradio...my treatment finished in June 2023 mid August 2023 before real improvements kicked in...

In October I was well enough and confident enough to go to the Canaries with my wife for a couple of weeks.

There will be some down days... patients and carers are hit hard by the disease... physically and mentally...but these days become fewer and fewer as time goes on.

Take care

Peter

Hi Rich,

Fistly well done to your wife for getting through treatment and to you for supporting her ( I know it’s not easy for our families to see us in such pain.

Everyones experience is different from start to finish but like your wife I was put on Fentanyl patches Oxycodone and Oramorph plus some very strong anti sickness medication Speak togerCNSto liaise with theOn logistics to try and get her pain under control.

. Like Dani said sadly most of us take several weeks(in my case months) before we feel through the worst of it. Our bodies are left so damaged from the chemoradiation that they need a long time to heal and recover.

I also had streaked bloody mucus quite often but any thing more and she needs togo back to hospital to get an assessment.

Tell her to listen to her body’s d rest as much as possible brighter calmer days will come again x

Debbie

Hi Rich. Hello from me and welcome. The others have explained so I wi throat my self. My blog below might help. It’s a marathon not a sprint I’m 6 years post chemo radiotherapy which to you will seem a lifetime away but slowly she will get there. 
Read this article it will help plus pass on to family snd friends. Although treatment is finished, she still has a way to go some days. It’s two steps forward one step back, but we all don’t get there at the end.

https://www.workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf

Hazel x

Hi RichL Well tell her fair play for getting through the treatment . Lets just say the doctors are economical with the truth and it can take much longer to get over the affects but it does improve over time . Just remember this time will pass and think of positive things . All the Best minmax