Radiotherapy

Ducklings said:

I have been given loads of fortisips to take. I just don’t know how much weight loss to expect either

I was threatened with hospitalisation if I lost more than 10%. I lost a little after treatment but not during. You need 2500 calories a day to tolerate treatment and heal properly. Each fortisip is 400 if I remember 

Yeah I just really need to find ways to try and keep my strength up. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. I have a lot of family support but I still want to keep things as normal as possible. 

 I need to stay off Google get myself in a whirl wind with it. 
Thank you for all your advice 

Hi Ducklings.. if you have time, go get a fluoride varnish from your dentist, it will help your teeth if/when your mouth gets too sore to keep properly clean. Get on top of your oral hygiene now. 

Keep your neck well moisturised with a fragrance free moisturiser, and before treatment see if you can get Flamigel RT to use.. it worked an absolute treat for me, my neck was extremely red/tanned but never broke down.. didn't even peel.

If you're offered a PEG or similar, take it.. better to have and not use, than need and not have..  

Hi Ducklings,  I am in the same boat.  I was hoping to have just monitor, but now find I have to have bothe RT and CT.  I have my Pre- Treatment Assessment today and I too am scared stiff of the side effects.  I'm fine about having the treatments themselves, just how I'm going to be with the effects . . . I'm a big baby when I'm ill.  We'll get through it together eh?  All the lovely people on here are a great help and comfort, so keep asking questions and someone will answer.  Take care.

Hugs

Hazel x

Ducklings said:

Yeah I just really need to find ways to try and keep my strength up. I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. I have a lot of family support but I still want to keep things as normal as possible. 

It’s amazing what you can do if you have to. Take all the family help you can. Save your strength to be with your little ones who will buoy you up. Leave routine stuff to the others. 
My treatment isn’t even much of a distant memory now. It’s like having a baby. You forget the pain because so much good came out of it. 

Not much to add to the excellent advice already given in the forum. The "not knowing" is definitely horrible and staying away from Google is paramount for your mental health.

I'm about 17 weeks post radiotherapy (30 sessions) and chemo (2 sessions) to my tonsils and neck and day by day definitely starting to feel better. Mouth still can be dry but able to enjoy more foods recently (Chinese which was a big bonus, and even the odd pint of lager ) Just back from a week's holiday in Spain and coped fine with the food etc there too. Believe me if somebody as "weak" as me can power through then anybody can do it, and you'll be very well supported throughout your journey on these forums.

First couple of weeks into the treatment you will start to wonder what the fuss was about, and then it just seems to hit overnight. I had a RIG inserted (hoping to get it removed in a couple of weeks after my PET results) and was glad of it as eating was genuinely impossible (ice cream etc aside) for the rest of treatment and a few weeks beyond. Touch wood, water aside twice daily to keep it clean, I've not had to use it for 3 months now and am only down a couple of kg in that time.

As has been said everybody been through similar journeys on here but all our reactions to treatment can be very different. However, you will get through this 100% !

Hi ducklings

I’m in a similar boat! Starting RT next week and frankly feeling terrified. I’ve cared for my husband (stage 4 oesophageal cancer now doing really well) through 6 rounds of chemo and a major op but this is a different ball game. I’ve stayed off google and this forum is wonderful but I’m still scared. Perhaps we can keep in touch as we go through.

JaneD said:

Perhaps we can keep in touch as we go through.

good idea.. PFJTHS and I kept in touch throughout our treatment, well, until I had a rather unpleasant stint in hospital for 17 days.. and we 'compared notes' during our recovery.. add to that all the invaluable help, encouragement and info from members of this forum, helps you realise that you are not going through this alone..

Hi JaneD, 

Thank you. That would be a lovely idea to keep in touch