Looking for some advice

Hello Loopyliz, 

I've just finished week 4 of 6 weeks. I can't offer much advice. I wall to walled paracetamol and ibuprofen I til my review on week 3 when they gave me cocodamol, and then in week 4 , just now I have started on the morphine, which is better. 

The thing I found did work for me, in terms of just being able to drink something was  I made cold brewed green tea, and kept it in the fridge, and that's what I'm drinking. It is quite soothing. 

And avoid anything even remotely acidic or citrus! 

You don't have to wait for your review to get something stronger in terms of pain relief, ask the Radio people and they can get you to see the Nurse. 

I hope you can get some relief 

Rachael

Hi Liz

Weeks 2 -3 are usually when the poo starts hitting the fan, co-codamol, MST Continus and Oramorph coming into play for pain relief, plenty of Difflam for ulcer pain, Biotene gel and hydration for dry mouth.... make sure you have plenty of pain meds for weekends and bank holidays.

Peter 

Thank you Rachel I didn't know I could ask the radio's so will definitely do that Mon.

Hope all goes well over the next 2 weeks n there after hun x

Thanks Peter I will look in to those needs & I will definitely make sure I'm well covered for weekends & holidays s in the future x

Hi Liz....just what there others said. Your radiographers are your point of contact to the rest of your team. Tell them every day what you feel like and if you need help with anything.

At the end of week 2 my throat prickled badly and by the end of week 3 the paracetamol I was on wasn't enough. Things came crashing down on a Friday....don't they always!!!!!!! and by week 4 I was on morphine and paracetamol and feeding by NG tube. I was given Caphosol, difflam and oxetecaine but I'm not convinced they did much for me. Strangely (as  nobody else seemed to get any) I was given corsodyl mouthwash so used that last thing every night. It bloody hurt but I never got thrush

Pain meds - and don't be afraid to take whatever they give you - will be your friend for the next few weeks.  I had vicious ulcers on the sides of my tongue, but the meds at least made then tolerable.   Try to take paracetamol about 30 minutes before you want to eat.  The short term analgesics like Oxcetataine I found next to useless.

For the dry mouth, sleeping with a humidifier worked for me.  I was able to manage for much of the day, but the night was (and still is) worse.  A nebuliser, although normally used to break down the mucus, can also help in moistening the tissues of the mouth and throat.

Be wary of tea as the tannin in it dry whatever little saliva you have left.  Of all the "real" teas I found white tea the best.  It is the least processed and has the least caffine and tannin.  Alas it is not cheap in it's best loose leaf form, but Tescos do stock Clipper teabags which are more cost effective.

PFJTHS said:

Be wary of tea as the tannin in it dry whatever little saliva you have left.  Of all the "real" teas I found white tea the best.  It is the least processed and has the least caffine and tannin.  Alas it is not cheap in it's best loose leaf form, but Tescos do stock Clipper teabags which are more cost effective.

Yes....real tea did it for me too. I am now Pukka Teas best customer

With the tea, the thing about cold brewed tea is that it doesn't release the tannins, so I have taken to cold brewing green tea overnight in the fridge, and I am mostly drinking that. Also I am cold brewing coffee so I make an iced latte with that. 

Despite being a massive tea drinker I couldn't drink hot brewed tea at all without feeling sick, which led me to the cold brewed tea discovery.

R

Post treatment dry mouth persisted. ...I tried various different refreshments.... Guinness alcohol free worked well for me as did St Peter's Without... also alcohol free... still enjoying both... and they add a few calories into my diet 

I like real tea.  Silver Needle loose tea is amazing to drink, but also amazingly expensive...