Daughter/Carer of NEW DIAGNOSIS-help

Hi. 
have a look at this thread. It might help you plan 

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer-forum/f/diagnosis-and-treatment/287136/helpful-tips-for-those-about-to-start-treatment

RT is a challenge  There us a real possibility that after four weeks your mum won’t be able to swallow even pain relief  if she is offered a feeding tube she should grab it  I had a nasogastric tube at four weeks and it stayed in once fir many weeks  it saved my life  

I was 68 when I finished treatment so a little younger than your mum  

Stay with us  there’s lots of help here and there are quite a few carers as members  

It is a scary time for patients, family and carers, treatment can be hard on some but not everyone is hit hard with the side effects some do manage to avoid the worst.

I was 67 when I had Chemoradiotherapy for stage 3 tonsil and neck cancer, difficult times, PEG tube fed, hated it but it was a life saver.

Don't suffer in silence , tell your oncology teams about any pain issues your Mum has, make sure you have plenty of pain meds. 

Keep posting on the forum as there will be loads of support and help available 24/7, always someone happy to help or just to chat with.

Thanks Dani. She is a super organised woman and has already started  on the various mouthwashes, moisturiser and the rehab exercises. I know the tube feed really frightens her…we’re as ready as we’re going  tto be…

Katej5833 said:

I know the tube feed really frightens her

Try to reassure her. It’s a darn sight less frightening g than being in pain all the time because you can’t get your meds down. 
Has she got one in place already? 

First couple of weeks are not too bad, try to have Mum eat well for as long as she can, treat your Mum to all the things she likes as taste and appetite can disappear for some time. Weeks 2 to 3 usually sees the side effects of RT coming into force.

No, they discussed it with her on Friday at speech therapy/nutrition and said they will keep an eye on her. They mentioned having to be admitted for a week if you have it ?