Hat and face cover during radiotherapy

Hi Tia

I don't recognise HER-2 cream. What is that? You should be given cream to keep your face and neck moisturised during and after RT. I had Diprobase but found that too greasy so bought my own Cetraben. Can I ask if you are in the UK?

I didn't use a straw because it was my throat that hurt to swallow more than my mouth. I had a nasogastric tube after week three and everything went through that. Some people have a PEG which is a feeding tube that goes directly into the stomach 

A blender is good for  making high protein shakes. If you end up tube feeding you have to use an industrial strength (very expensive) blender to completely liquefy what you are blending. Most of us at that stage use proprietary high calorie/protein meal replacement drinks like Ensure or Fortisips. I do know one lady who liquidised whole meals with a Vitamix.

PonyWai said:

Would the throat damage be so bad that every the fine soup will cause pain when swallowing

It was for me, even with large doses of morphine

For sun protection I wore a large floppy hat. I didn't go out much during g treatment but when I recovered my energy I found factor 50 sunscreen was enough together with a hat.

I was advised to wear sun block for a year and drop to factor 30 thereafter

I used a baseball cap and a silk keffiyeh for sun protection, still use them in warm weather, used a fine water spray/squeeze bottle for lubrication, normal blender for liquifying soups fruit, throat damage is painful when eating, different levels of pain in patients.

M

I wear a wide-brimmed hat and a shirt with the collar turned up. Agree a straw doesn't help much when mouth is sore. If you're juicing or blending food, just be aware that anything acidic tends to sting like mad - for example citrus and anything tomato-based were a no-no for me for months (fine now).