Overwhelmed when given the list of appointments for husband's CRT - Tonsil Cancer HPV +

Fry7b5361 said:

I feel like I'm spiralling with all the talk of humidifiers, nebulisers, toothpaste, meds, gels, sprays and things we are going to need, along with foods etc I'm going to need to get in.

Your husband will get all he will need as he needs it from the hospital. So try not to panic. Not everyone needs all that. 
I was given Caphosol, Difflam and Gelclair mouthwashes. Duraphat high fluoride toothpaste. Cocodomol which I couldn’t use. Liquid paracetamol all to start with. Later I had oromorph and long acting morphine. 
I made a list of what to take when, stuck it up in the kitchen and ticked it off through the day. Even then, apart from pain relief I didn’t use much of it
I would strongly suggest that he gets a fluoride varnish from his own dentist before he starts then it won’t matter a jot if he doesn’t use the Duraphat at all till his mouth is less sensitive. 

Fry7b5361 said:

humidifiers, nebulisers,

I didn’t need either. I tried steaming over hot water with a towel around my head when I got sticky saliva but to be honest I don’t think it made much difference. I threw the tissues away and spat into bits of kitchen roll 

Ok so the general consensus is to just take each day/week as it comes and deal with problems as they arise with the team. So I'll be told what I need to do or be given the appropriate item by them as necessary. That's a relief. I feel a bit better about it all now. I feel like these weeks waiting for treatment to start are the worst. You imagine all sorts. I think I'll feel better once he starts and I can actively do things to help. 

Fry7b5361 said:

Ok so the general consensus is to just take each day/week as it comes and deal with problems as they arise with the team. So I'll be told what I need to do or be given the appropriate item by them as necessary. That's a relief. I feel a bit better about it all now. I feel like these weeks waiting for treatment to start are the worst. You imagine all sorts. I think I'll feel better once he starts and I can actively do things to help. 

Absolutely. Your husband should tell his radiographers how he feels every day. They are his conduit to the rest of the team and will make sure he gets what he needs. A tip… don’t be brave and pretend he’s feeling ok. They can help only when they know what’s happening. 
Nothing much will happen for the first two weeks when his throat will start getting a little scratchy. Just make sure he moisturises his neck right from the start. I was given Diprobase but found it too greasy so bought some Cetraben for myself. 
Pure Aloe Vera applied in the car in the way home helped stop me burn. 

Dani , do you think that pure vaseline would do the same job ?.

No. It’s contra indicated. It traps the heat and interferes with the radiation. 

So will they provide us with a cream from the beginning? 

Yes. I was given Diprobase. Some people get a special RT cream like Flamigel and others get E45. The aloe vera was a tip I picked up from a friend who had breast cancer. I used it immediately after RT

Hi Fry 

you will/should be provided with cream from the first radiotherapy appointment.  You will be given instructions as and when to use it.. Basically that will be morning, after the session and at night. Really important this is followed and only takes a couple of minutes. You will have one type of cream to apply whilst having radiotherapy and a different type when it has finished to use for a certain amount of time after.

You will also be given mouthwashes, sprays and probably toothpaste.. If you don’t have one already get a nice soft toothbrush. 

There are lots of different products you could be given, in my case I ended up with products from the bioextra range. They were nice and mild, easy to use and did the trick for me. 

Various types of pain relief will be made available which I also backed up with good quality strong CPD oil which I took prior to meals. 

It is really important you/your husband communicates with the care team about how he is feeling so they can provide the right care.

Big hug and best wishes

T

To sort out the meds if you have a smartphone try the app MyTherapy.  It worked well for me and can manage a lot more than just meds - weight, feelings etc.  You set up the med, frequency, quantity etc and then get prompted to take and confirm the dose.  Often you can set up the med by just scanning the barcode on the packet, but that won't work for all the meds he will need.  Manual set up is easy in that case.