Treatment chosen

Our very good friend Alwayshope  has some good advice on this.

I couldn't find the post I remember so I have tagged her in this one. I am sure that she will have suggestions on the chemo for you.

Thank you steve really appreciate that 

BG

This is the information Steve mstev2 is referring to in a response I gave to a wife.

Have a thermometer and find out your husband's baseline figures before starting treatment then take his temperature twice a day to monitor for any infection.

A good blood pressure machine can also be useful as an early warning of how the body is dealing with the treatment. Again establish a baseline and then monitor daily.

An oximeter is an optional extra for early indication that bloods are ok.

Each cycle followed a similar pattern so keep a diary. Hubby was fine until day 3 of the cycle, then had flu like symptoms until day 5 and was back to normal by day 9.

Your husband will be in the chemotherapy unit for between 2 and 4 hours so take something in with him to eat and drink, as well as something to do. Wear comfortable clothes.

The chemotherapy drug contains alcohol and, depending on the dose, it can mean that he will be over the legal limit for driving - make sure he has transport organised.

The chemo can affect any cells which multiply fast in the body such a hair, guts and mouth. To minimise the effect he can ask for a cold cap for the head if he is worried about losing his hair. Also sucking on ice cubes during the infusion and for 30 minutes after can reduce the taste issues.

If your husband doesn't use the cold cap then he will probably start losing hair fairly quickly from his whole body. In anticipation my husband had his hair cut short before hand. He also put a towel over his pillow which made it easier to shake out in the morning rather than having to hoover the bed.

Your husband will excrete the chemotherapy drug out of every orifice and sweat for 2/3 days after each infusion. For your safety use a condom if you make love and avoid open mouth kissing. If you have more than one loo then dedicate a separate one to him and double flush it, plus ask him to wipe up any splashes with paper towels and flush it. Make sure he has a dedicated towel and wash cloth which the rest of the family don't use.

I took the precaution of washing our bedlinen and his clothes and towels separately after each 3rd day of the cycle.

He must report any side effects to the team. If he has a poor experience then they can give supportive drugs for future cycles or adjust the dose.

Food wise you might need to adjust his diet to cope with what he can eat and drink. Avoid anything with undercooked eggs and unpasteurised products. Salads etc must be washed very well but generally I only served up cooked food and gave it to him little and often as this was more palatable for him. Even water, tea and coffee tasted foul but he found he could drink diluted fruit juice and things like lemon barley water. I also had a stock of home made oat/nut bars which he could browse on as this helped keep the nausea at bay.

The experts will monitor him like a hawk for the first session but he must tell them if he feels at all unwell. Also if there is any discomfort where they put the catheter in ( usually the back of the hand) then speak up as it can damage the vein.

He will be immunocompromised whilst on chemotherapy and for up to 6 months afterwards so be sensible and avoid anyone with bugs and we used COVID like precautions when in crowded places.

The whole family should be immunised against flu and COVID before starting treatment if possible, plus avoid children if they have recently had the nasal flu vaccine as it is live.

Generally carry on doing what you enjoy.

Hi Alwayshope

again such brilliant advise and I really appreciate it so much it’s such a scary time and I know he’s dreading it but it has to be done . It’s my brother and he has such an amazing partner who has been with him every step of the way we are all just so worried for him but he’s a very fit 64 year old who trains every day and eats really healthy he has coped so well on his HT . His thinking on choosing the Triplet Therapy over the Alputamide is he really fit and healthy now so he knows he can do it it’s just even the word chemo fills you with dread but this has to be done even if he chose the Alputamide he would have still had to have chemo further down the line so his thinking is hit it hard at the beginning . Once again thank you so much for sending me all the info in your message I really am so thankful 

BG

Thank you Alwayshope .

I've copied that in case I have to use ît any any point.

Hi Bg65 , the thought of chemo is often much worse than the reality and being a fit 64yo will go in his favour. The infusion itself is quite painless and I didn’t notice any difference until day 3 when brain fog hit for a few days. The process repeated each time and fatigue increased after each cycle.  The key is to take action immediately if anything unusual occurs (raised temperature or pain).  The chances are, he will sail through this with no problems.  David

I think everyone dreads the thought of chemotherapy but the fact that my husband is willing to go through it again shows that for him it was doable. David has given good advice and there have been many on the forum who have sailed through it with few effects. Keep positive.

Hello BG (Bg65) 

Just a well done for helping your brother get this far - we all knew what he wanted/needed and now he's got it so great news.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Brian

thank you so much for all you great advice words of encouragement basically just for everything this site has been a godsend I really mean that I’ve asked question after question and everyone has been there for me could not have got to this point without you and everyone else Thank you 

BG

Thank you alwayshope for everything could not have got through this without you all on here I really am so thankful I found you all 

BG