battleofbrooklyn

My mom has developed painful mouth sores -- along with a low-grade fever (99.5) -- 10 days after her first chemo treatment. When we saw the doctor a couple of days ago, his nurse suggested Biotene mouthwash. She's been using it, but the relief is short-lived. Any suggestions on what else she could try?

Many thanks to those who emailed or posted here. I'm going to print these out tonight and give them to my mom. She had a rough night -- bad mouth sores and a fever from the chemo -- but your stories are just the medicine she needs!

Hi there, First of all, I just wanted to say I think this is a great site. And I'm hoping a few of you courageous folks can help me out... My mom was diagnosed with extensive small cell three weeks ago (left lung, chest and liver) and has just had her first round of chemotherapy (etoposide/cisplatin). She's a tough cookie and I'm amazed at and inspired by her attitude. A few days ago she asked me if I could find some stories about people who had the same diagnosis and achieved long-term survival. She hasn't asked me or the doctors about median survival rates for small-cell, but I'm guessing she would define "long-term" as several years. She knows she has a rocky road to hoe -- that her cancer is technically incurable and that if the first-line chemo works, it's almost certain to return -- but I keep telling her that someone has to beat the odds. I think some stories of folks who beat them, too, would go a long way toward reminding her that the fight isn't futile. So if you or someone you know has an inspiring small-cell tale, can you drop an email to Jackie, at my email address (mom has no computer)? It doesn't have to be long -- just positive. Thanks so much... Tracy