NellW Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 He is going tomorrow to get his marking. Can some of you tell us what to expect with this round? It's all new to him. He will have a 3 week round of Mon. thru Fri. with an evaluation every Moday, whatever that entails. Then the doc will decide if more is needed. I won't be surprised if chemo follows. Also, for some reason the onc feels he has one kidney that is not functioning right. There was no new stage or prognosis given, but that did not surprise me either, since neither Bob or Jo would ask for that I am sure. Tomorrow night we are listening to both doc visits on tape, and Jo has asked us to take notes for them to go over together after we hear what was said. I think they feel overwhelmed. He is also not doing well with slowing down the prostate cancer as far as the onc can see. PSA is still rising. Any hints on doing well with rad. are welcome. I think Art and I are going to take him to some of those appts. Thanks Love Nell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDianneB Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 They will probably go over all that with him as he starts the treatments. I found that popsicles helped tremendously -- they helped with the bad taste in my mouth from the radiation, and were also a good source of fluids. If sugar isn't a problem, he might try popsicles with some added sugar. Fresh pineapple helps freshen the mouth too. Keeping lotion on after the treatments, but washing it off before treatments (they don't like creams or lotions on the places being radiated, because they can somehow interfere with the beam) helped my skin a lot, and a cream called Aquaphor was wonderful once treatment ended -- it made my leather skin feel like real skin again! You are all in my prayers that he tolerates this well, and that it is helpful to him. Di Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Nell, The weekly blood tests check the blood counts to see if he becomes anemic, etc. Only 10% of people experience a metallic taste during radiation - Di and I are two of few (see, Di, we're above average!)... I sucked on Altoid's tangerine sours during radiation "beaming" to counteract the taste. If his radiation is his cleavage, he will probably develop discomfort swallowing halfway through, painful swallowing about a week after that, and the feeling of having a sandburr caught in his throat after that and beyond the end of treatment... Difficulty in swallowing liquids, difficulty in swallowing ANYTHING (helped me lose some weight...). With the discomfort, I took three shots of aloe a day to soothe my throat. When the painful stuff began, I continued with the three shots of aloe, followed by a dose of Carafat - an old ulcer treatment that tastes absolutely horrible! I didn't attempt popsicles, but warm or cool things taken in small amounts went down better...Oreos went down pretty easy, but the milk chaser was a bit harsh. I think it's because with liquids, the throat takes a bit more of a portion and "stretches" and irritates... ...and I now have three tattoos! Nothing to show off at a biker bar, but SOUNDS good! Hope they get him fixed up and on the road to recovery! Take care, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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