Tim'sKathy Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 It just seems like it is everything at once. Tim was feeling pretty good except for the fatigue and numbness in his feet and fingers...but ever since our experience with the Zometa Friday and now radiation today..I just don't know... He has had bouts of diarrhea which could be from the Iressa (he has now been on it 11 days) and he is so fatigued he is miserable. He is also coughing a little more- had realitivly disappeared before- and I am wondering if it's the Iressa cough I have heard about. He tries to sleep during the day but can't and tonight he is just so restless. He started taking the paxil this morning again after the dr assured him that it was the Zometa, not the paxil that made him so sick this weekend. He had his first radiation treatment today and they said that because of where it is located, the only side effects he should have is...YES...more fatigue and maybe some skin irritation. THe dr. that saw him today was great..assured him that it could take 6 months to a year to get his energy back from the chemo... I think he is fearing the worst and that the cancer is much worse, but he just had his PET scan 7/3 ...I think it's just all the side effects scaring us... Anyone care to share their radiation experiences ? Kathy Quote
Candy Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Hugh hasn't had any radiation so far, so I can't share any of that with you. I would guess that Tim sleeps so much during the day because he is home alone and bored. Easier to sleep than to think about all of what is going on. Hugh did the same when he was getting chemo and had no energy. There just wasn't anything else to do but sleep. So, they have slept all day and that leaves him awake at night. I noticed on the weekends when we would go for drives, etc. he slept better at night. Also, he was taking Lorazapan for nausea and the nurses told him to take one before bed and it would help him fall asleep. Candy Quote
Guest Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Kathy, The doctors gave us some sort of lotion (I think it was called Steris) to rub on the skin where the rad was being pointed. BUT DO NOT RUB IT ON WITHIN A FEW HOURS BEFORE RADIATION. Rub it on after and at night. This should help from the skin being burned. If you rub it on right before it increases the skin being burned. Ginny DeCoursey Quote
norme Posted July 23, 2003 Posted July 23, 2003 Buddy had three different bouts with radiation. it really knocked him for a loop. i thought at one time he was dying because of his looks, fatigue,blood pressure, etc but he snapped out of it about two wks after the last go around. the numbness and tingle in the feet and hands is the side effects of chemo per the dr.... Quote
Rocco Posted July 26, 2003 Posted July 26, 2003 Radiation- The gist that keeps on giving! My onc told me that it can takes years for the side effects from radiation to go away. I'm 8 months removed from radiation and generally feel pretty good. The best thing for the burn is 'silvadine' cream available by prescription. They gace me many lotions, but this worked far beter than the others. Good luck and remember that this treatment is a necessary evil to control an even bigger evil. Rocco Quote
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