chemotherapy

Hi hwg,

The appetite might be the one that throws you for a loop. I craved stuff I never liked. Keep lots of different snacks around and pack some of them for when he’s at chemo.
The only time I needed the meds was before going in the car, easy, 20 minutes before leaving. Have him drink plenty of water, helps with the chemo drugs. Also watch for constipation, some of the drugs given with the chemo drugs will cause that. The chemo bag works very well, might throw in some light snacks and a light jacket too. Towards the end he might need/want a ride for treatment because of the fatigue. Also, glasses or contacts, the chemo could cause a shift, so tell him not to panic. The chemo can take a lot of patience for the caregiver watching the changes during treatment.

Bill

he is taking compazine if he gets nauseous which he has not he eats hen he is hungry he has some muscle pain in his back but that is all for now that he says is bothering him he is not vomiting he will have have his his bladder removed in june or july

Is your husband having problems with nausea and vomiting from his chemo or are you just being proactive with regard to the n&v? Jim just eats whatever appeals to him and his amount of food taken in has been dictated by his stomach since his surgery. Right now believe it or not the most appealing foods to him are spicy foods and they don't upset his stomach. He has to have LOTS of flavor to overcome a strange taste he has had at the back of his tongue since he was in the hospital so it isn't apparently chemo related. I was just wondering.

we have not seen a nutrionist no problem with his eating he eats about 4 small meals a day

Jim carries his "chemo bag" with him when he goes to chemo. He has all the things that make his stay with them as comfortable as he can be. Carboplatin takes awhile to infuse so may as well be comfortable and have stuff to do. Below are some of the things in his "chemo bag" You can come up with your own ideas as well.

an Ipod or radio with earbuds to listen to things other than what's going on in the chemo room to take you away from it all for awhile.

Books on tape

Jim brings his mug of drink he likes

His overnight bag So he isn't up and down the entire time he is at the chemo place.

A good book to read Ove the past 6 months of chemo Jim has read lots of good books he hadn't had time to read.

A pen + paper to make notes of things to do or just notes.

I try to tuck a note telling him how much I love him somewhere in his chemo bag also, it never hurts to let him know that often! Hope this has helped you some with some ideas. I am sure others may have some ideas as well.

Hi, HWG, Jim has just finished today his next to last chemo treatment after what will be 6 months of post op chemo. He had cisplatin (which is I believe the same as what your husband will have) and gemzar. He had very thick hair and as of this time his hair has really thinned a lot but he still has hair. He laughs everytime he showers and tell me that maybe we can find some bald person who would like his hair for a toupee! Humor has helped us get through this and this forum is the best filled with great people.