Radiotherapy for Throat Cancer

Hello all,

I have posted my little story on introduce yourself and basically I have been diagnosed with Stage 1 Throat cancer.

The prognosis is hopeful and I remain cheerful and positive. Its taken a while for the actual treatment to start so glad to get on with it at last.

I started my first day of radiotherpy today and have 29 more treatments to go over 6 week period.
I have made a little computer programme that logs my side effects and summarises episodes of each heading and I plan on keeping a daily log of how things went/ how I feel ( good and bad ) and map out my journey. I find it therapuetic.

I will share periodically in the hope that even if it helps one person as well as myself  it will be worthwhile.

So day 1 was fine and I dont really feel any difference or notice anything.
One small point is that the mask made was slightly harder than when it was first made as it has set little harder over the weeks and was a little more moveable on the day made.
Took about 10 mins for actual radiotherpay treatment itself.
Drove home fine.

Meet with advanced practioner nurse every Thurs to discuss progress.
Aware might be a little different along the way but all good after day 1.

 

kind regards

Ian

 

Parents Reply
  • MHave you been prescribed any high calorie food drinks like Ensure or fresubin? From your Macmillan nurse or dr .yiu really need them as they are highly balanced to make up all the nutrients we are missing. They are a bit gloopy so what we did was dilute then with bottled water I still can’t drink tap water!  If you dilute them you get a double hit 300 calories instantly but 600 mil if liquid. 

    Soda water was my main source is drink have you tried herbal tea ie had peppermint only luke warm though and de caff green tea .youbreally need the liquid as it helps to get rid if the radiation are you keeping a record  get Julie to keep a  record if Hiw much you are  drinking need a min if 1.5 litres 2 is better plus at least 1900 calories sorry to bearer of bad news. But the 3 things that get us through ut are food drink sleep and lightbexercise .

    keep,in touch

     

    Hazel 

Children
  • Yes Iv got the high calorie drinks too I forgot to mention them, I can’t stand the taste but get them down by pegging my nose.

  • hi dave

    so dilute them  with water it makes them more palatable which ones do yiu have ? I used to have 4 Ensure and 1 fresubin a day hated them like u say but diluted they are a bit more palatable it’s really a case of calories calories in a week or so try a boiled egg with wait for it toast lathered with lurpack I still find roast easier than bread although today I had a cheese sandwich on whole meal bread sorry. 

    Anither food to try toasted fruit tea cake with cheese on then grilled like cheese on toast cut into quarters seems silly but well greased toast I and everyone who I’ve rold it aboutbsays wow likewise I was skeptic as toast is harsh but give it a try 

    h

  • The drinks are Fortisip I have three a day, another thing I forgot to mention is Julie makes a huge smoothie with fruit, high fat milk, yogurt, honey etc 

  • Well done on smoothies i couldn’t touch them  for weeks the fruit just dried my mouth out. See if dr will prescribe Ensure they are creamier than the fortisips or try complan made with milk that’s anither good one to try most supermarkets sell it in sachets also I’d undontbwant to bother dr try meritene from chemists as a powder to make up .its slowly coming back to me I am 20 weeks since finish which is scary  . No one tells you how long recovery is likely to be ok we are all doing it at different paces ,i a must now onky on paracetamol but sleeping isn’t good along with dry mouth at night during day am fine. Off to bed now so try the abive u might find them better than fortisip n if u get on with them getbdr Tom prescribe them 

    night Haze