Hi Ian how is week one at homemade going ? I met my oncologist yesterday he is very pleased with my progress and let ctbscan first week in January results 14=January,then he says every 6 month for a chat 

if yiu need anything just post n will get back to you

hazel

Hi Hazel and thanks for asking,

not too bad but not fablous either. At least I am off 3 weeks leave and getting plenty of sleep,

I'm just realy stuggling with the Ensure drinks as find them gross and Im really going to have to try and start on chicken soup/rice/custard etc and experiment little with food as not sure how long I can bear these damn drinks !!

Neck seemed to start right after treatment stopped and little red/burnt and little raw and itchy.
So far skin not broken but quite sensitive.
Ive got aquaous cream stuff in fridge and that cools it down.

Sorry sounding sorry for myself while Im still staying positive, just keep waiting for some signs of normality lol.

Thats fab news about you progress and long may that continue.

kind regards

Ian

hi Ian see you were up at the witching hour 0400 !

totaly sympathise with you and the ensurevdrinks get complan n thin them down they are more palatable or even just plain water pa I used mineral as opposed to tap. 

These next few weeks are the worst hence whyi had feedingbtube custard rice pudding just woukdnt  getbdowm so u are doing well . It’s ok to feel sorry for your self but to cheer u up last night I had a weak orange squash normally wouldn’t touch  ut but ut was bliss unwill find yourself justbwantung something to drink. 

Tea n coffe unlesss de caff dry u out try de caff green tea or peppermint .

thank u for your comments nextbaim is yontry cereal just trying some niw but not brill it’s strange hiw pastry goes down 

my neck if you’ve seen my blog got 3 rd degree burns so when skin healed I bought bio oil from boots it is very good my neck now u can’t even see where the burns were

take care keep in touch

hazel

Hazel,

Thanks for your words of encourangement and means a lot, especially when you undertand as you have been through.

Ok so I have a plan as off just now lol...I get up 3.00am ish and take 1 oral morph and some water.

I then have 3 of these esure drinks between 3.am and 5.00 am ish as it gets 3 out of the road then one around lunch then another arounf tea. I then take a custard or something as I can manage 5 at most and thats it. Been watching weight and creeping up few pounds each day so thats encouraging and hope continues.
I then back to bed and up again around 10.00am for meds and focus on another exiting day lol.

Seen you neck and ouch!....mine is nowhere near that and just sensitive and I put on vream from fridge..its the damn itch thats annoying but where cream comes in handy.

Being positive, i Just put it down to part of the journey and I will soon be on the mend like yourself, albeit slowely monkey

regards

Ian

Hazel,

Still bothered quite a bit with mucas, esecially during night and still up a lot and hence throat still quite sore each morning until I take oramorph n some water to settle.

Were you bothered still as much at this stage and roughly when did you see an improvement?

Use nebuliser once a day so maybe should up that a bit?

regards

Ian

Ian

the mucus does go, but it takes time.

i used a portable nebuliser machine which the hospital gave me and I used it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It does help so you might want to increase your current session.

you are on the road to recovery but it will be slow. It’s 6 weeks of intense treatment and 18 months + of recovery to find the NEW YOU.

you will get there, just be patient.

let us know how you get on.

Vatch

Hi Ian I used nebulisers at least 4  times a day  times it round tablets time so it became routine around your stage I wasn’t probly using a box of tissues Tesco 90p are the best nit harsh  strange how we become connoisseur of things !. Unfortunately the mucus can stay around for a long while ive still got some 13 weeks in .what I did was sometime used plain water in nebuliser as saline was drying my throat out .the spat out into tissues constantkybthats for me the worse part i being a women cannitbdo a deep as my hubbybsays grolly n spit ut out. , cancer ribs us if any dignity by the way ! I have spat out in public nit pleasant at all.

the stages are mucus runny then all of a sudden wallpaper paste isn’t the best described word I’ve seen .so gargle gargle with warm salt water n if u can stand ut soda water after to try and break it up.

sorrybthe news isn’t better , but I have learnt we are making mucus for several reasons and kne isn’t to,protect the throat by putting a lining on it the heal the radiation damage even knowing that doesn’t help as I find it debilitating. Just sat now trying to force cereal down .Hiws the Ensure doing are u diluting them ?

try and enjoy the weekend watch tv read a book if u can

Hazel x

Vatch & Hazel,

Thank you and good advice. I will up the nebuliser and Hazle, I never even knew or thought to use water as I agree the saline does seem quite dry when using.

Probably just off day as slept during night more than normal and musas seems to be lying in throat n not all coming up. sorry to be descriptive lol.

As  for Ensure, well so far I take 3 in reasonably quick succession when I get up to get them out road then one lunchtime/middle afternoon and one tea time ish. Dont care but max I am doing is 5 !

Not thiined out yet as mentally only a small bottle so just sook through straw until done so will see how long i last doing this.

I hope once over I can get fish suppers or fillet steak on prescription as well.

So it is what it is and appreciate might be a slow recovery to get back to the "new me" as you put it vatch.

And jelous hazel but will get there soon as so love my cornflakes in the mornings.
Its fab being able to come on and bounce thoughts and get get tips and one I aprreciate

kind regards

ian

So I did say I would post each week on my treatment journey, good and bad, and its now a full week since my last treatment last Friday.

So fact treatment has stopped has not really stopped any of the side effects, as I was told, and I am still brining up quite a bit of mucas during night and still on the Ensure drinks for nurtition and same amount of medication.

Still as tired and sleep pattern still same although couple days stayed up all day and lasted until 10.00pm

Neck is little sensitive and red and i would say a little more noticable this week and I am often putting on aquaous cream direct from fridge to calm n cool. This definately helps.

Not all doom and gloom and just see it as part of process and you just have to get on with it and see it through as no option. You hear of side effects and occational blips but most time am quite happily on utube/gadgets/entertainig myself/retail therpy and thats still ok.

So quick summary of week 7 and 1st week post treatment is pretty much same symptoms and side effects and wil see what next week brings.

Take care you all and have a good weekend

Kind regards

Ian

Hi Ian

good week one has gine bybrelatuvely ok.Tip for neck I used bio oil it’s also soothing Ann’s heals itbvery well mine got 3rd degree burns in ut answer niw you can’t reallybtell where u was zapped.!

pleased to hear retail therapy helping lol !dont rush to get off the medication I am still on co codomol 8 tablets a day and last week stopped the ibuprofen and have got The oramorph down to 3 times 1.5 ml and night time 3 ml so 7.5 ml in total like my consultant says they are painkillers no prizes for being in pain .intried several weeks agingoingbcold turkey deffo nit to be recommended .

keep drinking the Ensure I found the chocolate ones disgusting u may find what u could tolerate lastbweek u can’t this week.

i am wwwk 14 and this morning for first time have a little muchos nit loads but wont get too excited as kniw it couldn’t come back. If it’s been othering you try asking dr for carbustatin it dries the mucus up but also can dry the throat sometime a no win situation. 

Hang jn there 

yell if u need anything

Hazel