Dr Vinod Or anyone,

I got to see my friend Rod! He came home for a friend's wedding and it was so great to see him! It really caught me off guard when I saw him, he was so thin and without teeth it shocked me. I kept it together and told him how great he looked. He weighed about 148 normally and now about 119. I helped him get dentures and sat with him everyday so he could try to eat. He can eat eggs and mashed potatoes but not much else. His depression seems really bad too. He is okay when he is around friends and family but he can't stand to be alone because he worrys so much! It has been 1 and 1/2 months since treatment and it is still very hard to swallow, is this normal?How long does it take for this to go away? He will have his scans next week. The doctor says his throat looks good and he has no indication that the cancer is still there but he won't know until the scans. ALso, Rod is having back pain, could the cancer have spread to his back already? I am very afraid. Could someone please respond soon! Thank you! Also, do any of you take antidepressants? Thanks again!

Dear Maur, Well I think Rod is doing very well. After six weeks I wasn'tg eating eggs and mashed potatoes. IOn fact I still can't. My eggs have to be whizzed up.
He was very brave coming to the wedding, on public view as it were.
As for anti-depressants, well, after five years of being prescribed, I say God bless Prozac.
My family agree that it hasn't had a single negative effct. But it affects everyone differently.
Good wishes to you and Rod
Ishbel

Does anyone else here have any advice? :banghead:

Dear Maur

Healing and getting better takes time - you should stop fretting and learn to relax.

Depression is a a common problem and Rod needs to seek help and counselling support. It might also help if he joined this group and talked for himself about how he felt. Weight loss is also common and everyone has talked about what they found helpfu - use the search facility and look for key words like 'eating' under Helpful Tips, and ' depression' under General Chat to seek the relevant discussions.

Best wishes
Vinod :coffee:

Dr Vinod, Thank you and your right. I am very nervous and anxious. I keep expecting the worst.Worry is a big problem for me but I try not to let Rod know it. He will see his doctor on Tuesday and I hope they will discuss the depression. I guess because it is stage 4 it makes it so much worse. Thank you for your reply and I am hoping Rod can put on some weight! I will try to be positive! Thanks again! Maureen