Hi,

I am new ti this forum. Came across it whilst looking for answers!
My Father-in-law is currently having treatment for mouth cancer. Daily Radiotherapy and once a week Chemo. He is just over half way through a seven week cycle.
What I want to know is how soon he will start to feel better after it is all finished?
He has wanted to go back to Florida for a while and we are thinking that it might give him a real incentive to get through the treatment. Haven't said anything to him yet as we don't know if this is feasible. Are we being stupid to even be thinking about this at this stage?
We don't really know what he has been told re: prognosis etc.
Sally

hi sally
the recovery period for each person varies.it took me almoat a year to feel better but some feel better after 3 months,remember when the rt has finished you are still cooking for another 3 weeks at least.hopefully he will recover quicker than most so he can do all the things he wants to do.regards shirl xxx

Hi Sally,

I am 4.5 weeks post treatment (7weeks rt and weekly chemo like your Dad) and still can't eat, need to sleep in the afternoon, wake up during the night for medication and my throat still hurts so I can't swallow :-(

But I am able to do a bit of cleaning and shopping, go out for walks and look after my children again (although it isn't fair - cooking a meal that I can't eat!)

I think I am going to try a bit of sorbet today as I licked a spoon at the weekend with icecream on and it seemed to go down ok!

I am due to see a speach therapist for swallowing and physio therapist as my neck got very stiff towards the end of treatment (even with doing exercises) which your Dad may need after so take this into consideration.

I hope all goes well for you all.

love Chloex

Hi,
Thank You for your quick replies. We understand that he is still managing to eat a little at the moment. He is not using his PEG. Although he has lost almost a stone in weight which is causing my other half a lot of worry.(Being 4 and a half hours away doesn't help!)

Hope you are feeling better soon Chloe.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Sally

Hi Sally

To start with, no two patients are the same. You can have identical twins with identical cancer and the recovery will be totally different. Recovery will take as long as it needs to take, just get through the treatment first. I am now 11 months post treatment (which was agressive) and I still have some poo days. I can now eat small amounts of food but I have to drink loads of milk (gold top...mmmm!) to aid it's journey, and my taste buds still have a way to go before I can enjoy what I'm eating.

My recovery is probably not helped by the fact I live on my own so I do not have anyone to nag me and generally push me a bit. The weight loss is not a major cause for concern until it becomes too greater loss. Your dad will be being monitored for his weight and alarm bells will ring if it become too drastic.

He must remember to tell the staff exactly how he is feeling and report any problems. Keep a notepad handy and write down any questions he may have. If you don't ask the right questions, you won't get the right answers. My guess is that he'll start his enteral feeding very soon. Listen to the dietician and they will sort all that side of things out.

My attitude to the whole thing was really blase. Cancer happens and until they find a cure, people will carry on getting it. I just viewed it as another one of lifes little experiences...or jokes! Mind you, I do have a weird sense of humour.

My dad now has bowel and liver cancer, and after my problems my mum is wondering what next?! Him and I are both dismissive of the problems that have happened to us but it is so much harder for the people who have to watch us go through it.

Just remind him to do what he is told to do. It is so important to cream yourself up regularly during radiotherapy. If the skin cracks and becomes infected it is not nice.

When he is well enough, you can bring him to your place to recover. You can take him down the seafront to take potshots at the balloon...or the mayor!!!

I am not in the least bit religious, but it's at times like this I think that if there is an Almighty, he's got just a strange a sense of humour as me!

Keep smiling hun, it really will get you through this.

Ray

Hi Sally, I recovered from RT really quickly but I was only 28 so that might have helped. As Ray says, everyone is different so never say never. Hope it doesn't get too bad. Hagg.

My last rad treatment was June 06 and I "normalized" around Nov 06..put the weight back on over time but had to be mindful of certain foods .... sipping water constantly to this day (glands burned up a bit) but all is managable.

best wishes.

bob

Hi,
Just wanted to say Thank You for your replies. Haven't been on for a while, busy! Saw my Dad-in-law for the first time last weekend . Got a bit of a shock as the Mum-in-law kept saying he looked really well! Being an Ex-Childrens Nurse i was wary but wasn't really prepared. Strange for a Nurse that worked with Children who had Cancer for Years!

He has finished his treatment this week. MIL phoned today and told my other half that he is really not so well. Cannot eat or drink at all now. He had started his PEG feeds when we visited last week. He was having it continually so hopefully this will help maintain his weight at least.

Wondered how you knew about the Balloon Ray, then looked at where you live!! It is pretty strange, not that I am from Torquay, only moved down here last year! And now we are so far away from them! Typical !

Thank You all again,

Sally