Well the last two days have been rough for my twin, shes having radiation and chemo, her eso she still has 29 more radiation treatment to go..oh my will this get worse???please help me understand..thanks Barbie twinphegas is burnt and raw, she cant eat well shes on a liguid diet, and baby food....
Well, things probably won't improve for awhile. Has she (or you) spoken to her doctors or oncology nurses about how to deal with the pain and trying to eat? I think a liquid diet is about all that most people can handle during this time. When my husband had radiation to his lung (not as many treatments as your twin), he could only drink cold liquids. I made thick smoothies with fruit, yogurt, protein powders, etc....(everything very cold). He also drank quite a lot of very chilled Boost drinks. Pharmacists can make up a liquid that can be taken to help to relieve swallowing pain. If you haven't checked into that already, maybe that would help.
bev
dear barbietwin- it is a difficult time when the esophagus gets burned. been there- done that too.... my husband could only tolerate room temperature liquids at first. then he would eat peanut butter on soft white wonder bread that he dipped in milk to make it mushy. even that hurt to swallow. eventually he was able to tolerate mcdonalds milk shakes. ask the dr. about taking cherry liquid maalox as well as "the magic swallow" which we think had something called lidocaine, a numbing medicine in it. that really worked well. his pain went away about 3 weeks after he finished the radiation. good luck. arlene
my dad had throat cancer - 68 radiation treatments to one spot onhis trhroa every day - all he "consumed" for weeks during and even after for a few weeks was McDonalds milk shakes - vanilla in particular.....good luck -
Karen
I Have not had radiation for the last three weeks, and it still hurts to swallow. I do not have burning. My problem is in the mechanics of swallowing. It feels as if there is not enough rooom for the food to pass. My oncologist advised that there is a procedure in which your esophagus can be stretched. I will look into this once my radiation treatments have been completed. The liquid medications did not help me.
i would check into the magic swirl liquid to numb her throat,they gave it to my mom and she is still using it ,but it is getting better for her,they also gave her a pain pill to take also.keeping your sister and your family in my prayers . lorie
Thanks to you all for your responce, much appreciated,i bought her baby food and a blender to make heath drinks and fdruit drinks, and made her home made ice cream,her chest is also turning black, must be from the radiation,blisters also....thannks again you all in gods love Barbie twin
hi barbietwin,
the magic swirl is wonderful!
in addition to the milkshakes...taco bell has a great fruit drink that icy icy cold. might be a nice change now and then. my throat got so bad that they finally agreed to give me a day off now and then, but not very often. also, make sure that the raw throat isnt from thrush. that can make all the difference in the world!
ive also got the black blisters. someone recommended cortaid cream, and something called cool gel. gonna stop at the store and try that today myself!
sometimes, the best medicine is just having someone there to wrap their arms around ya when ya have a good cry.
good luck to both of you, and god bless!
deb
deb
Barbietwin,
Do you mind if I ask how many radiation treatments she has already had? If she has 29 more to go, it's not going to be an easy journey and it may get a lot worse but it does get better after treatments are over. Definately ask the doctor about the "magic mouthwash". My mother was also prescribed pain meds (morphine) in a dropper but she fortunately never had to use it.
I've read where some people on this site handled pancakes very well but shakes and fruit smoothies might be the best way to go. You can also add a protein powder from a health food store to shakes and even into baby food or oatmeal so your twin gets the nutrition she needs.
God Bless,
Liz
Sorry to hear that your sis is having a hard time of it with her radiation. My neighbor had to have radiation to the side of her neck to shrink the lymph node involvement.
It was a rough road for her. There are some things that
did help ease the discomfort of the pain to the skin. She had topical ointment which she put on several times per day and they also had her using ice packs which helped alot. For the oral sores in her throat and mouth she had a medication that was swish and swallow which REALLY improved the pain level. Have her speak with her doctor and ask what the name of the topical cream was. While some people's burned badly and peeled, Lucille kept her skin well covered with the cream/ointment and with the ice packs controlled the pain.
She too drank the portein shakes. There are also pop sickles that you can find at Health Food stores that have a lot more calories and are cook and refreshing.
It is going to be rough for her. It is not easy, but, she is a tough gal. Tell her to not look at how many days left, but, how many days are done. That is how we faced it with Lucille and it helped. Praying for you r sister's relief from side effects of radiation. Jolene
I could only drink room temp wanton soup broth for 3 months! IT was rough. anything else came up as fast as it went down. Baby food and bananas etc soft foods were really bad - I found out later the softer and smoother the more it sticks to the sore area. Dry toast actually would hurt less than mashed potatoes.
It is just something to get through. she will. You sound really panicky (I too am a twin so understand) but you have to hold it in check around her. If you ae scared and show it she will be. You have to at least ACT like things are ok and she will get better. I am clear 3 years now but it was a hard road to get here. Just be brave.
Believe
Jean
So sorry to hear about the asophygitis. My wife went through the same treatments about a year ago. Of all the side effects she's experienced, it was probably the most debilitating. The best relief she got was from fentanyl lollypops! They were prescribed by her radiation oncologist. Oxford wouldn't pay for them, unfortunately, and they cost a few hundred $ for a lifetime supply. They were worth the money. You might also want to ask your onc about prilosec. It's over the counter and can help heal the asophygus.
My wife asked me to tell you that the symptom eventually passes. Just hang in there!
The Miracle Mouthwash they call it.. it's a prescription maalox with lidacaine in it... mom mom could eat ANYTHING after taking a "shot" of that!!
Good Luck
Wendy
Have you spoke to the doctor about this. Reason I am asking is because I had the same thing happen to me and they put me in the hospital until my esopahgus was healed. I took a week off from the radiation. I was getting the radiation and chemo at the same time.
I would suggest telling the doctor and maybe he will give the magic mouth wash or just take a week off so the esophagus can heal.
God bless
Linda
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