Hi Joanie, I was just thinking about you both, How are you? How is Richie? For the first time I can actually see the end of this cancer nightmare. Denny is doing better, getting stronger every day, even walking by himself now without a walker or someone there. He is in a rehab place "they say" but it is just a nursing home and I hope to bring him home in just a few days. There is nothing going on there that can not happen at home. I can work with him doing physical therapy. They have terrible meals there and that is the biggest challenge now is his eating. I can feed him better I believe. Also why keep racking up bills on the medicare rolls? That is one of the problems with medicare now, I believe, is overcharging and unnessacary charges. I can help him now at home. He can have home nursing come in a few days but he needs to be home and not in such a depressing place. It is so sad to see the people in a nursing home, alot of them forgotten. If he can just get this new stomach stretched out so he can eat more than a few bites will be a milestone also. How is Richies wound? Take care and write soon. Brenda
So happy to hear that Denny is doing better. I fully agree with you. Get him out of the nursing home. You will do so much better taking care of him. Remember each day is a trial with the food. Somedays things will agree with him and then some days the same food will not agree with him. Trial and error. If he gets nauseaus tell him to lay on his left side and if it is really bad, tell him to take a nauseaus pill. Richie finds Zofran helps quickly. Unfortunately, they won't give us more, but he has some other pills that they gave us for chemo, that he will try. Wound closed up last Sat. Finally after 8 weeks of oozing. Now port will be put in on Tues. and chemo/radiation is set to start June 25. Scary time. Richie is have the Macdonal Regime of chemo/radiation. Ever hear of it? I know Denny had chemo before his surgery. Any tips for getting through that. Richie will be home and get the chemo through a 24 hr. pump for 5 days. Then 28 days off and then the real chemo/radiation start. I pray for strength. I am petrified. Keep in touch . We think of you both every day.
Hi Joanie,
I do not know what the McDonald Regime is but Denny was on Epirubicin at first with Xeloda pills every night. Xeloda is what the doc said gave him a heart attack, it is hard on the heart, usually not until later on after the chemo. on the 2nd round was Cisplatin, it was okay except Denny had a bad cold and of course chemo knocks your immune system down anyway and he got pnuemonia. But Thank God it still shrunk the tumor and they got it all with the surgery. Richie will do just fine. They give you so many rescue drugs for the side effects so you will have a plan for those. The cold bothered Denny some when he would touch something cold. but that passes too. The chemo will be a breeze compared to the surgery! Sounds like a good way to do it (I read about the mcdonald regime) online. I think you all will be just fine with it all.
Thanks Brenda. Getting nervous about tomorrow and the port being put in. Over the weekend Richie's blood pressure went way up and he is suffering with stomach pain. Went to Dr. today and he doesn't know but thinks it could be from diet, eating habits etc. Does Denny suffer from severe gas. Richie could empty a banquet room with his gas. Hope the day went well for you. Joanie
Hi Brenda, Thinking of you and Denny. How is he doing? Home from the nursing facility? Richie had port done and started the chemo on Monday. He is carrying around this pump, which gives him the chemo through a drip. Doing OK so far. Now if I can just get him to chew more and eat slowly, I think he will do much better. Thinking of you both and hoping all is going better. Joanie
Hi Joanie,
So Glad Richie is starting the chemo, IT is really a tool that will help knock that cancer out, Denny would have not had all the cancer removed if it wasn't for the chemo shrinking the tumor and killing alot of the rest around it. Chemo is not that hard to get through like the surgery was. Denny is still at the Rehab. He caught that C Diff virus in the hospital and it has come back so they are starting again to get rid of it. They are gonna be more aggressive this time the doc said, IT is a real bad stomach virus and it starts from antibiotic use if you can believe that. There is just a few things they treat it with. So it has set us back. Denny is having trouble swallowing and chewing too. He has gained a few pounds but not nearly enough. He can only have a few bites out of every meal. They increased his meals so he gets more each day but it so tough getting back to a regular intake. IT is slow process isn't it? How is Rich doing on side effects of the chemo? Denny did not wear a pump. I think that may be a better way though. Denny was getting to much at first and it was tough on him as far as nausea and mouth thrush.
Well Joanie remember to takecare of yourself and get away from everything for a few hours to enjoy some pampering just for you! It helps! Take Care, both of you! Brenda
Good Morning Brenda, Thinking of you both and wondering how you and Denny are doing. Richie is doing OK. Finished 1st week of chemo and now going to get radiation/chemo which will begin on July 23rd. Seems like everything Richie eats is making him sick with nauseaus and pain. He takes two pills and that helps. Kytril and Compazine. I think he eats too quickly and doesn't chew well and also eats too much at once. Richie did get some mouth burning and sores. He used 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. of baking soda in warm water and swished this in his mouth often. This helped greatly. Keeping the mouth inside clean is important. A site I belong to on Facebook also suggested Biotene toothpaste and rinse. Haven't tried because the baking soda did the job. Hoping to hear good news from you.
Joanie, It is hard to get to a post or reply on this forum. I wanted to ask you how Richie is doing with the chemo? Denny is home now, since a week ago but I am so worried about his diet too. He does not have gas, he just can eat over a few bites and he is full. They are not supplementing his feedings, in fact the the home health aide just got here yesterday to do an evaluation. They are not any help at all yet. It seems he is losing what little stamina he had. He will not let me take him back to the ER or the nursing home "rehab" and I am needing help with his diet. Keep me posted on Richie too! Thks, Brenda
Hi Brenda, Richie was put on TwoCal Hn. It is a calorie and protein dense nutritional drink. We bought a case of it for $50 and then our insurance OK'd a prescription for it. Richie found it hard to drink a can a day. But he was able to eat it like soup, a few spoons ful at a time. It really did help. Be careful of the Boost and Ensure. Somehow the sugar content in them just doesn't agree with the people who have had stomach removal. I know it is hard. If I say small sips, small bites anymore I think Richie will kill me. But it is sip, sip, sip, and chew, chew , chew. You know not to let him eat and drink together. Drinks should come 30 45 minutes after eating. I wish there was someway we could speak.
