As a person who consumes pretty much zero daily medicines or supplements of any kind, it’s been kind of crazy coming to terms with all of the pills, powders, and potions that have become part of my new routine. Here’s a quick tour of what I’m working with and why. Sorry for sort-of whacky pics with found brass birds.
Anti-Nausea
The chemo drugs are super-nauseating, which works diametrically against the goal of consuming more calories than normal to combat my hypermetabolic state. A full bag of Zofran is dripped into my system before the Cisplatin main event, which takes care of me on Wednesdays. For the rest of the days, I need to switch between these three, depending on how many days since the last drip, whether I need slow- or fast-action, and how much constipational side effect I’m willing to deal with. Hence this fruit bowl of Zofran, Compazine, and Decadron.
Miracle Mouthwash
A blend of Lidocaine and Benadryl, I gargle 5ml of this stuff before every attempt to eat, then slowly swallow what remains. The goal is to completely numb the mouth, back of tongue, and throat, to alleviate the pain of swallowing, so that I can get some food down. It does a remarkable job, hence its nickname “Miracle Mouthwash.” Even more effective in combination with the Hydrocodone.
Helios
I mix a tablespoon of this Helios powder with 10ml of water and gargle / swish twice a day. The idea is to clean and soothe mouth, gum, and throat sores as they develop, to minimize damage and pain. This one isn’t prescription, but is recommended. Ridiculously expensive but it does seem to help and I’m using every tool available.
Fluoride Paste and Trays
Because the radiation is nuking my salivary glands, and saliva provides the antibacterial agents that prevent tooth decay, throat radiation patients get prescribed fluoride paste and trays, to be used daily for the rest of your life. Another 10 minute ritual to be done just before bed every night, fun fun fun. But am happy to report that at this point, I feel like my salivary action is only partially, not fully diminished. Crossing fingers it stays that way.
THC for Sleep
Even while it can exhaust you during the day, chemo has a way of creating unexpected insomnia at night. So I’m doing Indica gummies two days per week to help me sleep. Don’t really love that – in combination with everything else going on, I tend to wake up feeling hung over and not that well rested, so I’m not convinced about whether to keep using these or not.
Mometasone
After the first couple of weeks, pimple-like sores started appearing on my neck. The radiologist said “Yeah, that’s from us,” meaning “This happens from the radiation, not the chemo.” Pretty common apparently. So I got yet another prescription, to keep those little nasties at bay. A cousin of Hydrocortisone.
Hydrocordone
This is the big one – liquid opiates, basically. There are a lot of pain sources working simultaneously against me, and they all want me to stop eating when the goal is to consume more. Unlike other injuries, you can’t stop using your throat during treatment. So the best we’ve got is to just make the pain go away. I’ve been reluctant about that – between addiction hassles and constipation, I wasn’t eager to go all-in on this, but after I’d lost four pounds at my last visit, the doctor and dietician both doubled down on the importance of doing my hydrocodone several times a day. Just numb up and eat, dammit. So that’s what I’m doing, for better and for worse.
Laxatives
Both the hydrocodone and the anti-nausea meds cause constipation, which can turn into a worst-case scenario if not managed well. That’s got me adding prune juice to every smoothie, taking raw Senna capsules 2x/day, and a full dose of ClearLax in the afternoons. Mostly I’ve been able to stay pretty regular, but docs have encouraged me to double up on those three at the first hint of problems.
Skin Care
The sunburn isn’t limited to the inside of my throat – it’s affecting my entire face and neck as well, so need to apply standard moisturizers to prevent things from getting out of control. No cracked skin is the goal (and for the same reason, I’m not allowed to shave – I can use the electric trimmer as well, as long as I don’t try to get too close to the sensitive skin).
Biotene
This is a special mouthwash for people whose salivary glands are under-functioning. It simulates the texture and soothe of real saliva remarkably well, but stays gently minty while doing it. Wonderfully refreshing stuff – I’m doing this several times a day and it really helps.
Found brass birds make everything a little better, I think. Thanks for sharing this info — i find it interesting. So glad you have the pain meds and the mouth washes and swishes to help! Hang in there!