1. < Esophageal Cancer

Shivering and shaking with G-tube feeding

Posted by dsd1939 @dsd1939, May 14, 2022

Just halfway through radiation and chemo for the esophagus tumor, she's been experiencing shivering and shaking.

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | May 14, 2022

Hi @dsd1939, Oh golly, you and your wife are sure having to endure an epic cancer journey. She’s so very fortunate to have such a supportive and loving husband. I know it’s not easy being the caregiver. It can be emotionally and physically draining so I hope you also have some support.

Your wife as had a feeding tube for quite some time. Is this the first she’s experiencing shivering and shaking? Has the temperature of her formula changed? Does the solution feel quite cold? Hyperthermia would seem unlikely because the food would need to be very cold to cause that. Though if it is colder than usual it could be much like drinking cold milk or a milk shake that can chill the body. But that would generally be short lived.

I’m wondering more if it’s the reaction of the radiation and chemo giving her the chills. Our bodies can react to these medications and treatments with shivering. I had certain chemo therapy infusions where I needed several of the wonderful heated hospital blankets piled on me for several hours to feel warm because I’d be shaking intensely.
Is your wife home? If so, you could toss some blankets in the clothes dryer to heat them up and wrap her. A heating pad or hot water bottles are a good way to warm her too. Just make sure there is a towel between her skin and the pad for protection.

Also, could your wife possibly have an elevated temperature? You could check for a fever just to make sure.
Have you spoken to her oncologist about her reaction?

REPLY
1 reply
dsd1939 | @dsd1939 | May 14, 2022
In reply to @loribmt "Hi @dsd1939, Oh golly, you and your wife are sure having to endure an epic cancer..." + (show)
@loribmt

Hi @dsd1939, Oh golly, you and your wife are sure having to endure an epic cancer journey. She’s so very fortunate to have such a supportive and loving husband. I know it’s not easy being the caregiver. It can be emotionally and physically draining so I hope you also have some support.

Your wife as had a feeding tube for quite some time. Is this the first she’s experiencing shivering and shaking? Has the temperature of her formula changed? Does the solution feel quite cold? Hyperthermia would seem unlikely because the food would need to be very cold to cause that. Though if it is colder than usual it could be much like drinking cold milk or a milk shake that can chill the body. But that would generally be short lived.

I’m wondering more if it’s the reaction of the radiation and chemo giving her the chills. Our bodies can react to these medications and treatments with shivering. I had certain chemo therapy infusions where I needed several of the wonderful heated hospital blankets piled on me for several hours to feel warm because I’d be shaking intensely.
Is your wife home? If so, you could toss some blankets in the clothes dryer to heat them up and wrap her. A heating pad or hot water bottles are a good way to warm her too. Just make sure there is a towel between her skin and the pad for protection.

Also, could your wife possibly have an elevated temperature? You could check for a fever just to make sure.
Have you spoken to her oncologist about her reaction?

Jump to this post

Thank you for your response. It is helpful as it gives me a better understanding of may be going on. I suspect its the chemo-radiation catching up with her, she's 5 weeks into it. I'll call the oncologist on Monday. It was just after the nurse left that her shaking got so bad, but with extra blankets she finally calmed down.
Because I've experienced chills and shaking after a mild periods of coldness and have associated it with a bout of phenomena I had. So, it got me concerned. Thank you.

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | May 30, 2022
In reply to @dsd1939 "Thank you for your response. It is helpful as it gives me a better understanding of..." + (show)
@dsd1939

Thank you for your response. It is helpful as it gives me a better understanding of may be going on. I suspect its the chemo-radiation catching up with her, she's 5 weeks into it. I'll call the oncologist on Monday. It was just after the nurse left that her shaking got so bad, but with extra blankets she finally calmed down.
Because I've experienced chills and shaking after a mild periods of coldness and have associated it with a bout of phenomena I had. So, it got me concerned. Thank you.

Jump to this post

@dsd1939, how's your wife doing? Did you figure out the cause of the chills and shaking she was experiencing? How are you doing?

REPLY
1 reply
dsd1939 | @dsd1939 | Jun 6, 2022
In reply to @colleenyoung "@dsd1939, how's your wife doing? Did you figure out the cause of the chills and shaking..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@dsd1939, how's your wife doing? Did you figure out the cause of the chills and shaking she was experiencing? How are you doing?

Jump to this post

She is doing fine now, chills went away the next day, may have been chemo related, and as I recall the oncologist did acknowledge that. Thank you for your follow-up.

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 19, 2022
In reply to @dsd1939 "She is doing fine now, chills went away the next day, may have been chemo related,..." + (show)
@dsd1939

She is doing fine now, chills went away the next day, may have been chemo related, and as I recall the oncologist did acknowledge that. Thank you for your follow-up.

Jump to this post

That's good to know and to be prepared for with the next round of chemo. How are both of you doing? How's the tube feeding going?

REPLY
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