Wife's Diagnosis SCLC: Chemo Next Week-What Should I Do?

Hello @denzie, thank you for your post and all the helpful advice. I'm going to pick up some plastic utensils and some of the foods you mentioned. Most are things that she enjoys now so they won't go wasted if her taste is different.
Mayo Clinic Connect is a wonerful way to talk to people that have been where we're headed. Thank you for being an active memeber. It is so helpful!

Thank you for your post @denise96. I am so sorry for your husband's disease, his pain and his anger at God. No doubt he is horrible pain. I( am praying for his pain and his salvation.
And @denise96 the caretaker hurts as much as the patient. You also are included in my prayers.
I pray God will bring you comfort and your husband ease of pain and a change of heart.

Thank you for the advice concerning my wife's chemo treatments. And thank for your prayers, They are greatly appreciated.
Take care of yourself and stay strong in faith.

I had Cisplatin and etopicide with concurrent radiation. It can be very debilitating, but, your doctor would not have recommended this if her general health would not tolerate it.

She should use plastic or bamboo utensils for eating. Carboplatin will make everything taste metallic. Lemon drops helps between meals. Meals should be 5-7 small ones.

Calories are more important than a balanced diet at this time. At first she will want to eat normally. Then as radiation started to bother me I ate creamed soups, oatmeal, cream of wheat, fruit smoothies with protein powder, made milkshakes with Boost, puddings, buttered noodles or rice, finely chopped meats, applesauce, that kind of thing.

One friend reported that eating a tablespoon of honey after radiation helped minimize the esophagitis that can happen when the esophagus is in the field of treatment.

When they do chemo teach they should give you a list of moisturizers for use after radiation treatments. I liked Alra and CeraVe.

Have stool softeners, laxatives and anti diarrhea meds all on hand because it can go either way.

If I think of more, I'll be back

My husband was diagnosed in september last year. They did not get the treatments started until December. Long story. He took one treatment in December and the second one in January and he decided he could not do any more. When my husband was first diagnosed, he was already stage 4 and he also had advanced copd. He weighed 90 pounds. So we got Hospice involved in January this year. They take care of all his meds. Twice a week a nurse comes to the house to see how he is doing and takes his vitals. He is getting worse as far as his anxiety. He cries, shakes and screams. My heart is breaking for him. And he is not a christian. He believes in God but not Jesus. Yesterday, I brought up Jesus and he screamed at me to get out of the room and to take my God crap with me. He is catholic but has not been inside a church in over 50 years. So after I calmed down enough, I called a priest from a local catholic church and asked if he would come and give him his last rites. Guess they can do that early now. He told me he would never talk to my minister because we are protestant-methodist. I pray that he will find Jesus before it is too late. But thank God, you and your wife are both believers. I believe , also, in the power of prayer. Guess that is why God said we should not be unequally yoked. He didn't care that I went to church, etc., but he wanted nothing to do with it. One thing your wife needs to do after treatments is rest and make sure she takes the anti nausea meds that they give her. And she needs to stay hydrated. Everyone has different reactions to treatment. So I will pray for her and you that all goes well for her and prayerfully, that she may recover. God bless you both.

Hello @lls8000 and thank you for your advice and for tagging other people.
I had learned a couple of years ago that Mayo Clinic Connect is a valuable resource. It is a great place to find people that have walked the path you're on or are going down that path now.
I appreciate all the help and advice.
My wife's team does seem very good and quick to action. We meet with the radiation doctor on Friday and get those treatments set up. I can't imagine how we would feel if we had to wait 3 or 4 weeks or longer for these appointments and treatments. I really feel for people going thru that.

@hercules, thank you so much for your prayers and your kind words. And thank you for sharing your experience.
Your dad must have been a wonderful man and defintely a good servant of the Lord! Every member of your family saved is a real testimony of your dad's faith. I pray our faith passes onto the unsaved in our family.
ONE DAY AT A TIME is great advice. I can see otherwise it is too overwhelming!

Hello @bovic21, You've had a whirlwind of a couple weeks! That's a fast turnaround, but great that her team is jumping into action. You've already received some good advice here. She needs to listen to her body, but she also needs to communicate with you and her team. They'll have suggestions to mitigate any negative side-effects.
She's fortunate to have you at her side.
I'm tagging a couple of other active members that have mentioned small-cell and even etoposide to see if they have any specific advice: @sksnow, @vlpr .

Hello, unfortunately my dad did not survive his. He fought it bravely and some very good things came about for us as a family through his journey with cancer so his experience was not wasted. Every member of my family was baptized. In a way, my dad helped his family do the most important thing that he could have ever done for us throughout his whole life in his WEAKEST moments. Yes... God is good. I am so proud of my dad and miss him terribly. I envision Jesus' first words to my dad as he welcomed him home was "well done good and faithful servant." It's been 8 years. I still have a lot of PTSD from his ordeal but as I said, he did really well for the most part and even though he had some difficult days, God was merciful in many ways. I also learned through attending every appointment and treatment with him and meeting all different kinds of people that had all different cancers at various stages that EVERYONE's experience is unique. Two people can have the same cancer, same stage and will have entirely different journeys. ONE DAY AT A TIME. That is how I believe your wife and you will get through this. Keep the faith, even when it is tested because God is with you and for you! Look for the blessings during this time and you will find them. I prayed for you both this morning and will continue to do so!

Thank you dianemb for sharing your experience. I'll be sure and take her straight home after treatments. And thank you for your well wishes.
We can see it is going to be a long journey. We have a large and tight knit family and I know they will be a big help to her and me as well. And our church family is a loving helpful group. We have many people to lean.

Thank you @hercules for your prayers! And for your information and suggestions. I'm sorry your dad had to go through this and I hope he was able to survive.
My wife had pneumonia and I think that sickness helped the doctors discover the cancer before it had spread further. Her cancer doctor wsas very good about giving us a thorough description of SCLC and the treatment plan. The doctor and all treatments are only 25 minutes away, so that is blessing.