I'll pray that this seed grows into a beautiful plant that bears fruit for the glory of God. He does use life's curves and turns for our good. Your faith, Eagle, is shining and illuminating your brother's path. God bless you, and keep your light shining!

Eagle,
I do hope you'll continue to keep us updated on your brother, and yourself as well. Christ said we should lead by example and this is exactly what you are doing. Keep the faith, sister...my prayers are with you and your family as you make this journey.

JJ

Our prayers are working - a slim ray of hope today. After 4 weeks of disheartening delays and other health complications, my brother just found out today that he will be starting chemo tomorrow. He's so debilitated by fatigue and side effects from the constant bombardment of complications, but he's just so glad to be finally starting chemo.

My prayers haven't been so much about healing at this point(though God already knows that's the ultimate hope of my heart)...my prayers have been for the doctors, that they would actually DO something. Well, it would appear that he finally got in to see the right doctor today...he'll be my brother's oncologist and seems very intent on making up for all this lost time!

Thank you all for your caring prayers. God is definitely listening and working on getting my brother the help he needs right now.

Sharon,
I'm so glad to hear this good news. Now they are taking proactive steps in the right direction to help your sweet brother. We will continue holding you both close to our hearts and the prayers will be lifted! Thank you for keeping us in the loop...

God bless, JJ

Eagle: I'm glad to know something is being done, that's an answered prayer! I pray for strength for your brother. May he feel God's presence and enjoy peace!

Supporting one another in prayer,

Eagle, how did your brother react to the chemotherapy? I spent so much time during my dad's first round searching for answers to having him eat. I don't know how your brother is doing with that, but here is what I learned.

The problem is not loss of appetite, the problem is the taste buds. My dad said that everything tasted like chlorox and water tasted like dishwashing soap. He had a metalic after taste in his mouth too. For that, it is best to use plastic utensils. Anyway, I was worried about my dad becoming dehydrated. I bought him some gatorade and tried to get it as cold as possible. I went out and bought him some popsicles and that seemed to do the trick. At this point, it isn't nutrition, but just getting something in their system. Rice was another thing my dad was able to tolerate. Most of all, eating a big meal at once is not comfortable, but eating a little bit at a time thoughout the day is more tolerable.

I don't know, I felt compelled to post this, and different people react differently. But the messed up taste buds is a common thing among those undergoing chemotherapy.

Another thing he discovered he liked was ensure mixed with ice cream.

Alright dear, let us know how your brother is holding up. How you are holding up.

Thanks for your constant prayers Eagle. This is so wonderful of you.

Cheers,
Cathi

Wow, Cathi, thank you for posting this today - my brother's appetite is nil, and his taste buds are COMPLETELY out of whack. He was not able to describe it to me, but your post will help me understand his situation a lot better - I'm printing it off and will run it by him in our phone chat tonight.

His diabetes restricts what he can eat even further, but right now I'm trying to encourage him to eat whatever he wants because he's not eating anything at all. He's enjoying fruit, but that puts his sugar too high. The only other thing he seems to be keeping down is soup and Glucerna, which is the diabetic version of ensure. I'll tell him about mixing it with ice cream (he loves ice cream, but is scared to eat it because of the diabetes), as well as the popsicles and rice.

Someone else told us that meat is also very difficult for chemo patients to eat while undergoing treatment. We cooked him a steak supper on Saturday - it was what he had a craving for. He almost couldn't keep it down, but did manage to eat a good serving. He particularly enjoyed the baked potato. Hubby made him some homemade zucchini soup (full of potatoes and other healthy veggies) and he's able to keep that down too, so that's good for him.

Please feel free to share any other tips - my brother's only just started. Because he's been having miserable side-effects from other meds, he can't tell how he's reacting to the chemo - all he knows is he is extremely fatigued, weak and no appetite - but that's how he's been feeling for weeks, so the chemo didn't make it worse or better! He goes every two weeks now, so we'll find out soon enough how he's going to react to the chemo.

Does your Dad "do" anything while getting chemo? I was thinking of bringing along a travel game next time - he likes backgammon and scrabble, and we think we can play those at his leisure - you know, play a few minutes, nap an hour, play a few minutes, nap for two more hours. Some people read, but he hasn't been able to read since his diagnosis (he used to be an avid reader).

I do know that he was VERY interested in my chocolate brownie that I so cruelly ate in front of him (he had already eaten his lunch)...if his appetite continues to worsen I may just throw all caution to the wind and get him his own brownie the next time!

Cathi is correct, in that chemo patients react to food differently.

For me, everything tasted like the bottom of a sewage dump. I wouldn't call it metallic -- just really putrid. I learned to dump chili powder on everything (although most chemo books tell you to avoid spices) because that was the only way I could mask the sewage taste.

I also threw up every time I tried to drink water!! But I could keep down watermelon.

It's trial and error. And a good idea to serve food in small portions, because the large ones don't sit as well.

Thanks Meredith. My brother is having a really tough time right now (and it's only his first treatment - six more months to go!) Nothing appeals to him - and like you, he's having difficulty even keeping down water because it tastes so horrible. But with his diabetes, his choices are severely restricted. He's craving Gatorade, but it has too much sugar in it.

We're going to bring him more homemade soup (he seems to be able to tolerate that very well), and he did express interest in shrimp when I told him we cooked some for our granddaughter last night. So we're going over there tomorrow and will cook him up a few shrimp and some rice and see how that goes. I'll pick up some watermelon too, that's a great way to quench thirst!

His biggest problem is an inability to sleep at night because of night sweats (a symptom of Hodgkin's). They keep him awake all night, then he sleeps all day, and now his body has gotten into that routine and he's unable to function much during the day. He doesn't have to work, so that's not a problem. But I am worried about atrophy over the long term.

Did you find that your body completely changed its sleep routines like that? He's so intolerably fatigued that he can barely function.

Hi Eagle,

This is a tough one where the diabetes is concerned. Is he on insulin? Does he have a monitor handy where he can test his blood sugar level? Are there any sugar free popsicles available where you live? My mom has diabetes and I only know a little from her. I know she is not completely restricted to certain foods. For instance, she can have bread, but just a slice. She can have pasta, but only a cup of cooked pasta in a day. I am surprised his doctor hasn't given him a diet to go by. I am sorry I am not much help in this area. One thing that has been proven to be good for diabetes is cinnamon. If there is some way you could incorporate it in some foods that would be a benefit.

I have heard the same thing Meredith as far as adding spices is concerned. Some who undergo chemo have said that putting double the amount of spice helped.

It is important that your brother doesn't become dehydrated, and his potassium level drops. This is where the gatorade comes in. I would ask his doctor if it would be alright if he had a small portion of it. I don't know the specifics and what his doctor has told you. I don't want to tell you the wrong thing.

As for the sleep. My dad is having the same problems. His doctor prescribed him sleeping pills so he can sleep through the night. Night sweats can be a hindrance for sure. One must be careful of pneumonia when undergoing chemotherapy, because the immune system is very low.

Anyway, here is a forum I found that has helped me, it is cancerforums.net I am sorry you have to go through this. The diabetes sure complicates things even more.

As far as what to do while receiving the chemotherapy. Where my dad goes, they have a TV in the room so he is happy because he loves to watch television. So he watches television and sleeps alternately, LOL. I haven't been with him during the times he was receiving the chemotherapy, my brother has been helping with that. Good idea about the game though, I will bring a deck of UNO when I go, because I am going to be with him the next time. Anyway, this is what my dad told me. My brother and mom go out a little to grab a bite to eat and they bring him food. How long does it take your brother? My dad's is an 8 hour ordeal.

I am sorry Eagle I wasn't able to answer everything for you.

I just want you and your family to be able to get past this. Good idea Meredith about the mantra!

Cheers,
Cathi