karenglowacki

Thanks so much! He still feels awful and it's going to be a long road to recovery. But at least his body can start to heal. =)

Yes it takes some time but he will get there, rest and being kind to ones self goes a long way! Hugs to all involved!

It's never too late for a helpful response! You gave me some terrific ideas! I ended up sending a zillion (ok, not THAT much) balloons. But the shirt is an awesome suggestion, and i'll get on it! And the trophy is awesome, too! I'll do that, not if - but WHEN - he gets the all clear in a few weeks. Positive thoughts! Thanks you =)

Having gone through this 3 times I have had a few different things. The last time, as I cam back to my office I was attacked with silly string and balloons and such, then what I like to eat, or can eat.

Years ago, the company I worked for had a comedian type woman come barging into a meeting room where I was conducting a class. She was dressed up as a pregnant woman and was claiming I was the father and wanting to know where I had been and why I ran off. It was funny. That night we went out to a nice steak house.

As for anyone, I think find the things they like the most. Thats what I tend to think about. Give them the most liked foods, or what makes them feel good.

a spa day boy do we need it!

I have been on a belly feeding tube now for 7 months due to the
inability of my swallowing mechanism to work following two cancer surgeries and radiation. I am still working with my oncologist/surgeon and two speech therapists to try to resolve the problem but in the meantime, ENSURE and othe protein drinks weren't enough to supply the calories or nutition I needed, so I have been on a formula called TwoCal, four cans a day, and i have been able to gain back about 15 lbs.which I had lost. Believe me, your experience with nurses is not unique to the U. of Michigan. In the hospital, my feeding tube was constantly 'disconnecting itself' and I would lie in a sticky puddle or slip on the floor when I had to make a bathroom call. Frankly, I was glad to get home and make things work correctly. Someday our combined efforts may find the solution to restoring my swallowing but in the meantime at least I feel good!

for me i lost 50lbs in a month from not eating nothing tasted or smelled or sounded good execpt fluids like teas and gatorades and my onc. wasent worried that much be he did say if i did not start eat soild meals and or lost even more wieght that a feeding tube was in my future ...........that is all it took ! you can say it scared me striaght , i start to think what sounded good and what would put wieght back on ( i dont recomend this to anyone but it worked for me ) i stopped at jack in the box and sat there and stared at the menu until i tried somthing and it was there 1/4 cheese burger , it tasted good to me ! i told my onc. and he told me if its going to make me gain wieght then so be it , so i ate 2 of those aday lol for awhile my wieght increased and i knew i had to start weening my self off of the food , so to this day i have not needed a feeding tube . for me that was a line drawn in the dirt and i was not going to cross . i know others who had to get the tube no matter what because the circumstances of meds or treatments , i know this went of the question but anyone out there who doesent want a tube and if they can prevent it i hope this helped .

i had tube put instomach was a little pain full at first but i got used to it i was scared because they didnot tell me about the pain when i left hospital,however it really wasnt to bad after about a week i forgot it was there. had it for 10 months got it taken out 2 days ago. hope this helps anyone going through this.if you have questions please write me back robg

My consistent helpers have been folks I met in art classes in community. One brings vaccumn & empties garbage for me, another drives me to appointments. Some continue to send cards of thoughts & greetings. It all helps....

My sister and Aunts are in other states, it helped me to hear from them, even though there was nothing they could do for me, it was reassuring to hear from them and just talk.

Now that I am am "cancer-free," I have been reflecting and focusing on the positive aspects of my cancer journey. One of the most important lessons I learned was how to be a better friend and caregiver. Prior to my experience, I reacted like many people: I'd send a card, add that person to my prayers but didn't call too often because I didn't want to bother them.

Now I've learned that that is what answering machines are for! And if I truly didn't want to talk to a particular person, I screened calls with caller-id and would call back later or send an email, if I truly didn't want to talk to them.

With that important lesson learned...

I most appreciated phone calls. I became closer with many friends and family members who reached out often. I can't thank them enough for their thoughtfulness. And I wish others would know to do the same. Again, if I was resting or didn't want to talk to them, I let the answering machine pick up.

Cards...so inexpensive, yet such a pick-me-up and something I can hold onto, read over again and treasure forever. I have all the cards I received in a box and will never throw them away. My one cousin would send me a card practically every week! I laughed and smiled when each one arrived.

Others sent gifts (i.e. funny t-shirts, a teddy bear, flowers). I appreciated their thoughtfulness moreso than the actual gift. If someone feels that sending something is necessary, I'd suggest practical things that would help to make everyday life easier: i.e. gift card to restaurant that delivers or does take-out, pay and arrange for a visit by a house-cleaning service. I appreciated gift cards to either the grocery store or Target, simply because my older son was doing much of our shopping for us and I could just hand him a gift card (I also had a friend doing my shopping for me and instead of giving her cash, I gave her a gift card that she kept in her wallet to use for my purchases)

If the person is wearing hats or scarves, send them a gift card to a store online. I had to wear scarves to cover my port-a-cath and my treatment lines so several friends gave me scarves which was the one gift I truly did appreciate.

Most of all, however, is letting them know you are there for them 24/7 regardless of the distance. A phone call, a card, a note, an email or a FB post. Knowing that people were out there rooting for me kept me going.