Hi Dianne,

I'm so sorry to hear Rick is dealing with the dreaded mouth sores.  He is where he needs to be right now - in the hospital.  I too landed back in the slammer after one consolidation round with the mouth sores - I had avoided them up to that point.  My family was tsk tsking like I'd been too lax with my hygiene or something, and I asked my doctor, "what did I do wrong?"  He looked so surprised at my question and said, "you didn't do anything wrong, this is what happens, you've just been lucky up to this point".  I got a pain pump with dialudid, which is the only pain killer that doesn't make me puke - although it did make me sick at first.  The only thing that will make them go away is having his WBC come back up.  Until then it's a very unpleasant waiting game.  I also got the "magic" mouthwash which contained some lidocaine.  I quickly learned to dilute it with some water so it didn't burn so much, then I used it right before I was going to attempt to gag something down.  The only thing I could manage to ingest was a very small vanilla milkshake. 

On subsequent consolidation rounds I was put on Valtrex prophalactically which did indeed seem to keep them at bay, and I was beyond diligent about rinsing several times a day and after every meal with the saline rinse.  But that won't help him now - the only thing that will really help is that WBC.  Until those counts come back up, everything else will be trying to keep him as comfortable as possible and of course they will be checking for infections and treating him with antibiotics and so forth just in case he has developed an infection or fungal/viral issue.  Sorry I can't offer you more than that and LOTS of sympathy.  Tell him to hang in there and this too will pass, just not quickly enough!

- WBF

I don't know what causes mouth sores.  But they say a dog's mouth is cleaner than the human mouth and I've seen a dog literally eat sh...um, fecal matter,  Whether a dog's mouth is truly cleaner than a human one, our mouths are full of germs.  With no immune protection, it makes sense we'd get sores.

On the other hand, WBF's comment is the first I've heard they can be prevented by Valtrex.  If so, that would mean that, at least in some cases, they're herpetic in origin.  That would defintely be hard to prevent.

However, I never had the mouth sores I've seen described here.  With my first induction I Ihad some runaway gum infection.  I used the "magic mouthwash" and something else.  It kept the pain down.  During my second induction and SCT I just used saline solution and a sonic care toothbrush.  I didn't even have a flar up of the gum disease.

How long with the sores last?  My understanding is they tend to disappear as the WBC go up.  So hoefully those will rise soon.

I guess by now you've talked with the doc and know more than I do.  So, am I right?

Blessings

I didn't have consolidation so I really can't tell you from personal experience what is normal or not.  From what I've read here, it does seem most folks take longer to get their counts back up with successive consolidation round.

Once his immune system comes back up, he should be okay.  I have CMV which is another form of a herpes-type virus that attacks your innards.  When my immune system's functioning it's no problem at all.  When it's down, the CMV re-activates and I have to take different med to keep it under control.

But when they say it keeps coming back, I wouldn't take that to mean they're going to plague him forever,  You might ask them for clarification, though.

Blessings

Wow.  I've been on the board this long and I can't remember ever seeing mouth sores related to a herpes virus in any way.  Thanks for the info.

Hi All- Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Rick heads back to the hospital tomorrow for the 4th round of consolidation. He will be there until Sunday or Monday. I just keep praying that things go well. He has had a tough time of it the last few rounds and was in and out of the hospital. Praying for a Christmas Miracle as he will have his BMB on December 17th  Had some great family time together this week and that has helped all of us.

Hope everyone is well

Blessings

Dianne

Hi Dianne,

Well, I sure hope this round will be the one he skips through...I remember heading back into the slammer with a sense of dread, but also of anticipation - "let's get on with it and get it done!!!"

I also remember as the last bag of chemo was finishing, the nurse comes in and says, "the doctor forgot to sign your discharge papers last night"...I looked at her and said something to the effect of, "if you think I haven't figured out how to turn this pump off and unhook myself by now, you might want to think again, because in 15 minutes when this bag is finished, I'm leaving, even if I have to go out the fire escape!"  I dunno what she figured out to make it legal, but I left via the front door...

Keep us posted, and we'll keep our fingers crossed for a non-eventful consolidation!  He deserves at least one with no drama.

- WBF

I'm glad ya'll had a good weekend.  I hope Rick does well with this round.

I got sprung from the joint following my induction on the 17th.  I was basically washed out at Christmas.  Still, in many ways, it's the best one I ever had.  Rick should be in better shape than I was.  Cherish the season not only because you want to create special memories but because it's simply amazing.

Blessings

I don't know.I think that is a "male" thing.Todd cracked his head in the bathroom and I did'nt find out till the next morning.Be careful with accident's Dianne.I got T-boned at an intersection in 2004 and the injury to my back did not show up until two-week's later.Hope you and rick are feeling better soon.Sometime's Todd think's he should just tough things out, but we've agreed that he would start speaking up when things are wrong.Nothing is to small when it come's to some symptom's.He thought he had a toothache with his first induction and they found a blood clot near his neck. Stress does seem to make us forgetful so try not to be to hard on you're self.Good Luck....and I'll keep you and you're family in prayer Dianne