In the 48 hours following his RAI, he has experienced a low level of nausea (even though he has been taking a prescription anti-nausea pill as a preventive), extreme fatigue, and achy throat/salivary gland area. At the 48 hour point, his sense of taste is unaltered. We do anticipate this to change since most RAI patients have taste issues for weeks or even months afterward.
I baked his cake request and found some leftover birthday paper products in the pantry. Decided to include a candle to mark the BIG event- he was delighted!
Here's the 25 year old recipe:
Chocolate Chip Cake
1 yellow cake box mix (any brand- even store brand)
1 sm. box instant vanilla pudding mix
8 oz. sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
3/4-1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use Pam cooking spray to prepare a Bundt pan or tube pan.
In a large bowl add the first five ingredients and mix for about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Pour the chocolate chips in and mix by hand. Pour the cake batter (it will be thick) into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 50 min. or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.
Update: At 72 hours after the RAI, my husband was quite nauseous. This started about 36 hours after the RAI. He started taking the anti-nausea rx medications as a preventive at the time of the RAI dose. He continued to take prescription medication in an attempt to control this side effect. His sense of taste continued to be unaltered- his primary complaints included nausea and extreme fatigue as well as a pressure/fullness in his throat. (Update: On the 4th day post RAI- the nausea has dissipated some but, he experienced the sense of taste change for the first time- a cup of cereal with skim milk tasted like "soap.")
Update 2: My husband's sense of taste returned at about 6 weeks. Up until that point, most foods/drinks- even water tasted like "soap or fishy" according to him. It was gradual- not an overnight return to normal taste.
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The main food my husband wanted when the RAI nausea began was Potato Soup. This recipe could be easily altered for the LID but, here is my quick two ingredient Potato soup recipe---I call it Emergency since usually it's what my family wants as comfort food after a hard day or when they don't feel well:
Emergency Potato Soup
-32 oz. carton of chicken broth/stock
Place the two ingredients in a large stock pot. Stir- will be a thick bisque consistency. Bring to a slow boil on medium heat and continue to stir- do not burn! Eat as is or add in any combination of the items below. Keeps well in refrigerator. Serve with warm crusty bread and/or side salad. Everyone who has eaten this- raves about it...little do they know how easy it is to prepare! OUR SECRET!
Optional Add-Ins or Garnishes
-roasted garlic
-steamed fresh or frozen chopped broccoli
-1/4 c. cream
-dried /fresh chives
-shredded cheese
-cooked/crumbled bacon
-cooked/chopped leftover chicken
-sour cream
-chopped green onions, etc.
