My personal opinion has been and remains that Cancer is harder on the caregiver than the patient. Since some people can get upset just reading my posts, imagine having to live with me. (pause while the majority of the board has a collective cyber-shudder). I've been luckier than many in having a world class caregiver. So just wanted to share an interesting Washington Post article on the challenges of caregivers. It is not focused on oral cancer so it does not capture the daunting challenges the OCF caregivers face, but it gets the general gist.
In sickness and in health
One excerpt below:
[quote]The medical and psychological literature have long reported that caregivers face risks to their own well-being, especially when they're caring for people with dementia. Caregivers under stress have higher levels of depression and anxiety; their immune systems suffer. A 2005 Commonwealth Fund overview found that caregivers of all ages reported chronic conditions -- including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis -- at nearly twice the rate of non-caregivers, 45 percent vs. 24 percent.

In an oft-cited study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1999, University of Pittsburgh researchers followed nearly 400 elderly spousal caregivers for four years and reported that those experiencing mental or emotional strain had 63 percent higher mortality rates than non-caregivers. (Caregivers not experiencing emotional or mental strain did not have elevated mortality rates.) [/quote]

So take good care of yourselves, OCF caregivers. The patients need you
Charm