Hi John sorry your dentist sucked... I get it - though I think in some way you needed to hear some of what he or she had to say. A lot if the time we jump into this thinking that the drs. Will tell us everything.. The truth is unless you've been there you generally don't know and frankly if they tell you everything you'd run screaming from the room and never look back. Radiation has major fallout in some cases... Some even the drs haven't seen (only another survivor might have experienced) that's why getting a clear picture of what MIGHT happen isn't necessarily a bad thing. It may save some major anxiety and fear somewhere down the road. Though I imagine he or she could have been more sensitive - mouth cancer does definitely effect our lives drastically though there are other kinds of cancer that offer less hope and are more difficult to cure. Frankly I would prefer never to have heard the words cancer cross a drs lips, but it is what it is. There is some loss of our former lives.. I hear you but the reality is - when you get through to the other side - and climb back up that steep slope, you will have survived, you may be changed you may be challenged but you will be here, and truthfully there are many others who never make it up that slope but fight like hell and would give anything to get there.. So my advice - cancer can and will kill you if you let it. There will be times through treatment where you will want give up and just die in the corner... There will be times where swallowing is impossible and you will hate your caregiver for forcing you to drink, eat, swallow, etc... The only person who can get you through this is you... Do you want to live? I mean drama aside, do you want to live - really? Then nutrition and hydration is of primary importance.. Even if it has no taste or tastes like dog crap, you have to eat it or use your peg, you have to get fluid, you have to rinse your mouth, you have to take your meds, you have to keep your mouth clean, you have to do whatever it takes to get up that hill. Then eventually you will get your taste back, and hopefully eat normally again (this has a lot to do with diligence and persistence - and forcing yourself to swallow, even if it's just to drink lukewarm liquids). I know that's brutally honest. It it's the truth. How you come out the other side depends on you - you can fight to Maintain your quality of life, or you can waste your energy fighting your caregiver. Ps your mom loves you and forgives you it's what moms do! And so glad you got your tickets !!! Definitely strive to go! Hugs and good luck.