So it is finally over!!! I am so pleased. Of course, it couldn't finish without drama. The pain from the neck burn without the cream was so bad today that I have spent most of the 75 min ride to the hospital crying. And then cried some more during the final rad treatment, because the mask made it worse. I was/am quite embarrassed about it, I felt like a little kid. The crying was not emotional, it was a pure reaction to the physical pain that I just couldn't control. And I did take oxycodone, which didn't make much of a difference.

I took the stupid mask with me home, haven't decided what to do with it.

My RO has apparently changed his mind about the PET scan, at least the first one, he said I should have one in three months. He stated that the reason is that my rads were unilateral, they only irradiated the cancer side. Apparently there is a risk, he said under 5% chance that the cancer could come back in the lymph nodes on the opposite side. While I am quite glad I will be getting the scan, now I am worried about this possibility, which I frankly haven't previously considered.

I will worry about getting the more sans when the time comes. My RO admitted that his team/department tends to be on the side that gives as few of scans as possible. He didn't quite explain why, tough he mentioned something along the lines of what "T" wrote above.