Hellion, the Cisplatin/Radiation combo is not an awful lot of fun, and that's a fact. Hockeydad nailed it in his description. You won't enjoy it, but it won't be the end of the world either. Three months post treatment and you will be a new man with all of this behind you. I suspect that you'll find it a lot like an extended bout of the flu; you may even find yourself going from both ends, but as I said, it won't be as bad as you anticipate, and it will be over before you know it.

Meanwhile, here are some things you MUST be alert for:

Loss of hearing: I've lost about 50% of what I started with. This is a permanent loss, so do not hesitate to notify your oncologists (both RO and MO) immediately if you notice tinnitus. The Cisplatin kills the cillia in the inner ear whose function is to translate the motion of the fluid in the cochlea into nerve signals that produce sound when processed in the brain. From my own experience, I think most chemo agents cause this kind of neuropathy to one degree or another, so be vigilant if your hearing is important to you.

Constipation: It was a MAJOR problem for me, but I've had a problem keeping my bowels moved since I got gut-shot back in '67. The Cisplatin aggravated an existing problem with me, and I've had to take two Ducolax tablets AND a capful of Miralax power (ethylene glycol powder) DAILY since '09.

Constipation also adds to the importance of adequate hydration (and all chemos that I've had - Cisplatin, carboplatin, Taxol, Taxetere and Xeloda) have caused severe constipation. Adequate hydration will go a long way to reducing this problem.

Finger and toe tip neuropathy: Be acutely aware of the onset of the feeling that your fingers or toes are "falling asleep," the classic sign of the onset of neuropathy there. If you don't catch and report it immediately, you are apt to have permanent loss here as well.

And it may not be a tingling sensation, in my case, I started noticing a feeling like the inner lining of my gym shoe had come loose and was bunching up under the ball of my foot, and I ignored it. Bad move.

But the good news is that the anticipation is always worse than the event.

I have a good deal of neuropathy that is permanent, but frankly, it's really nothing but a minor aggravation and is easily ignored.

Be alert, but not paranoid about this.

Good luck, campadre,

Bart