Welcome to OCF. Im sorry you have a need for our group but glad you have joined. We will help you with info and support to get thru your treatments.
It sounds like you are a very well educated patient and able to be your own strong advocate. Thats excellent!!! Im glad you research your illness and the appropriate treatments. Knowledge is power and can only help make this easier for you.
On the main OCF pages you can find tons of info about both
Erbitux and Cisplatin. Please understand that our group is made up of patients/survivors and caregivers without medical training or backgrounds. We can speak from personal opinion and what we have seen others go thru but as far as giving a credible opinion on which chemo is better, we simply arent qualified to speculate. Recurrences can happen regardless of which type of chemo. It could be any number of things that can trigger it. Unfortunately our type of cancer (SCC), chemo alone (no matter which one) usually will only shrink the tumor, not completely eliminate the SCC.
Im hoping you opted for the smaller weekly doses of the
Erbitux. It is much easier for most patients to tolerate than the 3 "big bag" method. One commonality
Erbitux patients have is the bigger the rash, the better the chemo is working. This can be pretty uncomfortable, have the itch cream ready!
As I tell all new members who are getting prepared to begin treatments, focus on what is controllable... your intake. Prior to starting, eat all your favorite foods if you are able to. Especially spicy and hard to eat things like steaks, ribs, Mexican foods, etc. You dont want to go into this having cravings so eat now. Dont worry about gaining weight. Most patients lose significant amounts of weight during their treatments. Usually the doctors have a goal of no weight loss (even if the patient is overweight). By losing weight, it means they arent taking in enough calories. Even 2000 or 2500 calories a day isnt enough for some patients, they need 3000 or more. This higher intake must be done every single day. Those who skip a day or two here and there quickly fall into a viscous cycle of playing "catch up" and "tomorrow" when they are supposed to "do better" never seems to happen. I was one of those and ended up hospitalized for malnutrition and dehydration several times. You can get extra hydration a few times a week in the chemo lab with a prescription. This will instantly make you feel better so I would definitely recommend getting that script.
Try to line up some drivers to help get you back and forth to your treatments. The American Cancer Society has a volunteer driver program that might be available to you. Anyone who offers to help you, let them know when the time comes you will contact them. Write down their name and number so your caregiver can reach out for help if they need a hand. There are a million small things that can add up to making your treatments and recovery much easier. Even caregivers need help to get a break once in a while.
Prior to starting or any surgery, you should have flouride trays made for your teeth. Any teeth that arent in the best shape should be pulled now as there could be problems doing so after rads. Also strict attention to always being diligent with brushing and flossing your teeth several times daily is very important. A waterpik is a great tool to help get between your teeth.
Hope I didnt overload you with TMI. We are here to help and answer any questions you may have.
Best wishes!!!
