Hi Walt,

We all take the treatment differently. In my case, the treatment was not nearly as bad as others.

Some of the things I did which may have helped, besided being in good health prior to starting treatment: 1) quickly deciding on a simple mostly liquid diet to get the needed daily calories (extremely important to get those calories - when it was all over, I lost maybe 3-5 lbs and without a PEG), 2) being open to discussing every problem with my RO and MO (and/or nurses) in order to get a medication for side effects - and trying different medications if the first one or two don't work so well (my wife was very instrumental in this and even recommended some of the medications), 3) doing some form of regular exercise daily throughout treatment (however, nothing too calorie consuming), 4) doing some preventative things daily (e.g., applying radiation cream on my neck and using salt/baking soda mouthwash).

For me the Erbitux caused severe pimples on my face and upper torso. After an initial attempt at topical treatment, I ended up taking oral antibiotics and steroids which cleared them up significantly. The Erbitux also caused some severe radiation burns on my neck - I had a small amount of radiation burn during treatment, but they really blossomed just after treatment ended, clearing up after a short time.

At 4-1/2 months out of treatment, my taste buds have recovered quite a bit (although they are not the same as before treatment) and I just got back some semblence of an appetite (I'm even eating small snacks during the day). I'm making some small amount of saliva (not nearly enough, but at least a little), and I feel very good physically.

My wife was critically important in helping me, and no amount of words can describe her love, patience, and dedication in making sure I got through all this.

Good luck and best wishes,

Chris