Nancy, from reading the postings of hundreds of others here it sounds to me like for the time period the patient is in the discomfort level that exists is about par for the course. Everyone that gets treated is surprised by the long drawn out recovery period. Usually a month for every week of treatment. As a society that is used to quick fixes, this does not correlate, and people have to get used to the long drawn out process. The good news is it gets better in small increments each day.... but it takes many days and the increments are so small sometimes that it can be quite depressing if you do not stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. I am curious about the treatment for the disease near the carotid, which you did not expand upon much. What was done and what was the prognosis? This is a dangerous area for it to go. I hope that they were able to control it at this site and the worst is over.