All good points, Brian.

A referral to the Palliative Pain Team at my cancer center was one of the best things that was done for me. I doesn't necessarily mean end of life issues. They do a great deal of pain management via different medication regimens that are right for you. I still meet with them on an outpatient basis for pain management.

I was horrified at a couple of the drugs that were part of my regimen because they had such a stigma and were associated with coming off of street drugs, but they did the trick and honestly, I didn't feel all that impaired by them. When the time came, I was slowly tapered off them so as not to go into withdrawal. I slept a lot during my rads treatments, but I got blasted with the highest possible dose. All in all, the important thing is that my pain was finally under control once I was admitted to the hospital for pain management, leukopenia, dehydration, and malnutrition due to PEG issues. I don't remember this, but my husband does...he said I told my rads nurse that I thought I was dying. She asked me if I wanted to be admitted and I said yes. I was there for 2 weeks...and back 4-5 times more than I can remember for various complications...infected port, multiple PEG issues, etc.

I'm glad that's over! I think I block a lot of it out of my mind or it's chemobrain...maybe a little of both. I hope never to EVER have to go through the likes of that again! None of us does!

Hi Mandy,

I'm in London, if you're close and I can help please do let me know. I'll be happy to try to give something back for all the great support I've had my two trips through cancer.

Indeed the 'over the pond' differences are frustrating. It seems certain products only make it so far from the factory, and international borders often form very real boundaries due to tax and copyright issues.

I'm American but was treated for my tonsilar SCC in Vancouver Canada. Ensure was available there, but here I've only seen a high-calorie drink in a tin can, it's aimed at the elderly, but a friend who needed to use it for entirely different reasons while over here sorely missed it once she returned to the US and it wasn't available. Sorry, I'm blanking on the name, but ask for high-calorie meal replacements for the elderly and you'll find *something*.

As has been said here, most (but not all) things do have a rough local equivalent, although I do miss the huge amount of retail choice America enjoys. It's simply an economy of scale issue. The USA is huge, rich, and full of people. The UK is crowded, but it's small, and the people put up with rubbish a lot more, so they get.....a lot more rubbish. This is just my own opinion and observation.

Note that every one is different, and going through these treatments means what 'works' one week may not work the next. We ended up with LOADS of leftover puddings and shakes and jello-things, each 'working' for a while and then not.

In Vancouver my Oncologist had his own 'magic mouthwash' formula that you could swallow, but it literally was made up by the pharmacist on his recipe.

In Canada you can get a flouride gel for caring for your teeth (you'll learn about this if you haven't already) that was pH neutral, but over here it all was 'tart' and burned like a you-know-what!

Ask lots of questions, get multiple opinions, if you don't like one answer, get another! I was fortunate to have a strong-willed and just plain strong wife as my advocate. I've sailed through my second treatment (easier location, in my chest rather than my throat), but my first one nearly killed me. As has been said, not to scare you, some glide through, but some really do need a lot of support.

-Seth in London

Seth,
Thanks for the multi-continent perspective. One of the things that interest me is how health care differs across various first world countries. Up to now, it seemed cancer treatment was pretty close in USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Your comments about availability of different drug therapies has me wondering just how similar care is. It sure seems the primary therapies are the same: chemo including cisplatin, carbolpatin, Erbitux, taxotere, 5FU, etc. IMRT seems standard radiation treatment.

Even the time and accessibility to schedule and receive care seems pretty similar. I wonder how many others care to offer their opinion on health care similarities and differences? thanks don