Looks like we're in this together. I have stage 4, squamous cell carcinoma, and after 2 surgeries (tongue and bilateral neck), I am getting ready to start chemo and radiation.
I am scared to death. I have heard the horror stories and would like to hear some positive feedback so I know the next 6 weeks will be worth it.

Hate we have to go through this. Glad we have each other.
Kelly

You will get through it - it's no picnic... It can be horrible or not great but okay... It depends on you. Most people fall in the middle of those two descriptors. Plan for the worst (read up on the most common issues) hope for the best. We are here to listen, cry with you or offer advice. It is doable. It's short with about 4 weeks being the worst of it. (Last two and first two after treatment is done) it's a one foot in front of the other prospect. Just focus on getting through things one day at a time. Most of us here have been through it. Hugs

Hi Kelly:
Yes, you have heard horror stories, and some of them come true, but all are not horror stories. You will hear the phrase over and over here - people are different. Some have lots of treatment side effects, some have very few, most are somewhere in the middle.

I have only 7 radiation treatments to go, and the only side effect I have is complete loss of taste. I have no burns on the skin of my neck or inside my throat. I have a little dry mouth, but that is easily handled by chewing Trident gum (the xylitol sweetener helps with dry mouth). So, I am luckily on the other end of the spectrum. You might be there too, don't assume anything.

Even if you do have some side effects, they are manageable, and with the help of all your new friends here you will get through this just fine. It's no picnic by any means, but as said above it entirely doable.

Must go to treatment myself right now, but will write more later.

Get started reading the forum and webpage info on oral cancer, you have a lot of learning to do. In the beginning, figure to spend at least an hour a day reading here.

later

Tony

Kelly, welcome to OCF. You are in the right place for info and support for your OC.

I know it can be scary hearing all the horrible things that can happen to OC patients. Best thing to do is remember that everyone is different and will respond to things in their own unique way. Some will struggle while a few lucky ones sail right thru. Nutrition and hydration will play key roles in how easily you get thru things. You have the control over what you take in so by getting a minimum of 2500 calories and 48+ oz of water every single day, will help you to have an easier time of it.

Wishing you all the best with everything!

As a new patient, just diagnosed, it can be an overwhelming experience. At first you know nothing about cancer, so the fear of the unknown is at it's highest. The first few days are about the worst from the fear viewpoint. But, if you will get busy and start reading the webpages so you can begin to understand diagnosis and then treatment a lot of that fear will start to go away earlier rather than later. Knowledge is what removes the fear of the unknown, and we have lots of knowledge right here.

Worry is the second biggest problem for cancer patients. Will the radiation and/or chemo work? What if it doesn't work? What will I do then? Does the treatment process hurt? What treatment symptoms will I have and how much do they hurt? These are all questions each of us have asked at some point.

Worry is not conducive to good results when in treatment. It makes everything worse. It's easy for us to tell you to not worry, but it's not so easy to accomplish successfully. I accomplished it with the help of another forum member named Bart. My introduce yourself thread (Old B-52 Bombardier, on page 6 of the Introduce Yourself thread). It chronicles pretty much everything I thought and asked when I was new and in your shoes. It's fairly long, but it addresses most of the things you will think and ask about if you haven't already. It's a place to start your education process, though there are also many other threads that show the other side of the coin.

Get yourself a spiral notebook and keep it with you to jot down notes about what you learn, but more importantly to write down all the questions you are going to think of (and that will be a lot, way more than you can remember). Make a section for questions for the doctor(s), questions for forum members, etc. Be sure and take that notebook with you to all doctor visits and write down what they tell you, don't try to remember. If you can take another person to those visits, that's even better, have them take the notes.

Kelly, this is a big journey in front of you. It isn't easy and it does have some potholes in the road. Learning from the forum members will help you avoid some of those potholes and have fewer flat tires along the way. As others have said above, this is entirely doable. You just take it one day at a time and sooner or later you reach the end of treatment. I've had 29 radiation treatments now, 6 to go. I can still remember how daunting it all felt at treatment 1. But, the treatment journey hasn't been too bad at all.

Get started reading and then start asking your questions, we'll help you every step of the way.

Tony

Good luck with Chemoradiation, Kelly.

Welcome to OCF, Kelly.
Lots of good folks here with lots of experience and knowledge to share. Also support when you need it. Don