totally agree with what Christine and gmcraft have said about hydration. my husband gets IV drips now several times a week and the energy after the drip wears on me as he is so bored. it makes that much of a difference to be hydrated!

Thanks, retiring to Florida after living in PA most of my life I quickly learned how it feels to be dehydrated. I will be sure to try and keep that from happening again.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but you're in the right place for encouragement and some helpful tips. The first couple of weeks of radiation will be pretty uneventful, although you may notice a loss of saliva and taste. Beginning the third week you will notice fatigue, mouth sores and painful swallowing, it goes downhill from there. Tell your doctor or the nursing staff when you start having pain and have trouble eating or swallowing liquids. The doctor will prescribe pain medication and either liquid lidocaine or "magic mouthwash". Use it, don't be a hero. This is essential for being able to swallow the liquids and high protein nutrition you will need. I usually stopped at Jamba Juice every day for a high protein smoothie. Having chemo adds another level of misery, I can't address that as I only had radiation. Good luck, we're here to help!