Hello my name is Paul,


This August I notice a pain on the left side of my tongue. My first thought was a canker sore, and I tried the my usual OTC medication--which usually gets rid of them. After a couple weeks of no results, I went to my PCP, and he prescribed Lidocaine, after a couple weeks of that without results I went back to my PCP. He then prescibed Tetracycline which had the same effect. So on my next visit, which I was prescribed another antibiotic, I ask to see a specialist.
I saw the specialist on Nov 1st, who took a biopsy. November 7th my results cam back as cancerous, and I went in for a CT scan Nov 9th, which thankfully came back as limited to my tongue. My specialist is now scheduling me to go to either Dana-Farber in Boston, or Darthmouth-Hitchcock in Vermont, to have surgery and begin treatment.
My wife and I are trying to stay very positive. If anyone had any suggestions on how we can prepare, and some positive stories about survival I could really use it. Just turning 27 and having a newborn of 3 months, I have a lot to live for, and will do what it takes to see my son grow up. Thanks for you thoughts and time.

Paul a.k.a novalty

Hello Paul, Welcome to the OCF. I am sorry to hear about your tongue and upcoming surgery and treatment, but you are doing well, staying positive, you are so young and with your newborn, you will be even more stronger.....God Bless You, Carol

Welcome Paul, I'm sorry you have been diagnosed at such a young age and with a young family. There are others here who have survived tongue cancer and will support you on your journey.

Have you read the information here on the main site? You will find it helps with understanding the treatments etc that you will have.

Keep posting and asking questions. People here understand what you are going through both physically and emotionally.

Love from Helen

Welcome Paul.

I am a tongue cancer survivor. As you can see in my signature I was stage 4 Base of Tongue and had a radical neck disection. Things are going to get rough for you over the next several weeks my friend but all of us are here to help you in any way we can. Everytine the going got really rough I would think about my wife and children and how hard they had worked in supporting me and caring for me. I would then think about this... if I give up, what will happen to them and you would be surprised how that in itself will keep you going on my friend.

If you need to please feel free to private message me here or you can email me if you would like to. My email address is in my profile.

All the best to you my friend,
Billy

Hi Paul,

I spent my first 28 years in Maine (I'm 46 now) and boy do I envy you for living in that beautiful state! What part are you from?

You can beat this just as many others on this board have. Try to get to Farber if you can.

Take care,
Minnie

Hi Paul,

My son was 21 when he was diagnosed. He's 22 now. His experience was a lot like yours. His family doctor did not want to believe it was cancer because of his young age and lack of risk factors. It took three trips to his office and about six weeks before he realized what my son was dealing with.

Things are different for young people with this disease. You have the possibility of a very long life ahead of you and your doctors will need to keep that in mind as they plan your treatment. Because of that, you really should go to a big cancer care center like Dana Farber, where they have probably treated more patients close to your age.

As for things you should do to prepare ... Eat! You will probably have a period after surgery where eating solid food isn't possible so it's a good idea to get some extra calories in while you can.

Always take someone with you to doctor appointments. Hearing a bunch of new stuff at once can get confusing.

Take advantage of any financial or other assistance you can get. Check with your local cancer services office and at the hospital. Having an infant is expensive -- so is cancer.

Speaking of assistance, let your parents help you too. Just because you are married and a father yourself doesn't mean they should no longer be there for you. Just think what you would do for that tiny son of yours ;^)

My son is surviving. Like you, he had a tumor on his tongue. He had that removed and had a neck dissection to check his lymph nodes for cancer in June. (The nodes were negative, yay!) I won't tell you it was easy, because it wasn't. There was some pain involved and learning to eat and talk with a kind of patched together tongue was not fun.

He had additional surgery a month ago, just to move things around in there to make his swallowing and talking even better. Again - not fun, but he thinks the results are worth it.

And we're all (him, me, his dad, his sister, his fiance, the doctors, family, friends) very, very hopeful for the future.

Best of luck to you,

darcy (Matt's Mom)

Hi Paul. Please read my story, in this forum.
2 years cancer free / happytobealive.
I am tongue cancer free now for 2 years,and things are fine. DO NOT GIVE UP.
Thomas in Calgary, AB.
Cheers!

Hello, and thank you all for your advice and support. I am scheduled for a consultation with Dr. norris at Dana-Farber next Tuesday. From there I will find out what course of action they will suggest for the treatment. Thankfully i have a lot of family and friend to be there for me, and I am glad that my infant is to young to have to cope with me going throught this at this point. The pain is starting to increase in my tongue now, so I hope they will get me in soon after the consultation.

Paul a.k.a novalty

Paul,

It is good to hear that you will be going to a comprehensive cancer center. When you are given a treatment plan, let us know. There will surely be many here that can give you guidance from the patient's and caregiver's point of view. No matter how wonderful your doctors and nurses are, if they haven't been there themselves, they will surely have a different perspective on things than we do.

As you can see by my signature, I too had a scc on the left side of my tongue and am living life to it's fullest, 2.5+ years later.

Good luck next Tuesday.

Jerry

Hi Paul,
Just a thought-as a primary caregiver to my mom, this site has been my saving grace. It has helped me figure out different things that were happening when my mom really wasn't able to tell me, because she didn't fully understand. I would encourage your wife to log on and read, and ask questions...you never know what advice someone could offer that just may be what you need-not to mention what she may need. Being a caregiver is sometimes quite a job, I can't imagine having a newborn to contend with too. Please don't misunderstand, sometimes you get tired and can't think straight--most times I needed someone, all had to do was come here and open arms were always available-with lots of knowledge. Best of luck to you and to your family. What are your wife and baby's name?
I'll be thinking of all of you!
Donna

Paul,loats of good advice above AND one of the most important is to get your wife on this site with you, so she has access to a full range of information and a way to communicate with other caregivers as well. Best luck. Amy in the Ozarks

Paul,
Glad to hear that you will be going to Dana Farber, wonderful people there. I think that you will be very happy with Dr. Norris, he is a straight shooter and makes himself very available to his patients. When my friend met him she knew she was in the right place. They will give you a LOT of information on your first visit, so it would probably be helpful to have one or two other people with you- just to help you digest the information (and an extra brain, or two, to remember it all).
I wish you all the best, keep in touch.
Liz

Hi Paul - Sounds like you will be in very good hands at Dana Farber. My son had a pain on the right side of his tongue which he put off doing something about for a long time. His treatment ended almost a year ago and he is doing just fine, now! As a caregiver to my son, (also named Paul) I don't know how we would have gotten thru it without OCF and the wonderful and compassionate people we found here. Hang in there and let us know what's happening.

Welcome Paul...

Stay positive! The people on here are wonderful supporters. I am currently waiting on results of my PET scan. I have found this site very helpful in coping with the unknown.

The veterans here continue to help all of us to fight through the anxiety and work towards a cure for this awful disease.

Hi Paul!
I am a tongue cancer survivor too. So sorry to hear of your recent news. I'm glad you are getting in to see someone early. I also was misdiagnosed for several months. Please feel free to PM me with any questions you have.Thinking of you.

Sincerely,

Miss Kate

Paul,, I am a tongue cancer survivor too. The people on here talked me into a 2nd opinion and I heard way better news at The Ohio State James Comprehensive Cancer Center than I did at the 1st place I went. I was just going to let it run it's course and whatever happen would happen. These nice supporative people talked me into the 2nd opinion and I'm alive and kickin.. LOL but not kickin too high yet. I go Mon the 26th for another check up. I know you will beat this thing and just listen to the people on here.. They are great. Jim

Hello,

I met with Dr Norris and 3 other physician's at Dana Farber on Nov. 20th. Dr. Norris was very positive, and gave a lot of encouragement in the treatment of the cancer. He said the location is in the middle of the left side of my tongue and a little towards the floor of my mouth. There may be 1 lymph node affected, so tehy are going to schedule me for a PET scan to cross reference with the CT scan I had.

Next week (Dec 5th and 6th) I am schedule for pre-op visits with the anesthesiologist, Dr. Norris, and a plastic surgeon. The surgery is scheduled for Dec. 17th. Dr. Norris said the location on my tongue was a positive, as it is not too far back towards the base to ruin my ability to swallow, and it is not too far towards the front to ruin my speech. The surgery he believed would be about 10 hours long. They will remove the cancerous area, and then a plastic surgeon, will take some skin from my left forearm, and graft it into the missing location of my tongue. A PEG tube will be inserted while I am in surgery, and I will most likely be in the ICU for the first few days. If my breathing can't not be controlled by tubes from my nose, they may have to do a tracheotomy (sp?), which they would reverse in a couple days.

Dr. Norris believes I will be at Brigham & Women's for about 8 - 14 days. After a biopsy is done on the removed portion of my tongue, they will decide the amount of radiation I will need, and possibly a low dose of chemo to assist the radiation.

My family and friends have really been supportive, and my in-laws are going to look after my son, while I am in the hospital. My wife has been very strong, and positive. I am holding up ok, but still have my brief moments of breaking down. I have no fear of the surgery and treatment, as it necessary to seemy son grow up.

Paul a.k.a novalty

Paul

You have a great attitude !! and it sounds pretty positive the things the Dr told you . Dana farber is a GREAT hospital !!! Please know that we are all thinking of you !! and your family as well !


Shar

Hi Paul,

Glad to hear you have a plan of action agreed with the hospital.

I was 29 when dignosed, I had treatment over a 6 month period and then some extra to help the tongue heal better.

Now its exactly two years since the whole thing started and I am happy to say I feel pretty normal again. I had no recurrences. I hope you have a similar or better experience!

Keep us posted

Redser

Paul, Keep that good attitude going. I am a tongue cancer survivor of 5 years, had two lymph nodes positive. Sounds like your treatment will be very similar to mine....if I can be of any help please pm me....I can give you more details.....Take Care, Carol

p.s. Paul, I was diagnosed with second primary tumor on soft palete 11/10, going in for surgery 12/14, they will use muscle from my right arm for this one!

Paul - your having the same surgery my mother had at Mass Eye and Ear 2 years ago. Stay strong!

Paul,
Welcome!!
Your first post caused a flood of many emotions to come back to me. I'm not an OC survivor, I had clear cell sarcoma in my right leg. I was treated ten years ago. The reason I hang out here is that I feel I can offer advice and information to people as a result of my profession.
I was 37 when I was diagnosed, my son was 7 months old. I have experienced the load of a father with an infant son when such a wall is put in front of you.
As others have said, you have a positive attitude and a plan, and you are looking out for yourself. Keep this up!!
If I can be of any help to you please contact me.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Cheers

Mike

Paul,
You are so fortunate to have found this site. The support and information passed between the members is astonishing. I join the others in wishing you a speedy and complete recovery. Be strong and accept all the help you can.

Malka

Paul,
I too had tongue cancer.it's been almost 4 years now,no sign of it coming back.Good luck with all your tests and my prayers and thoughts are with you.
lynn

Hello all,

Thanks for the many kind comments and I do apologize for the long delay in updating about my condition. The surgery went well at Brigham & Women's hospital in Boston on December 17. I was released from the hospital on 12/24. Just in time to spend the first Christmas with my family--more than I could have dreamed for. Dana Farber said the cancer was limited to just 1 lymphnode and my tongue, they took 7 test biopsies in my mouth during surgery and all of them came back negative for signs of cancer. So we are hoping that they got it all.

I currently undergoing Radiation and assisted lower dosage Chemo treatments. This week will be my fourth and last Chemo treatment. I have completed 16 of the 30 scheduled radiation treatments, and will down to 9 after Friday of this week. My mouth has started to become fairly sore from the radiation. Lost most of my taste buds by the end of the second week of treatments, so the need to eat is pretty discouraging now. Looking forward to having my radiation over with on March 27th. So I can begin healing, doctors seem to think it will take 2-3 weeks after my last treatment for pain to go away. Then from what I gather it takes months before tastebuds can recover.

Thanks again for all the support!


Paul

Focus yourself on the remaining rads and look to the 3rd week or so post Tx before you will walk out that tunnel your in. For most of us the 2 to 3 weeks post Tx were our worst so be prepared and don't be discouraged if have the same reaction. Even though "eating" is tasteless and mentally deflating please do yourself a huge favor and pour in at least 2000 cals and 48oz of water each and every day. Not saying it's going to be easy to do that but I can say it will definitely be much harder if you don't.

When your out of the tunnel there will be plenty of time to discuss your recovery but don't expect anything to recover for months and months. I am almost 19 months post Tx and I just recently noticed a big taste/saliva improvement and I hope I'm still not finished.

David you were certainly right about being in a tunnel. This past week things have gotten progressively worse. I caught a cold part way through the week, and things have been extremely bad since then. My mouth is extremely sore, and I have been coughing up pleghm. They postponed my Chemo treatment from last week to this week, and put me on a z-pack antibiotic for my cold. I can no longer eat or drink anything by mouth. Lost 7 pounds last week, and have been trying to put as much Jevity and Boost through my peg tube as possible. Been pretty depressed, but yesterday my RO prescribed Duke Solution. I tried that last night, and it worked very well. It has given me the encouragement that I can make it through my last 8 treatments.

Paul

Paul,

I have reposted some things that may help you:

Try Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC. It has 560 nutritional balanced calories in a 8 oz can and will cut the misery and the time in feedings. You order it thru your pharmacy dept and some have suggested that if you get a prescription for it, your insurance company will pick up the tab. I only pay about $32.00 per 24 can case at Walgreens. That's only $5.00 a day for 2000 calories. Click on this link:

http://www.nestle-nutrition.com/family.aspx?objectID=86E49EB3-BE25-4B16-81D7-235E6F6E5183

Under the PURCHASE PRODUCTS tab, select FIND A PHARMACY NEAR YOU.

Under the PRODUCT NAME pull down, select Carnation Instant Breakfast Lactose Free VHC and fill in your zip code and they will give you a list of pharmacies that carries it.

At the top of that list note the Product Code and NDC Number in case that helps you when you call the store. When I call Walgreens it only takes a day or 2 at the most to get it delivered to the store and they call me when it's in.

You can also order it online but it usually costs more and takes much longer to get.

No, I do not work for the company nor do I get a commission (I wish) but this product made my feeding life during and post treatment much much easier and I am sure it will do the same for you.




Editing Signature Line:

It helps the responder to your Post if you include facts about your Diagnosis and Treatment, etc under your Signature. See mine below as an example. To add to your signature go to the top of the screen and click on MY PROFILE. Then click on EDIT PROFILE and scroll down to the Signature Block and type away. Once you add it, It appears every post you make and your questions and even responses are more understandable.

A quick addendum to David's information about adding diagnosis and treatment information in a signature (which was accurate the way the board was previously structured, but has changed):

To include signature information: Click on My Stuff (at the top of each message board page), then on My Profile. Scroll down until you see the Signature box, then type the info in there. Be sure to hit the Submit button at the bottom of the page when you're done.

-- Leslie

Yesterday I received a Joey Pump for feedings. My wife helped me hook it up last night, and I really like it over having to use the big plastic syringe to manually feed the Jevity. It ran last night and I put in the 5 cans the bag held, then this morning my wife put in the 6th can that I am supposed to get during the day. We're hoping this will help me keep my weight up. As I had lost 7 pounds last week alone. After I complete my radiation treatment this afternoon, I will only have 6 more treatments left--March 27th being the last day. Tomorrow is my last treatment of Cisplatin, and I have a follow up appointment with Dana-Farber in Boston next Wednesday March 26th. Had been getting depressed with the pain in my mouth and not being able to eat, but with the Miracle Mouthwash and Joey pump, I feel more positive about making it through the remainder of my treatment.

As you can see I tried to update my signature. Unfortunately, Dana-Farber has given me any real specific info on my stage of cancer. They believed it to be Squamous Cell, and the tumor they removed was about 9cm, and cancer was only located in 1 lymph node. The cancer was not found in my lymphatic channels, and was near any nerves-so not in my nervous system. My Dr. at Dana-Farber was very confident in having removed all the cancer during surgery, and that the radiation and chemotherapy would be extra insurance that it wouldn't reoccur. My wife and I are hoping that is the case, cause at the age of 27, I am hoping there are several more years left.

Thanks again for all your support and suggestions!

Paul

Paul,

Sounds great so keep up the good work and in no time your Tx will be history.

Paul,
When I read through your protocol, I cringed for you, as my husband has just finished one that is very similar. I would imagine you are nearly through with your by now, if not allready done. Congratualtions on making it through what I know has been them ost difficulkt time of your life. Like yoo, my husband is young. He's 36, and we, too, have a child. He is four years old. You are right. You do have everything in the world to live for,adn this battle that you are waging is purposeful and glorious in that purpose. We are lucky in that our children are so young they won't remeber this heinous period of our lives, but will benefit from the renewed outlook that the struggle against cancer has afforded us. I'm not sure my husband is seeing it that way, right about now, but I'm hoping he will in time. Please keep your head up and give yuor wife nad child a huge hug and kiss.
The world is full of love and life, and you are an important part of that.

Steph

Paul,

Hang in there. I read your post about being in "the tunnel" from 3/18 and it brought back my husband being in that same place during is treatment. It sucked, that is about all I can say. However, he actually started feeling better the last week of treatment and progressively got better over the next two months. I hope this is true in your case!

One question, when you started having pain in August, was there also a spot or sore of any kind or just the pain?

Hello Lisa,

There was also a spot on my tongue. I figured it was a canker sore at first. I tried my typical OTC but after 2 weeks nothing changed. It felt almost like I had pulled a muscle in the side of my tongue. My PCP tried me on a couple different treatments, but to no avail. So on my third visit to the PCP in October, I told him I was tired of trying his guess work, and needed to go to a specialist. Which is when they discovered the cancer with a biopsy.

Today is my 26th radiation treatment, and only have 4 more left next week. Yesterday was my 4th and last treatment of Cisplatin. Right now the toughest part of the radiation isn't the side effects of it, it is not being able to drink or eat. I miss the taste of food and drink terribly bad, I poured a small glass of some Raspberry Tea that I love to drink and smelled it for half and hour--miss it so much. I know that my tastebuds will come back over a long period of time, looking forward to just being able to drink stuff by mouth again.

Was wondering if anyone else had found some drinks they were able to get down at the end of the treatments, or shortly after the treatments were completed? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

Had some more good news today on my 26 radiation treatment. I was getting threated from 3 fields, both sides and 1 from the front. Plus I was scheduled for 5 addition daily treatments of a more localized from the right and 7 from the left. Yesterday was my last of the additional from the right, and also the last of treatments from the front. So today I just had one from the left and right, and the localized from the left. Monday will be my last of the localized from the left--so for my last three treatments, I will only recive radiation from the left and right--making my time in the mask much shorter. It isn't that significant, but with the cold that I have and the phlegm I have been spitting up--less time being strapped down by my head to a table is appreciated. I can't wait for my treatments to be over so I can begin the healing process.

Thanks for all the kind words and comments, it means a great deal to me and my family!

Paul

Hi Paul! Im Lyn Im from Melbourne Australia and Im 45. My diag was very similar to yours except it hadnt spread to a lymph node so i was a bit lucky there.
I know its hard but try not to be afraid....go back and read my posts...I was TERRIFIED....the Angels on here helped me through and will do the same for you...They will help you through (and will give you the odd gentle butt kick if they see you sinking too far down into the depression pit! hahaha...btw which i deserved and was grateful for!)
I had 2/3 of the lhs of my tongue removed and reconstructed from my lh wrist (i was a singer...still am...and a pianist) as well as the old neck disection with 34 nodes removed- all clear. Then I had 6 weeks radiation.I HATED THIS...but it goes quickly.
Then, just as I was getting used to being the only patient in our house, a week after I finished radio my Husband was nearly killed in a road accident (bleeding on brain, blood clots, 5 broken ribs, punctured lung total grazes and cuts...AND IN ANOTHER STATE OF AUSTRALIA) and surprisingly although I had to fly to another state to be with him so few days out of radio with a mouth full of ulcers, it took my mind off it. I am thinking your Wife and Baby may do the same for you. Just remember they cant catch it so dont be afraid of touching you need it so do it!!
Im doing OK now and there is no sign of the cancer at this point. My red blood cells are a little low but, hey, I will drink more red wine that should fix it haha! I can talk...I can be understood and the lithsp is almost gone (ok...so I do still lithsp a bit in the morning, Jim, before the dancing troupe awakens heheh).
PAUL! Dont be afraid and PLEASE stick to THIS forum. DO NOT go searching the web for other answers...these guys here are great and they have ALL been there and THEY have their heads screwed on....with a few things added here and there to make them even smarter!!! If you are not comfy with your onco...then find one you are confy with. you HAVE to be able to understand each other. I love mine. He was so cool. You need a relaxed oncologist who wont beat around the bush. Do ALL they tell you and that includes the dietitians, the dentist, the nurses, the ENT guys and the Plastics Team and the pain team and you will get through this. You have a wonderful thing to look forward to...focus on your wife and baby and you will gain power you never knew you had. DONT think "Oh no I wont be here for them" Crap! Yes you will....thats all from me for now. Please contact me if you need to and I will cheer you up if I can. You FOUND YOUR CANCER!! Thats more than a lot of people do til its too late! Good for you!...esp from ulcers (as like me I just thought it was an ulcer...until it became a lump) AND Dont be afraid to whine, cry, whinge, sook and be a wimp here...WE ALL have been and still are at various stages...we are here to support you! I am the biggest wimp there is!!! HAHAH! we will be here for you...but I mean it...no more searching around the net for answers...it will only scare you needlessly. Remember.."one log goes out quickly but a pile of logs burns brightly and for a LOT longer" (yep I stole it...from the Bible I think, so dont go through this on your own!)
Love and Prayers from Australia
Lyn XXX - one kiss for you, one for your Wife, and one for your Baby...who with much positiveness, luck and love ..not to mention the medical geniusus we are lucky enough to have at our disposal, you will be around to see grow into a healthy teen giving you the usual headaches!

Lyn,

Thanks for the kind words and support. The toughest thing I am dealing with now is pleghm from my cold, and dry mouth is kicking it--so I spend a bunch of my day just spitting up some nasty stuff. I am taking 6 cans of Jevity 1.2 at night and during the day I usually have about 3 cans of Boost nutritional supplement. I think I have gained back between .5 and 1.5 pounds since I received the feeding pump. The toughest part is not being able to drink or eat by mouth. Have been wondering what some of the first things other survivors first started eating and drinking after they completed their radiation treatments. Thursday is my last scheduled day of radiation, and it can't come quick enough.

Thanks again for all the kind words and support. I can't thank my wife enough for all that she has done for me. I truely am blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Paul

Paul,

What works for some may not work for you and vice versa so eat and drink whatever you want. I'm sure, like most of us, you will migrate towards the liquidy soft foods for a long time and even then you will most likely have to swallow liquids with each bite. Look at the Forum re eating as there are several new posts along the same lines as what you are asking.

Final word though is don't expect too much too soon and try to eat and drink as much as you can even though nothing much will taste the same as it did before. I went 16 months post Tx with small periodic improvements until I got satisfied with my taste and dry mouth to the point that I won't care if I improve anymore despite the fact that I'm still not 100% back to normal. Also watch out for the next few weeks as they can turn out to be your worst yet especially if you don't keep up with your daily nutrition and hydration.

Hi Paul,

Some cancer centers have a bell for you to ring when you complete your treatment, even though I'm in Ohio, I will listen and surely hear your bell on Thursday! Way to Go Paul, I'm so happy for you to complete your treatment and begin your recovery, you have handled this admirably! I pray this will be behind you soon. Enjoy finding eats and drinks that work for you now, I'm sure you'll have some happy surprises, my dad did!

Paul,

Just stay strong, learn about all the various treamtents and stay on top of the entire thing,

Paul you seem like such a strong guy. My husband is almost 1/3 of the way through the same treatment you are ending. So we're buckling up for the ride.
Congrats on this coming Thursday and I'll pray you do as well as you can the next couple of weeks.

Today I completed my 28th treatments. Between yesterday and today things have seemed a little worse. Mouth is very dry, but still produce a lot of ropey saliva. Been spitting up a lot which hard to get out of my mouth as it is so ropey. Trying to keep my stomach settled despite all that's going on seems to be the tough part. Tomorrow, I have my follow up appointment with Dana Farber, and can honestly say I am not looking forward to it, as it is a 3 hour drive one way, and the appointment will probably last half an hour. The six hours of riding is going to be tough. Hopefully they will seem positive about my treatments, and will help assure my wife and I that it was worth the agony.

My hope once all this is done, besides not having it reoccur, is to be able to resume eating and drinking as I had pre-cancer. I guess time will determine that.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Have you tried rinsing your mouth with a salt/baking soda solution? That seemed to help me clean the mucous out of my mouth. The mixture is 1 tablespoon salt - 1 tablespoon baking soda - 1 quart water. For some reason this mixture did not burn my mouth, where straight water did.

Tom,

Thanks for the suggestion. I will give it a try today. I had been given a prescription of Miracle Mouth Wash, and I did have some nystatin (which I found burns pretty bad just by itself.) The only type of food/drink I have been able to get down a little of is Breyer's All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream with a little bit of water. If I take small spoonfuls, it seems to help soothe my throat a little. The last few days my mouth has felt hot inside, so I have been concerned that I might be getting a little bacteria in my mouth. It is hard to clean my mouth, but each day I use a pic to clean in between my teeth, and brush without toothpaste, as I found that burns, and I use my flouride trays. Last night I started to mix a little of the nystatin in with the miracle mouth wash to see if I could help prevent any infection if possible.

Yesterday I wasn't able to make it to my appointment in Boston, as half an hour into the 3 hour drive I was already feeling very sick to my stomach, and dry heaving. They have rescheduled me for the middle of April. I did make my radiation appointment, and the Chemo center tested my blood and said my counts were good, so today is still my final treatment.

I am excited that after today I don't have to make anymore daily trips to get radiated, but I still feel like it is far from being over. Depressing as not being able to eat or drink is...it is worth it if the treatments will keep the cancer from coming back and give me a chance to spend a long life with my family.

Paul