As I'm new to this board, let me summarize my situation. In the fall of '06 I had a persistent sore throat, 3+ months. Then in winter, a small lump developed on my right jaw. I saw my GP, he gave some antibiotics, no help. Then he sent me to ENT doc, he saw a problem, had surgery scheduled to biopsy the tonsil. This was June 29, the tissue was SCC Stage III. He then did a radical neck dissection, examined 44 lymph nodes, took out 14, found cancer in one. After a week in the hospital, I went home and started scans. First the PET scan (no active cancer found outside throat area), then CT scan, then oral surgery (removed all but one pair of molars a week ago), and now the treatment decisions. I'm in Ames, Iowa, worked with local hospital here, got second opinion from DSM Mercy Hospital. Same diagnosis and treatment recommended by both. Seven weeks of radiation (IMRT, 4500 rad) with three chemo sessions of cystplatin. This will start on August 6. My support group has been great, but the fear of the treatment unknowns is powerful. I've lost 20 pounds so far, but appetite is coming back. I will have surgery to put in feeding tube and vein portal on the 31st. Naturally, I'm concerned about the intensity of the treatment and the side effects. I'm not all that tough, but there are no options. Viewing others experiences does help. Thanks.

Pigdoc (do you have a name we could use?)

Welcome. None of us thought we were all that tough when we started our treatments. As you said, it's not really like anyone *chooses* this, there are just no other better options. The treatment and its side effects won't be horrendous to begin with, it gets worse as time goes on. You'll have time to adjust.

Having the PEG and the port will definitely help you through the process. Its good that you have a good support group. One thing I did was make a list for my husband of everyone who volunteered to help so he could call on them as needed. I had friends helping with everything from grocery shopping to house cleaning. Call in all the helpers you can--you will find they make the ordeal much easier.

Lots of other information here for how to get through the process. You can search the board pages by clicking on the "search" at the top of this page. Also, feel free to ask questions as they come up too, or just to vent.

Nelie

Nelie,
Thanks for the reply. Hearing from past experience does help reduce the unknown. PS: pigdoc is just MB for John.

Pigdoc?

You can get a fairly good idea of what is in store from this board. The radiation will have side effects how they play out depends on many factors. For some it means that after 4-5 weeks of rad they hit a wall while other have remarkably few side effects. As enticing as it is to think that you are done when the rad Tx is over... you are not. The effects continue to get worse for a while and the turnouround may happen after 3 weeks or later. Since you are having a high concentration cisplatin (3x) treatment you want to pay attention to your hearing. You will come to like both the port and PEG tube, the "installation" of both of these is not a big deal.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best!
Markus

John,

Calm down and take it one day at a time and you will make through just like the majority of us did. A few breezed thru and a few had a very difficult time but most of us were just miserable for about 6 to 7 weeks. If you want the details of how I did, ask me and I'll repost what I wrote shortly after my Tx was over.

I didn't have surgery nor the Peg or the Port but I did have 3 cis's and 7 weeks of IMRT. Watch the ringing in the ears and notify your docs immediately. I didn't recognize it soon enough & I now have permanent high frequency hearing loss.

Who is your caregiver? This site can be very valuable to both of you.

So Pigdoc, are you a vet specializing in pigs? The ultrasound company I work with sells a lot of veterinary probes to vets in that area. We just came out with an inexpensive USB ultrasound system built into the probe itself. Works with any computer with a USB 2.0 port.

Hi Pigdoc/John
I found my Lump which was on the right side of my neck on the 28th of April( Cool I thought "only a swollen gland" I thought )I saw my own GP on the 7th May and he refered me to my specialist on the next day (after I had some Scans), The specialist booked me into hospital and had the lump excised on the 16th of May( Squamous Cell Carcinoma ) a few days later had Barium Swollow on the 22nd then CT Scan on the 24th and saw my specialist that afternoon (Da-Da Cancer), then He refered me to an ENT specialist on the 1st of June. I had a scope of my throat and then a presurgery check up and an ECG on the 6th, then on the 8th I was booked into the Hospital again and had a tonselectomy ( Right side only Benign ). I was then Admitted to the RAH and had a Modified Radical Neck Dissection on the 22nd where they removed 34 Glands, 5 Lymth Nodes 2 of which were cancerous, had neck muscle removed and one of my Jugular veins,I went home on 30th of June feeling great( bull#@%t).
On the 5th of July I was back to the Hospital and fitted for a RT/Scan Mask. Then I saw the Oncologist on the 6th, he organised a Kidney Scan on the 17th of July and a PET/Scan on the 20th and then I was back to the Oncologist on the 23rd. On the 30th I have to have a blood test so that they know the stength of Chemo to give me, which starts on the 31st which is to take about 3 to 6hrs, and then RT which continues for 7 weeks (35) doses. ( now thats not Cool ).