hello all,
i've been lurking for a couple of months and i must say I am moved by everyone's experiences and courage dealing with all you have to. my hubby del has base of tongue t3n3m0. and has completed treatment. but as you all know, there are still many issues afterward. so i am entering the group forum for your advice and friendship, as i am the primary caregiver,(family is small, and dysfunctional)and this will be a long road. i will be posting to issues after treatment. thank you and blessings to all.

Welcome to the site! It's the best place to be for the latest information, research and support and compassion from people who've "been there". Tell us more about our hubby and are you both are doing. I found OCF a couple of weeks into my son's radiation Tx and don't know what we would have done without the great people here! So stay close, keep posting. There is always someone here ready to listen and care and offer helpful suggestions.

Nycgrl,
Welcome!! Sorry to have to welcome you this way. My thoughts and prayers will include you and del.
Dysfunctional family...welcome to the club! You'll fit in here just fine in that case. The people here are wonderful, informative, caring and occasionally some dysfunction pops up. Fire away with your experiences and questions. You'll get plenty of advice and first hand experience on almost anything.
As the primary caregiver you will also have your own issues and we have plenty who can chime in and help you out. Your role is a tough one so my first advice is Take Care of You! Get your rest, eat right and look after yourself.
This wonderful family will be here to support you.

God bless you and your family.

Mike

Dear Ncgrl, Hope we will be able to fill a need and give you support in your caregiving role. Please be more specific about your husband's tx and time frames so we are all on the same page. Amy in the Ozarks

well, how to begin?? Del was diagnosed in april, after about a month of not being able to swallow, and having a sore throat. he had lost 20 lbs. and still didnt want to see the doctor; but finally he did, and then we were locked into the rollercoaster that is cancer. he is t3n3mo. the tumor had traveled down to the epiglottis and included 1 vocal cord. so, he had 3 rounds of chemo- 5fu, cisplatin, and taxotere, and erbitux. which reduced the tumor, 85%. we were thrilled!! then came 35 treatments of radiation, and that just knocked him almost out. that ended last week of sept. until then i had been so hopeful, but now its been 2 months, he cant swallow anything yet, and he's had terrible headachs that have required the patch and extra meds. he sleeps most of the day. fortunately he tolerates the tube feeds well via peg. but he's much sicker than i expected him to be after all this,.. and i'm scared he'll never be the same. last week he ad a pet/ct scan and today i think we'll hear the results,.. we're seeing a surgeon about another biopsy. the last visit they scoped him and found some "ulceration" that they want to check out. so, it's 345am my time, and here i sit unable to sleep.
thank you all for letting me get this out.
nycgrl