Hi everyone. I hope all is doing well. My fiancee, Charlie, was diagnosed with stage IV SCC of the Larnyx. He had a horse voice for years and we never thought it could be anyting like this. He is only 30 years old. He only had 2 weeks left of radiation. He has had 2 rounds of chemo and prob. wont do the 3rd because he is so swollen.
He had a peg tube put in, but nothing helps because all he does is throw up mucus. His neck looks like it was burnt by a fire and he is in so much pain. Nothing seems to work.
THe doctor said that the tumor seems to be shrinking, but since the cancer spread- we wont be able to tell for a while.
He is so strong and he said that he wouldnt be if he didnt have me. But thats on the outside- on the inside I am terrified. I just love him so much

Hi Delia,

They had to delay my radiation once because of swelling ( I couldn't breath) They continued after a few days though. The burns look ugly, but go away fairly fast if you get some ointment on them. The skin underneath should be nice and pink. At least mine was and my Rad Onc told me it would be.

They should be giving him strong anti nausea drugs which must be taken regularly. If you take them after you feel nausious, they do not help much.

Wish I could be of more help. Keep fighting, he needs you to be strong. I know you are scared , as was my wife. But you have to keep him fighting hard and get some nutrition in him.

Steve Daib

Hi Delia,
My husband finished treatment in June of 05. Fight for good anti nausea meds, suppositories or whatever it takes. Nutrition is very important to keep his strength up. Without it, the recovery time is longer, he will lose lean muscle mass and strength. My husband would not take proper nutrition, he had a peg, and still won't, so his recovery has been slow and he has very little strenth or endurance. He is one stubborn man, but that is probably what got him thru treatment. To date he is cancer free.
Linda

Thank you so much! I am so glad that each of you has had good news.

Delia
what do you have for support outside of you obvious love for each other? You are on a long road that gives new meaning to one day at a time.
The fact that he almost done with treatment as scheduled is great. The two weeks after Bob was done were very hard and when he wouldn't eat etc either but he did what he needed to do with some coaxing and OK I'll admit it some threatening. As Linda said fight for the whatever you think he needs. It is not always forth coming unless you ask the right questions or make the right demands. Please keep in touch and ask anything here somebody will typically have been there before you.
Hugs
Denise

Thank you all for you advice. It really helps to know that he isnt alone. As for any outside help, we don't really have anyone who helps us. I take care of his medicine, feeding him, taking him to doctors' appointments,etc. He got down almost 4 cans of Boost last night and 1 cup of water. Because the radiation is now centralizing on his neck- he is in a great deal of pain.
He has a patch and a high dosage of oxycodon, but it doesnt help him much. He also takes anxiety medication and a nausea medicine. He has a suction machine for his mucus, but because it is in his throat and not in his mouth, it doesnt do much good.
We go to the doctors office today to see if he will have the third round of chemotherapy. I want him to have it, but he doesnt want it because it makes him sick. The doctors say that the third dose doesnt do too much and if he didnt have it he can still be free of cancer. They dont want him to have it because he is so swollen and they dont want him in the ICU- why am I pushing so hard for it? Am I wrong? I just want him to be cancer free. What should I be pushing for?
Because the last week is quickly approaching; I feel out of control. Not in front of him, of course. Im terrified we will walk into the doctors office and here those terrible words again-only this time there wont be any other options besides a total larengectomy. He would be devistated.

Delia,
My husband had his chemo (2 treatments) prior to radiation, none during. There is no sign of cancer in his larynx and he regained the use of his left vocal cord, which was frozen by the cancer prior to treatment. He still had a positive lymph node after treatment that was removed during his modified neck disection. Hope this helps ease your worries. He is 9 months from the end of radiation. You are in my prayers for a positive outcome.
Linda

Linda- thank you so much. I am so happy that your husband is dong well!

Charlies cancer had only spread to teh arnoids at the time of diagnosis, no lymph nodes. Does anyone know if this is good or bad?
Thanks!

Delia,
I know what you are going through. My husband was diagnosed just 6 months after our marriage. The scary part was he didn't exhibit the classic symptoms of 'throat cancer'. He had actually gained weight and just felt sluggish. He had a raspy voice but he had always had that. When he was diagnosed he was stage 4 scc in both tonsils and it had spread to several lymph nodes. He had 2 neck dissections and intense 8 weeks of radiation. I thought our battle was done but it had only just begun. He had a 40% chance of survival! But he is 4 years post-treatment next week!! And so far so good. We still struggle but love perseveres. Hang in there. Robin

ps we had a miracle baby feb 17 2004. Our Hannah was a gift post treatment we thought would never happen because Andy had been through so much. So there is always light at the end of the tunnel.