Thanks David. It helps to get some perspective, at least it helps me. If Gordon would read some of the posts here, it might help him too! Three months is a long time to have to get by on liquids and it must have been really tough for you.

I can understand why medical staff don't overburden you with information about treatment before it starts. If we knew then what we know now, I'm not sure we would have got out of the starting gate.

However, post-treatment is another matter. Someone needed to sit down with us and let us know about the various things that might crop up, just so we would have been prepared. Even a handout would have been better than nothing. Mostly, I had to look stuff up on the Internet. I managed to get some help with the lymphodema and what Gordon thought was narrowing of the throat (which turned out to be difficulty swallowing caused by lack of saliva) - at least, someone called us back about those issues. But when the RO refused to see him when his throat got sore last week, that was just too much. We were told to go see the GP, who really is not trained to deal with post-radiation issues. Very inappropriate.

Gordon has used the baking soda solution all the way along, but stopped because the GP told him to. He stopped the MMW too. Both not good ideas. Gordon's surgeon told him to continue with both, so he has picked them up again.

He has used the lidocaine in the past, but only to get the lactulose down. He won't use it now but at least he's getting better and is thinking about trying solid food again.

Our biggest issue right now is getting rid of the narcotics. The withdrawal is tough and anyone who says you won't get addicted to them if they are used for pain is just full of you-know-what. And no-one prepared us for that either. I had to look up withdrawal symptoms for oxycodone on the Internet to figure out what was going on with him.

It just seems to never end! Anne