Hi Steve, welcome to OCF. So glad you found us before your treatments began. I have to reiterate EAT, EAT, EAT as much as you can stand today and throught this next week. As about the third week in you wmay start feeling pain and it may get harder to swallow. I had a PEG because after the 4th week, I could not swallow at all. Most people do not go through what I went through. I am just the abnormal duck who got all the side-effects even the less common ones. Make sure they control your pain. That was my big problem, I tried to be tough because I hated taking medications. I no longer hate taking medications for pain because they got my through the worst of it. Good luck and ask any questions you have.