Plantgirl

Let me echo Kelly's advice about painkillers and go a step further. Better living thru Chemistry, I disregarded all those namby pamby labels and most definitely augmented the opiates with some beer (with the full blessings of my ENT and RO).
Unlike the PEG wars, there simply aren't enough patients who go without painkillers to have a debate. And of course, no caregiver wants the patient to suffer needlessly. Addiction as a result of oral Cancer TX is a chimera, a boogeyman of puritans, which is why competent doctors are [quote]very agreeable to giving me as much pain meds as i want today when i saw him [/quote] just as you experienced. Pain will hinder your healing.
Okay, radiation has issues, so here is my advice: Get a TSH blood level test NOW before any radiation. Why? While my CCC doctors were top notch on Cancer, for related issues like Thyroid - "not so much". I was not only extremely tired but also froze for two years, even in summer, and kept a winter coat on in air conditioned places yet I was constantly told: "Your TSH levels are normal" and I did not ask for the actual numbers or test results. Turns out however there is controversy over what is the right TSH level with labs having a 5.5, a 4.5 even though endocrinologists who went to Medical school the 21st Century consider 3.0 as the highest acceptable level. Before TX, I had a TSH of 1.6 and after TX it shot up to 4.3. Now that I am "on the pill", I am finally warm again. Plus my energy is back My TSH level went down to 3.04 on 25 mcg ,2.17 on 50 mcg and now 1.73 on 75 mcg. Without a baseline TSH, you won't even know what is "normal" for you.
Keep the faith
Charm