Alex and I are masters of cisplatin having had it at full dose for 4 rounds during chemo and baby doses weekly during radiation.

The advice I would impress upon you would be to keep him hydrated. Nausea is a devil too, but you have received enough good advice on that.

we were not allowed to leave the ward unless Alex had peed some enormous amount (800mL I think) and we learnt very quickly to start our chemo round with a very large coffee, followed by 6 little cartons of apple juice so the peeing could begin. Keep the water going at home too, as hydration was the most important thing for Alex to feel "well". Someone mentioned that their partner's best day was chemo day. So was Alex's. Partly because the last dose of cisplatin had left the system and the next dose hasn't kicked in yet, but I also believe that on chemo day, is also your best hydration day. You get force fed lots of fluid either by drinking it or via the IV.

The dose of cisplatin is dependent on body surface area and is calculated using weight and height (now you will know why the nurses keep asking for height and weight). It is described in milligrams or mgs so you were right about that. Your dose of 189mgs would be standard for your husbands size.

Keratinizing is just a way of describing the way your husbands tissue is behaving (quite common). Cancer often changes the way cells grow and sometimes the cells grow sort of thicker and harder. Moderately differentiated means that they can see the structure of the cancer is different to the surrounding tissue but it's not completely weird. That would be poorly differentiated which is not good.

Getting clear margins is good but unsure how clear they need to be. This is moot really as you are doing radiation and chemo which will mop up any stray little buggers.

It is also good that you are going to try to take night classes. My Alex spent so much time asleep or just lying there feeling miserable, that he was quite happy to have no audience. Provided your own responsibilities don't take over, this would be a good outlet for you. In my own case, I was so stressed over dealing with the finances, the bureaucracy, insurance and crazy hospital red tape (another very long story) that my "time out" was spent formulating battle plans, researching alternatives and writing scathing letters. When I had none of those to do, I came here and vented or just collapsed in front of the TV. Shows I had already seen were good, so when I realised I had drifted off with some other train of thought, and hadn't been paying attention, I could pick up the thread of the story.

I too, had "chemo brain"

Good luck, remember that thousands have come out the other side It will get better. Eventually.