Hi Steve: I am just a little ahead of you, (nine weeks post-treatment). I think I understand what you are going through. People on this site told me to be patient, that I will get better, stronger after treatment, but that it takes time. I didn't believe them; I felt so awful, but they were right. You will improve, too, slowly. One woman told me she stayed in bed practically the first month. I used to think of that comment when I felt so tired I couldn't lift my head off the pillow. For me, recovery was worse than any part of my journey: worse than surgery, worse than the actual radiation, and even worse than chemo. I kept thinking I should feel better and I wanted my regular life back so much. You will get through this. We all do; I am still in recovery, still using the feeding tube and not working full time, but each week brings progress. That's another thing someone told me: count progress by the weeks, not the days. Stay in touch. You can do this. We are here for you. -Michelle


SCC left tonsil, stage IV, HPV+, metastatic to one lymph node. Biopsy 12/23/10; tonsillectomy 1/13/11; DX 1/25/11; Peg in 1/28/11. Peg out 6/29. TX 1/31/11-3/21/11: 35 IMRT plus 3 Cisplatin. Pet-Scan 6/20/11 = CLEAR! Three years out, learning to live with the long-term side effects of radiation while reminding myself to feel blessed.