Hi M.C., Since you are in overall good health - you should very well be able to tolerate the side effects of the treatment they are going to give you. It's not easy - and not pleasant - but there are people who were not in overall good health that are handling it - my husband being one of them. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the base of the tongue. He went through 2 weeks chemo and about 2 1/2 months of radiation. It did quite a number on him! Yes - he had (and still has) mouth sores, and dry mouth is a definite and constant problem - but overall he is managing that. He went for the modified radical neck dissection surgery on 2/6/03 - and right now - he is having quite a problem with the swelling/inflammation from it. My husband is 54 years old - and before all this started, he also has been dealing with type II diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, digestive disorders and was taking 17 pills a day for these and other ailments. His surgeon HIGHLY recommended having the surgery - in fact, there was never any disagreement between him and my husband's radiation oncologist. The good news is after his surgery - the doctor said he was "cancer free"! This by no means is a license to forget about this disease - we are both well aware of the possibility of re-occurance - but the surgery in my opinion is just an added measure to help combat and stop this awful disease in it's tracks. Naturally, I can't speak for you and your case - but perhaps at a later time, you and your doctors will have a better picture of what to do after the other treatment(s) are done. Good luck and keep us informed.