Hi Kelly

Can't help you with the specifics, but wanted to wish you luck.

Alex only had cisplatin with his radiation but experienced the full force of triple therapy chemo in the months before (taxotere similar to taxol and cisplatin similar to carboplatin).

He barely noticed the chemo component of the chemoradiation other than nausea which was controlled with his anti-nausea medications. Previous experience had taught us to take ALL meds, even if you think you don't have nausea. You do, just the drugs are so good they are keeping everything in check (if that makes sense ...).

With full dose triple therapy Alex got all the side effects and was most affected by the fatigue, taste disturbance, froth, and of course nausea. During this period, the side effects hit him hard around day 2, started to improve around day 7 and he felt normalish around day 14 - just in time to get another round on day 21. And so it went on for 3 cycles.

With the chemoradiation, we noticed the side effects from chemo didn't last as long as full dose and Alex felt great on the first day (all the hydration they forced into him) then went downhill for 2-3 days and then back to "normal" for another 2-3 days. The effects of the radiation sort of eclipsed the chemo stuff and Alex always had the sense that the radiation was the thing that needed managing.

Not quite the same as what you will be treated with but expect the effects will be similar.

We were also told that hair loss is inevitable with the *taxelsat standard doses, (not sure about the baby doses you will get) and don't forget this includes eyelashes, pubic hair etc. Alex didn't lose his eyebrows, but everything else went and he shaved his head because he got sick of hair coming out in clumps. He had hoped the loss would be a graceful strand by strand thinning, but it came out in clumps from the back first and then the top - looked like the cat after a skirmish with a possum.



Karen
Love of Life to Alex T4N2M0 SCC Tonsil, BOT, R lymph nodes
Dx March 2010 51yrs. Unresectable. HPV+ve
Tx Chemo x 3+1 cycles(cisplatin,docetaxel,5FU)- complete May 31
Chemoradiation (IMRTx35 + weekly cisplatin)
Finish Aug 27
Return to work 2 years on
3 years out Aug 27 2013 NED smile
Still underweight