 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Things will continue to improve with time but do allow a full 2 years for his recovery. Don't let him get frustrated as this is the time it usually takes to get to where usually no futher improvement can be expected. Watch out for thyroid changes caused by radiation damage. Mine didn't show up until my 4th month post Tx. Ditto for hearing loss caused by Cisplatin although I had 3 doses and patients that have gotten 6 doses seem to fair better in this dept. Also watch out for signs of depression as many do start to question "what's next"? We have seen some even require medical intervention to deal with it. Encourage him to not stop trying different things even if they taste horrible today as tomorrow they may taste differently.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
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