Hi, all.

This is a new battle road for me, so I apologize if these are old questions the have been previously addressed. I looked in the FAQs and search engine, but couldn't easily find anything.

As far as the magic mouthwash goes, can I use that before I take my meds (especially in the morning) because it feels like I am swallowing razor blades. My concern is that the numbing effect may cause me to choke or aspirate. Any thoughts?

My second question is that I am to have a PET/CT on Monday. Is the machine similar to the tube of an MRI? If that is the case, I will need to be sedated first, so I wanted to be prepared ahead of time. They said that the test takes about 40-45 minutes.

They said that I need this test to make sure that nothing is active in my lungs (among other places). Is this what they tell everyone...about the lungs? I am terrified. Is it usual that the doctors just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst kind of thing? They seemed hopefully optimistic. Also, my surgeon said that when he found the tumour, it was about 1.5 cm.

I know this is all kind of frantic and scattered. I went in there with my cancer notebook, full of questions. Now these are just more questions that are coming up after the fact. I know I will have more time to ask questions, but I thought that some of you could weigh in for me according to your personal experiences.

Thanks,
Kerri