Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | Hi Leena, The first few months after radiation are the toughest, both mentally and physically. I hit a severe depression when I finished treatment and found out that it was pretty normal for that to happen. Our fear seems to stay at bay when we are doing something to fight the cancer. After treatment is done it seems like we spend most of our time looking over our shoulder, wondering when "it" will come back. My words won't make it feel any better for you but they will at least let you know that it's a normal process and it will pass. We stay fearful about the cancer returning but learn how to cope with that and how it makes us feel. I used to look in my mouth at least 100 times a day and would feel my neck twice as many times. Now I don't think about the cancer every minute, even though it's always there at some level. I just passed the one year date of my surgery and my one year anniversary for end of radiation is July 10th. The difference in how I mentally and physically feel now compared to just 6 months ago is amazing and you will soon get to that point. Keep your chin up and like Gary and Daniel said, measure your progress by weeks rather then months. Take care, Minnie
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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