Hi Kelli,
being overwhelmed is part of the big "C" experience I'm afraid. You don't even need to be bipolar for that. Depression and anxiety are normal side effects. Talk to your doc or advice nurse about meds to cope with that. They could call that in to a local pharmacy and save you a trip. These side effects are well known. We know your pain - we have all been in your shoes.

You were wise to go to Mayo for treatment, even with the long drive (that would be like me driving from San Francisco to LA).

Typically "multiple modality" treatments (such as surgery and radiation) are recommended for more advanced cancer. You need to find out what staging your cancer was. If it was a stage II or higher I would get a second opinion about prophylactic radiation. Invasion into the muscle isn't the worst thing but metastesis to the lymph nodes is an automatic stage upgrade. Surgical resections, such as what you had are designed to provide margins to deal with any invasion into the muscle tissue.

It's easy to get freaked out by some of the stories here, some people people have had a really hard time. I freak out myself some times. But truth is that many of us are cured the first time around and you need to hold on to that and not live in fear.

Like Ed I had radiation and chemo only and I am 16 months cancer free today. I had an advanced cancer.