#4 5AM!! After I had 35 IMRT's, I went to the best cancer hosp. in western Pa. UPMC in Pittsburgh, for my 1wk. follow up exam and found myself in their OR that Mon.7AM. I woke up with a feeding tube in my nose, 10 catheters sticking out my neck below my chin, a treachea, an IV and I could not talk. I had one HDR brachytherapy that PM, they take each catheter and hook it up to a hose on this machine and leave the room. The machine makes noises and I can feel vibes as it shoots the RAD up the tube,it does not hurt and lasts about 10 min.I had 4 more treatments in the next 2 days and was back in OR getting the catheters out, Wed PM. I had a cap put on my treachea and could finally talk Thurs. AM and went home Fri. AM with a hole in my throat that is healing nicely. I don't feel any different then I did after the IMRT's except I can talk now and have the hole in throat. I had looked up my the surgeons profile and found that he had done his fellowship at one of the 2 best cancer hosp. in the USA, in Tx. Their treatment plan for my tongue base squamous cell cancer stage 2 or 3 was no surgery,35 IMRT's to shrink the tumors and then he goes in for real kill with this to get any remaining cancer cells. He said a tumor is like an octopus with roots flaring out that have cancer cells that have to be killed. If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me.