I'll be starting the exact same treatment program in about a week at UPMC. If your mother is being treated there let me know in a PM and we can get together for coffe in Shadyside. I have been through this once before at UPMC so i can give her a few pointers.

I can tell you that the cyberknif is not near as bad as the IMRT. She will only recieve 5 treatments over 10 days and the after effects were not as bad for me as the IMRT was. I got a mild case af acne from the Erbitux but I have heard of others who have had severe reactions. Charm is a frequent poster here and he had a very bad reaction to it, so yo have to watch it closely

Kelly
Male
48, SCC (Soft Palet) Rt.,
Stage 1, T3n0m0,
Dx, 8-09, Start IMRT 35 9-2-09 end 10-21-09
04-20-10 NED
8-11 recurrence, node rt. neck N2b
10-11 33 IMRT w/chemo wkly
3-12-12 PET - residual cancer
4-12 5 treatments with Cyberknife & Erbitux
6-19-12 Pet scan CLEAR
12-3-12 PET - CLEAR