Hi Mandy,

I'm in London, if you're close and I can help please do let me know. I'll be happy to try to give something back for all the great support I've had my two trips through cancer.

Indeed the 'over the pond' differences are frustrating. It seems certain products only make it so far from the factory, and international borders often form very real boundaries due to tax and copyright issues.

I'm American but was treated for my tonsilar SCC in Vancouver Canada. Ensure was available there, but here I've only seen a high-calorie drink in a tin can, it's aimed at the elderly, but a friend who needed to use it for entirely different reasons while over here sorely missed it once she returned to the US and it wasn't available. Sorry, I'm blanking on the name, but ask for high-calorie meal replacements for the elderly and you'll find *something*.

As has been said here, most (but not all) things do have a rough local equivalent, although I do miss the huge amount of retail choice America enjoys. It's simply an economy of scale issue. The USA is huge, rich, and full of people. The UK is crowded, but it's small, and the people put up with rubbish a lot more, so they get.....a lot more rubbish. This is just my own opinion and observation.

Note that every one is different, and going through these treatments means what 'works' one week may not work the next. We ended up with LOADS of leftover puddings and shakes and jello-things, each 'working' for a while and then not.

In Vancouver my Oncologist had his own 'magic mouthwash' formula that you could swallow, but it literally was made up by the pharmacist on his recipe.

In Canada you can get a flouride gel for caring for your teeth (you'll learn about this if you haven't already) that was pH neutral, but over here it all was 'tart' and burned like a you-know-what!

Ask lots of questions, get multiple opinions, if you don't like one answer, get another! I was fortunate to have a strong-willed and just plain strong wife as my advocate. I've sailed through my second treatment (easier location, in my chest rather than my throat), but my first one nearly killed me. As has been said, not to scare you, some glide through, but some really do need a lot of support.

-Seth in London