Hi Tessa,

Welcome to this forum, I know you will find it extremely helpful. I am sort of new here too, but I'm the caregiver for my husband Ron who just finished radiation on this throat 2 months ago. These people gave you excellent advise on what to expect. Please don't be afraid, you will get through it, but it won't be a walk in the park. I just wanted to make one other suggestion to you...as you progress in your treatment, you may experience a lot more pain. Make sure to keep up on the pain meds, don't let them lapse. If that means setting your clock in the middle of the night to wake you for a pain pill, do it. That was one mistake we quickly learned regarding my husband. He would unknowlingly let the pain pill wear off in the middle of the night, and would wake up in a lot of pain. Then it would take awhile for the new pain pill to kick in. It was like he was on a "pain" roller coaster ride. Don't let that happen. You hang in there Tessa, and be comforted in knowing you aren't alone, there are a lot of wonderful, caring people on this site who have been through what you're going through. They have been a Godsend to me, and I'm the caregiver!

Shelley