I had a friend that had the same problem you are running into at the VA in Miami. They just do not seem to have any sense of urgency to get people into treatment. It is a tragedy in my opinion because time is important. That tumor can grow 3 or 4 times the size it is now in 5 weeks. I would push them for starting treatment earlier. Erbitux is a relatively new drug but has been pretty effective. You will have to be his eyes and ears and do the research for him. There is a lot out there on the web. Cisplatin I have had and will cause lots of nausea and vomiting but if it helps it is worth it. Try eating potatoes when you can't keep anything down. That is the only thing I could keep down when undergoing that treatment. Best of luck. Keeping you and your father in my prayers.

In 1994 I found a 3cm tumor on my right tonsil. After 3 rounds of chemo, I underwent a radical neck dissection with a peck flap. I had a reoccurance which required twice a day radiation treatments and then had 19 years cancer free. I then found a very small tumor on my right tonsil. It was removed. Then I found a 1 cm mass near the base of my tongue on the left side. I had two partial glossectomys with bad margins and then then underwent Brachytherapy.