Welcome Allen, glad to have you among us, but sorry you have the need.

Most of us have the effects of the radiation reach a peak about two weeks after the last treatment; but some of us are much less affected, so no one can really tell you how it will affect you.

That said, be especially vigilant in monitoring your finger tips and toes for signs of change. I was told to watch for "tingling" as in the feeling you get when circulation is lost and then restored, and I did.

I did not ascribe the "Pressure on my toes, as from a shoe too small in that area," to neuropathy; I actually thought it was due to shoes too small, as I had just purchased new gym shoes.

UH-uh, it was neuropathy; and it's permanent (and aggravating.)

Be especially vigilant with your hearing, hearing loss is a quite common side effect of nearly all chemo (I've had 5 varieties) and is also permanent.

Tell your MO as soon as you detect any change, he'll probably change to a less corrosive chemo agent and stop the loss.

Taste-loss is temporary, but it takes a bloody long time returning fully. Two folks I've met have said 5 years. I've found mine to be very slow returning.

Actually, it would be as accurate to say that "I've found mine to be very STRANGE in returning." (Or even simply, "...very STRANGE.") With me, it's varied highly, depending mostly on what the item I'm eating is. Steak, for example, tastes wonderful! For about the first three bites, then the flavor is all gone. Steak SAUCE, however, seems 100% and makes the by-now tasteless meat, palatable.

My case is different though, and I'm on my fourth spin around the dance floor (in 5 years) with Madame C, so my taste recovers some, new chemo arrives and adios taste; rinse and repeat. Fortunately, I'm done with chemo for a while, so the adventure of discovery continues.

Good luck you you, Allen. And don't fret about this stuff, the fear of the unknown is always at least an order of magnitude worse than the reality you encounter. Write that down, it will appear on the exam!

Bart