HI Sally

Yes, it does sometimes feel like one has to 'pull' information out of the medics rather than have it 'pushed' to us. Partly, they are overwhelmed I think and moving people so fast through the processes sometimes. Also, head and neck involves quite a few different teams and disciplines that hand one along so sometimes I wonder if one medic thinks the next will do the brief.

For me, I wanted full on details, type, characteristics, how it likes to spread, where it might go, downside if expectations where not as bad as post op outcomes. Likewise, early on there is a lot of investigation before the full picture. Mine was a bit more advanced by the op stage but the knife was in five weeks after I presented so pretty quick.

I've been VERY lucky so far re radio and chemo, no worrying or extreme side effects, still eating, albeit with a lot of taste lost, still discern dairy, starchy foods taste like metal. I have some soreness in mouth but no had to use PEG to feed, just for some of the unpalatable meds and water for a couple of days, water taste awful although have conditioned myself to guzzle it normally.

I know I may get hit late, or in few weeks post radio so am bracing myself. This week is five of six, Cisplatin each Monday and radio Monday to Friday so one chemo and seven rads including today to go. More than anything it is just exhausting.

I have talked about food a lot, nurse of 50 years who takes my blood each week said twenty years ago were mostly smoking or alcoholic levels of booze leading to cancers like this whereas now people present much younger who have generally healthy or reasonably middle of the road lifestyles that shouldn't kick things off so early, not just cancers but liver problems, heart etc. Generally we appear as a population to be a lot more prone to conditions generally expected in advanced age rather than mid to advanced mid age.

Maybe we are allowing our immune systems to weaken, and becoming more vulnerable.