I had my consultation at ProCure today in NJ, and then onto Manhattan to see the oncologist. I met an angel on-line in the head and neck cancer website(s) who drove me, so thank you for that, and really do appreciate it.

ProCure is huge, but quiet compared to manhattan hospitals, and looks like a club, which I don't wan't to join for too long. Anyway, the radiation oncologist, who is from my hospital, wants to do 5 weeks Proton Treatment, so I was surprised it was longer, but not really knowing it takes 50Gy gentlly to kill HNSCC. CT simulation took an hour, and must have been scanned, re-aligned a dozen times or so. A mask was made, my 4th, and is a little further down the shoulder than my others, which I never kept, and will use the rubber band type straps in my hands, around feet, to pull my shoulders down. The Dr. wants to start as soon as possible, maybe two weeks, depending on the chemo. We went over the usual radiation effects, but one thing with Proton therapy is the entry burn, my word, is worse than IMRT, but there is no exit burn out the back, and more radiation is concentrated in the tumor, less elsewhere. Asked about carotid blow out, and he lowered my risk to a little over 5%, being my carotid was removed, which is still high, but sounds better than 20%.

Onto the medical oncologist who has been treating me since last year. He wants to do carboplatin being it's less toxic than Cisplatin, and I never had it yet, unlike Erbitux, Taxotere, last year, and Cisplatin, Taxotete, and 5-FU before that, and knows my concerns for an adverse reaction, and kidneys, so it's a once a week hour infusion with low dose carboplatin, probably with ant-nausea meds. Went over the possible, less common side effects, which to me, is more likely. One is the effects on blood counts, which Hemaglobin is always below normal, but not that bad lately after two transfusions in May.

Seeing my local oncologist, who treats my anemia, and is like my primary care doctr, and other doctors as well to get their blessings since they would be treating me if hospitalized locally. Already saw my Opthomologist last week, and all is fine or as good as it's gonna get.