Thanks for your input, everybody! I guess that while the good news is that I'm not the only one going through this journey, the bad news is that I'm not the only person who's gone through this journey.

Maybe the problem I'm currently having is the result of having a REALLY strong gag reflex. It made some of my pre-surgical procedures very difficult for both me and my surgeon. I could barely tolerate the novacaine-impregnated cardboard things they put on and under my tongue, so the radioactive injections to see whether and where my tumor might be draining were trying for both of us. That two of the needles he had were defective (they had no holes at the tip, but luckily that was discovered before they were poked in to my tongue).

Great comment, Erik! All I can say to that is "badum-CHING!" (bad imitation of a cymbal and snare drum).

Julia