I'm 62 1/2 years old, smoked for eight years including a pipe (quit in 1970), and quit drinking alcohol about 11 years ago.

One of my life's goals was to never meet an Oncologyst professionally and I've just failed that one. Since 1990, I have had a series of negative biopsies done from a suspicious area under my tongue, but recently a tumor popped up, was removed and was bad, but had not spread to lymph or blood system -- A CT scan was negative, so my ENT went in again and excised a much larger area, down to clear margins.

He recommended that I do the radiation treatment as a preventive measure -- The way he put it is "The monster came at us out of the dark and we put it down with one barrel; we can wait to see if it gets back up or we can give it the other barrel right now" -- Everyone I have talked to in the medical field and former patients has recommended getting the treatment now, so I start on Monday.

Since I'm going with the recommendation to also take the Amifostine, I had my PEG inserted last week (that's two partial glossectomies and a PEG in the last four weeks) and I had my mask done last week also.

The PEG logistics are a bit daunting -- I need about 2,000 calories and one bottle of Ensure gives 250 cal in 8 oz -- That's 8 bottles and 64 oz per day -- Since the syringe they gave me is only 2 oz, that's 32 syringe-loads... Plus the water...

At least I'm having a little fun playing with my CT scan on my laptop.

Pete