Leonard, welcome to OCF! There are several members from PA, including myself.

Im glad you have a great support system. Make sure you write down contact info for anyone who offers their assistance. Let them know that even though you may not need anything right now, but down the road you may need some help. There are a million small things that friends or extended family can do to make this go easier on you and your immediate family.

The best advice I can give you is to focus on what is within your control, your intake. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who sails right thru their treatments with barely noticing any of the side effects. Ive noticed the ones who get thru this the easiest seem to be the ones who do the best with their intake. Also, those patients usually are the ones who arent given chemo with their rads.

Usually after a few weeks of rads, your swallowing and sense of taste will change and even your favorites may be become unappetizing. Push yourself to take in at least 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water every single day, it will make this easier for you. Those are the bare minimums, the more you take in the better. Even 3000 or 4000 calories are not too much during treatments and recovery. I know it sounds like alot but its not, your body is not only battling cancer but trying to repair itself as well which burns up calories at an incredible rate. Check with your treatment facility about seeing a nutritionist as part of your team.

Have you been to the dentist to get flouride trays made and any teeth that arent in the best shape pulled?

Stick with us and we will help guide you thru this. We have been where you are and know how apprehensive we all were when getting ready for rads.