Wendy Im the one everybody told you would check in and reply to your post. Im sorry I didnt have enough time earlier to write very much but now Im back with lots of info. Im not sure what you mean by your begin in 2 days. Please dont tell me thats your first day of rads or you are having surgery that quickly?

Im sure your cancer diagnosis came as quite a shock. Even though it sounds like you had a bit of a run around it actually happened pretty quickly. With your diagnosis, hearing the dreaded... "you have cancer" phrase forces us to face our own mortality. Thats not easy to process! Just remember the fear of the unknown tends to create alot of "what if.." thinking which can quickly snowball into lots of negative thinking. Dont let yourself fall into negative or "what if..." thinking. If you must ponder the "what if..." try to limit it to only a few minutes then physically get up and "change the channel". Walk away from wherever you had been and go do something positive that will keep your mind engaged. Staying busy helps the time go by quicker. Try to avoid Dr Google too, it can bring up some very frightening images and stories.

There are so many appointments until you have a concrete treatment plan. If you havent scheduled a second opinion I would strongly recommend getting one. If you are able to find a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), that would be an excellent choice for a 2nd opinion and a treatment facility. They use a team based approach so all the experts are on the same page and work together to create your treatment plan. Tumor boards are when all the specialists get together and discuss each individual case. Then a treatment plan is created well before any surgery is planned. There are even places that provide free or very low cost airfare and rooms for cancer patients who travel for their treatments. Find the very best medical team you can and get started to eliminate the cancer. Remember your physician and medical team work for you so choosing the right team and facility are crucial. Find the best medical care you can and go with it.

Anyone who offers their assistance when they find out about your illness, tell them when the time comes you will let them know what they can do to help. Write down their name and contact info so if you (or someone helping you) needs a hand they can reach out to the people on your list. Theres a million small things that can be done by helpers. All the small things can add up to being overwhelmed when you are sick and cant do everything you used to. If you have radiation you may need someone to help you get back and forth to the treatment facility. When feeling bad and taking strong pain meds driving a car may not be possible so its smart to line up a couple drivers now. You can also call the American Cancer Society 24/7 ask about their volunteer driver program. Ive been a volunteer driver for other cancer patients.

Read thru the posts here and also read and absorb the main OCF site. Theres tons of important info in both places. By learning about your illness, you will become a strong advocate for yourself. Many patients find they are not always given all the info they want so by learning about OC, it helps you to ask the right questions when necessary.

You will also want to schedule a dentist appointment to get a good check up and you may want to get flouride trays started if you will be having rads. I think I remember reading you already went to the dentist. You should have a complete check up and any teeth that arent in the best shape should be removed before doing rads. You'll need to get a complete blood work up done including thyroid levels (men need to also have their testosterone levels checked). Its easy to take care of this now before treatments, but its impossible going backwards to get your baseline numbers after you have started treatments.

This is something I nag everyone about, their intake. This is one of the most important things you can do, especially if you are going to have rads. So start now eating all your favorite foods, desserts too. You dont want to go into this having any cravings. No matter what kind of treatment you are having, it will likely affect your ability to eat, taste and swallow for at least for a couple days. With radiation treatments, your ability to eat can be affected for weeks or months. Its only temporary but when dealing with all kinds of other things this can easily become a very big deal. Patients who will undergo radiation treatments will need to take in at the very least 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. This is the bare minimum!!! Patients who focus on their intake and push to hit 3000 or even 3500 calories every single day usually will get thru rads so much easier than patients who skimp and dont make their daily minimums.

I hope this info helps and isnt too overwhelming. I know how scary being diagnosed can be. The things Ive written are important and will all help you to make this as easy as possible. Stick with us and stop by often, we are here to help you get thru whatever your future holds. We have been thru this ourselves so we have experienced it first hand. We're one very large extended family here and we welcome you as if you are a long lost relative. Feel free to ask questions if there is anything you dont understand.

Good luck!!!


PS... I always send a private message (PM) to new members. In the PM theres a link, please review it to help make learning to navigate the forum and adding or editing your signature easier. Click on the tiny flashing envelope next to your My Stuff tab located near the middle top part of any forum page.