Hey Drew, great to hear from a “local”. You sound like you are making great progress, congrats. I feel fortunate reading your story that I didn’t require surgery - it is a bit of a mystery to me the type of tumours that demand surgery and those that do not. Is your tumour HPV based? I read that HPV 16+ tumours (mine) are very sensitive to radiation - maybe that is the difference? Anyway, I have heard that the surgical team at Sunnybrook is top notch - my ent told me that if his family required surgery he would send them to Sunnybrook.

I just completed my 22nd radiation treatment on Friday - 11 to go. I have had 2 largedose cisplatin treatments with one left. My side effects so far have been (mercifully) mild. “Sunburn “ around neck, very sore throat, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing. I find the act of eating solid food to be a bit off putting. Food doesn’t taste very pleasant in my mouth and when I swallow solids, I feel a mild nausea. Combine that with zero appetite and it’s hard to get motivated to eat much. I have taken to isosource through the peg to maintain weight which is a struggle (lost 20 pounds since starting). I am swallowing as much solid food as I can to keep the muscles in my throat working.

Apart from the effects on my mouth, I am still getting around in a fairly normal fashion. I played golf this week and have been riding my bike to treatment most days. My goal is to ride to my 33rd treatment - rain or shine!

Good luck with your recovery, hope that it is swift.