Tom -- Yep, the appetite is tough to stir back up for awhile, but it does come back, but even then not with the gusto that perhaps you had before. In my case, that is a good thing. I was 236 pounds (I added about 8 pounds intentionally) when I started treatment, and at one point got down to about 203. I am right about 210 now, which is fine. I could lose another 10 - 15, but am not worried about it right now.

The dry mouth is an ongoing battle. Salagen helps me some, but the Biotene products (mouthwash and dry mouth liquid) really help, combined with lots of water. Still, some thick sandwiches, crackers, chips are all tough to swallow without saliva.

Inofar as the lymph node is concerned, a few basic things. First of all, stop pushing on it! That will keep it irritated and make it more likely to shine on PET scan. It (and others) are likely to show some activity on the PET anyway, due to the radiation, inflammation and scar tissue.

I had basically the same treatment you had, except with 1 less rad and a bit more chemo, plus a bilateral neck dissection, and I still had a few nodes show up on PET. I only had 1 node beforehand, and I freaked. Both surgeon and radiation oncologists said not to worry.

What is clear is that my primary tumor on the BOT is gone! Mine was about 2 cm, just barely T2. What was yours?

Your stamina will increase, and things will get better. Remember, that your follow ups are just as much about the physical exams and direct visualization done by your doctors as they are about the PET scan. They have to be considered as a whole.

Good luck!