That's incredibly fast Powerlifter!

I recall being radiated non stop for about 35 minutes at a time. The machine was programmed to move about my throat and the collimator was constantly changing, shaping the beam and directing it to specific targeted areas (IMRT). Both sides were radiated but the bulk was to the tumor area on the right tonsil. It was quite an experience having 9 1/2 tons of machine rotating around your head (nothing like the "Gamma Knife" however), with the sound of high freqency, high energy electrity in the room. There is something about a machine that requires a foot of concrete and an inch of lead on all sides of the room and ceiling to protect the techs (they are usually always in the basement, so they don't have to shield the floor). Yet there is very little sensation that anything is happening during treatment. I wasn't crazy about the mask but it guaranteed precise alignment which is vital. I got used to it though and mainly slept through the treatments. The machine broke down several times during treatment and I had to make up about 3 days (pretty standard I understand -most companies attempt to have 95-97% "uptime"). They had a photo of Einstein sticking his tongue out on the ceiling above the machine and I alwaya thought that was pretty funny -it was a really goofy photo. The tech's were all saints and I still stop in and visit them. Theirs is a tough job dealing with this year round, patient after patient (and a lot of them grumpy). They also had a great sound system and I always brought my own music. They even had a vintage Lava lamp (of course this was in San Francisco). It was sad seeing the little kids there... Just a few radiation recollections.

I didn't have surgery so I can't comment on that.

Jan, the doctors have always told me that they are as aggressive as is possible depending on the circumstances unique to the patient. (I was concerned because Tx didn't start until almost 2 months after Dx). I wouldn't take it for granted though - I would still ask a lot of questions.