Betty,

As some of the others have noted above, each person may have a somewhat different reaction to similar treatments, but there are some issues to watch out for as your sister's radiation goes along. I had the tongue surgery first, then external radiation, and finally brachytherapy.

The effects of radiation tend to get more and more pronounced over time (and sometimes they can sneak up on you). I remember going for periods of several days thinking I wasn't feeling too bad and then without warning, the next day I would feel as though I had hit a wall. The most common side effects are fatigue, dry mouth, temporary damage to taste buds, swelling, visible radiation burns (sort of like sunburn) around the treated area, and potential for infections and sores in the mouth. I remember a couple of times when an infection would start to crop up almost overnight and the doctors had to deal with it immediately to keep it from becoming a much worse problem. My doctors warned me ahead of time that we would have to watch for all these things, but sometimes I think my mind was overloaded with everything I was supposed to take in, and the symptoms suddenly became much more real when they actually happened.

The point about nutrition is that, if and when the above side effects kick in, good nutrition becomes harder and harder to maintain. It's something that has to be a collective effort of patient, family, doctors and nutritionists.

Please keep us informed as your sister progresses through this.

Cathy