Dear Clint,

I'm glad that you got the biopsy even though I wish all of us had gotten different results. At least you know where you stand. You have the same staging as my husband, his primary was tonsil but it had spread to the base of tongue, the soft palate, and 7 lymph nodes. His PEG tube was removed last month and he's starting to feel a whole lot better.

Good luck with the treatments. Jack had 4 cycles of cisplatin and 30 radiation treatments. To prevent nausea he took zofran with compazine for breakthrough, and emend of the days he had the actual chemo. He felt that taking it all the time whether he felt nauseaous or not made a difference. He actually didn't throw up until the last cycle -and he was taking amifostine shots as well so it worked for him.

Are they doing the cisplatin in 2 day doses every 21 days? Make sure that you stay hydrated - like 3 quarts a day - because that will decrease the side effects. Jack also had additional IV hydration on the evenings that he had the chemo. What did you decide to do about the PEG tube? If you didn't get one, just be real careful about the hydration and nutrition. Even if you have one, keep swallowing during the entire course of treatments, it will help you recover later on and prevent trismus.

If you notice any hearing loss let them know, Jack has a moderate high frequency loss that may be from either the cisplatin or the radiation but he still feels it was worth it. He told me to tell you he would do it again and to be strong, this too shall pass and you get through it.

Please let us know how you are doing. Feeling prepared was a large part of comfort level for us, I think it makes things bearable. Try not to second guess your decisions, it sounds like you are making good ones. All our best wishes go with you during your treatments. You're not alone.

Regards JoAnne