OOPS! didn't mean to add the reply just yet.
I was saying that I shared everything I had read here, and all the wonderful and supportive messages I received, and still continue to get.
It's hard to be a cheerleader, especially when you get slapped down by what you thought was going to happen, what you had prepared yourself for and then the change of all that for different reasons. I wrote my mom a letter about how I felt about what she was facing. I told her she would not be alone, that I would take every step with her, and I would never give up on her, even if it came to the point where she was ready to toss the towel in. My best advice? Let her know how much you love her and believe in her. Let her express her fears, talk about them-it seemed that when her fear was fully recognized she was able to move on.
I feel so badly for you and your mom. She is a fighter, she may not seem that way now but look at her history, she wants to beat this. She'll make it through rads, my mom's skin is already lightening up and she just had 3.5 days of internal radiation, that is equivalent to 3.5 weeks worth. Aquaphor -- incredible ointment.
I know that Margaret, a friend here on the forum, husband did have burns. She may have some valuable advice for you.
If you ever would like to talk, you could email me and I'll give you my number. I find it difficult to express myself writing. We've been through a lot, she was supposed to have surgery, partial glossectomy, we found out that she had had a heart attack sometime in the last 10 years and were basically told that to do all of that would be extremely hard on her heart.
Best of luck to you and your mom. Let her know how much she means to you and I'm sure that will make her fight harder still.
Donna