Sherry,

Sorry you and yours are traveling the so familiar road. It seems like yesterday Nicki was where you are with her Tom. Just like all of us, there will be some good days and some bad days but overall the experience will be more positive because it is the best option for beating the beast!

All these people and you sound like such warriors. I remember the radiation oncologist asking me if I really wanted to travel "this far" for treatment. It was a 45 minute drive and he was so concerned that the travel would be too rough for me. I had many options here in Dallas but heard he was the absolute best for radiation and head and neck cancer so I went there. Through the treatment I thought the big shoe was about to drop because it didn't really seem that bad, overall. I had a strange reaction to Ethyol (used to protect the salivary glands) and a brutal reaction to dexamethasone. I keep hearing this silly story about me opening the car door at 60 mph to spit the horrible brown goo out. I sure thought it was no big deal but after hearing the story so many times a year later, maybe it was the drugs! eek

You have found the right place for support, warmth, support, kindness, support, love, support...

Glad to have you here and ask any questions and somebody will be able to answer them.

Good luck on the journey.

Ed

SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023