Dolores, glad Ken finally got started. Is he on a chemo every 21 days of rad schedule? Is his chemo cisplatin or something else? Don't worry too much about Ken's neighbor as we all react differently to treatment. I was checked into the hospital for each of my 3 chemo treatments and had very little difficulty. Except for the first time when the anti-nausea medicine was a problem and they switched me to another type, everything went well. When I was in my fifth week, I was a little gray, and had lost a lot of weight, but was still continent, if thats a proper word, did not have any vomiting issues and took meds only after work each day as I drive a lot and didn't want to have any falling asleep at the wheel issues. I also drove myself to each rad treatment about an hour and 15 minutes from the house. So not all reactions are the same. I found that the worst part of rad treatment was after the chemo in the last week and first 3 weeks after radiation. The doctors indicated it would keep doing its work even after treatment. My neck also cooked a little bit, but all of it was worth hearing "all of the cancer was gone" after the radical neck dissection and the lymph nodes were biopsied. So just think of this next couple of months as a dream, get through it as best as you can, and know that it will end and is the weapon that is killing this cancer in Ken's neck. Also, make sure you take time for yourself so you have energy for Ken when he needs it which will be especially high at the end of rad.


Regards, Kirk Georgia
Stage IV, T1N2aM0, right tonsil primary, Tonsilectomy 11/03, 35 rad/3cisplatin chemo, right neck dissection 1/04 - 5/04.