Hi --

Well, we are not only saying "next year in OZ" but we are planning a trip to Papua New Guinea (my present to Barry when he gets through this -- everyone needs a light at the end of a long dark tunnel). Don't forget we are serious birders and have travelled all over to see birds, & of course PNG has the beautiful "birds of paradise."

We would go with our Aussie friends who run a bird tour company -- very coincidentally their top guide in PNG, Kris, was diagnosed with Stage IV HNC just 2 weeks before Barry and is being treated in Brisbane with chemo and IMRT. We all hope that he can be our guide when we finally take our NG trip -- wouldn't that be "one for the good guys!?"

Well, have to run and start getting ready as Barry has his first radiation treatment today -- he had a "walk-through" yesterday with the tomo machine and all looked good though he's gained 16 pounds (Dr's orders!) since the simulation and they had to fiddle a while with comparing the scans and may have to slightly enlarge the mask around his mouth. The tomotherapy machine is a pretty impressive beast -- I spoke to the rad physicist a while about its attributes vs. conventional IMRT.

Barry was getting a bit claustrophobic being held in the mask so long (longer than a regular treatment) and may take a mild sedative today. We are also bringing some CDs to play as they will pipe in music to the patient. He is also getting amiphostine and we are a bit worried about the vaunted side-effects -- being hydrated is the major issue and he is also taking Zofran. The rad onc says most of their patients can only take the Ethyol about 1/2 through the treatment (about 3 weeks) before the side effects start catching up -- permanent queasiness, chills, rash -- and they have to stop. But apparently that's enough to help preserve the salivary glands.

Gail

Barry: (T3N2bM0) - SCC Stage IV; right tonsil and base of tongue, 2 lymph nodes; tonsil removed 6/21, negative margins except for 1.5 cm left at b.o.t.; 33 sessions tomo-IMRT (66 Gy) starting 8/10 with 6 doses carboplatin (2 AUC) starting 8/11.