Gail, I can remember marking big Xs on the calendar and how happy I was to sse so many. I think a check off system should be mandatory for every rad patient.

cclark, I had IMRT X 37 with no amifostine because of where the rad was aimed. More than three years later, I have probably 98% of pre-rad saliva. It took a couple of months to kick in, and probably 9 or 10 months to reach full capacity, but I only notice a diference now if the humidity is very, very low in the middle of summer. So if Jerry's rad onc says he doesn't need amifostine, he most likely does not. I was told that I would lose the parotid glands on one side, but they survived quite well. I went in thinking 50% was good enough, so was pleasantly surprised. Hope my experience helps you a bit.