Well, I have finally arrived in Vermont to care for my sister Barbara. This week is her 3rd week of radiation and her 2nd cysplatin chemo. My fear of seeing her after her tongue reconstruction and neck resection (?) has passed. I was overwhelmed when I first saw her swollen and crooked face and neck. Her face looked bloated and we cried when we saw each other. Her scar on her arm where they took the tissue to reconstruct the tongue is the worst. Horrific. And she keeps it open, uncovered. We can't seem to get her to take it easy. She wants to care for everyone. Worries about all of us coming in from out of town and our needs. She is tired from the radiation, and has been sick a few times from the chemo. We are waiting for manuka honey to arrive from my friend in New Zealand to help with her thrush she now has on her reconstructed tongue. They say she will have to have more surgery on the tongue as some was damaged by the brachy radiation in the hospital. It seems overwhelming and I can't believe she is holding up ... tomorrow I start the routine of driving her from Woodstock, VT to Dartmouth, NH for her daily treatment ... I hope I can help her ... I just want her to rest and be cared for.