Hi Nikki,
Each time will get easier. I kept a calender on my fridge and marked off each day. My radiation was at 10am each morning and it was the highlight of my day to come home and put that X on that day! I still have that calender in a scrapbook on my dresser. The simulation for me was by far the most horrific experience for me out of the entire treatment. I was enormously unprepared for what they did to me. I am very stoic so didn't say a word to anyone until I got in the car and talked to my daughter about it. I hated that mask more then I could ever express in words. When they tried to bring it out to me on my last day I stopped them. I had my whole family there with me and there was NO way my kids were going to see that horrifying thing. For as long as I live I will never forget that first experience of the mask. I remember thinking I was going to have a heart attack and the only thing that got me through was to count, just simple counting. I did get to the point where I wasn't upset by having it put on. The techs were experienced enough to recognize that I was apprehensive even though I didn't speak up about it.
Keep pushing for the PEG. I was begging my doc to take it out the week prior to radiation, I was eating well and didn't think I would need it. Thank God that my doc had common sense and left it, or I would have been BEGGING them to put it in around the 4th week of radiation.
Take care!
PS. how far are you from Va. Beach??

SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.