Hi Karen,
it just goes to show how differently medicine is practiced in other parts of the world. Although I didn't have a feeding tube, it was on the NCCN guidelines as a standard part of treatment protocol for head and neck cancer patients. In the US probably 25% or less DON'T get a feeding tube. I lost 60 lbs. myself and have leveled off at 30 lbs lighter than I was (which is not a bad thing) I am the same weight that I was back in my twenties. And yes, Americans are overweight in general.

Most of my weight loss was due to nausea (the anti-emetics were not that effective for me) and constipation from all of the pain meds. I also had trouble consuming enough calories and fluids due to sleeping a lot during treatment and post Tx. Energy management was very critical.

Pumpkins Dad and Scott are just reminders of how different we all are and how differently we respond to the same treatment. I took a lot of morphine, Vicodin and Duragesic patches and didn't even get a buzz! It barely even masked the pain. Nowadays I sleep relatively little.

Remember that the effect of radiation is cumulative and the full effect of it doesn't occur until after Tx is over. The body gets pretty beat up in the process. The pain meds could be playing a role also.

These observations should be mentioned to the doctors on your follow up visits. I kept a journal of my day to day experiences with a log of food and water intake.