Geri - Regarding infections, at our center the medical staff monitor blood work results (wbc, etc.) and notify patients if they are in the "danger zone". During that time, extra caution must be taken with exposure to potential infections. My husband's blood work never fell that low, so we used common sense precautions - hand washing, avoiding sick individuals, etc.

My husband received induction chemo (3 agents) in addition to concurrent Cisplatin. He decided, with input of local MO and consultation at Dana-Faber, to receive very aggressive tx. His primary tumor was low volume but lymph node was borderline size, as far as recommending induction chemo. Was all of it necessary? - not sure.

You asked about when symptoms are at their worst - My husband had a horrible week approx. 5 days after induction chemo. He recovered from this. 1 1/2 weeks into rad therapy, symptoms started. He was able to walk daily until last week of rad. During final rad week and 3 weeks post rad, he could do almost nothing. He was on high doses of narcotics (patch & morphine). I believe this varies greatly, both the extent and length of time for SE to diminish. My husband had severe fatigue for only a short time but suffered from terrible mouth symptoms. He is retired so returning to work was not an issue. Lottie

* Dividing your post into paragraphs makes it much easier to read and follow.