My husband has just completed his second week of radiation treatment for tonsil/lymph node cancer. He has also had 2 of his 4 scheduled chemo treatments . So far so good, he feels great. He is participating in a trial for amifostine, to lessen the loss of saliva. So far this too has had good effect. No problems swallowing or eating. At the end he should have 50% less saliva loss. He is recieving the treatment SQ 40 minutes prior to the Rad. Has any one out there tried this treatment?

Hi, yes, my husband had amifostine through IV before each radiation treatment. He tolerated it well, although towards the end we had to switch from compazine to zofran. (anti nausea meds) He finished radiation on July 21, 2000, yeah, two years tomorrow! Today he is doing great and has some saliva. It has gotten better over the last two years. He still has to have water with him most of the time but does not have to take a sip after every bite like he used to. He had ssc that started in his tonsil and spread to lymphs in his neck also. We only had radiation and the intial surgery that found it, no chemo. He felt really good till about two weeks left in the treatment and then he got really sick for about 3 months. It was a rough time, but we made it through and you will too. Just hang in there when things get tough and remember there will be better days ahead. God bless you and your husband. Julie