That's the title of this Interesting article from Florida on an Osteopathic doctor whose husband got oral cancer. Here are some excerpts for those who have a dial up connection and the link times out
[quote]Squamous cell head and neck cancer was the stuff of nightmares. I had seen it chew through the face or the neck like a trapped rat. As far as I knew, no one survived.Now I was receiving a crash course in 21st-century head and neck cancer facts. I learned it is almost an epidemic among adults ages 30 to 60. Ed was 42.

The five-year survival rate was up to 60 percent, thanks to aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. (Aggressive means you're pretty sure the treatment is going to kill you before the cancer does.)[/quote]
Dr, Pam 's husbands oral cancer

His recovery is less than optimal after 5 years
[quote]Like many people with head and neck radiation, Ed has had hearing loss and wears hearing aids. He suffers from unrelenting tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dry mouth and dental problems. And then there is the vertigo and claustrophobia (no more working under cars or in tight spaces).[/quote]

The only thing "wrong" with this article is that it does not refer people to OCF, but SPOHNC. But then her husband would just be one of the many many courageous people here.
Charm

I don't like the article - reads like a tabloid.

Maria

You are exactly right. I confess I have nostalgia for tabloids like the STAR, etc because they were my mother's favorite reading material. Even though she died 10 years ago last February, I still miss her. This article sounded like how she would have described my cancer battle, although I am very grateful that she did not to suffer with worry about me.
The rat eating the face image was pure tabloid hyperbole as well as the sarcastic comment on the meaning of aggressive therapy.

Your feelings are valid. Long time readers know my penchant for mordant wit. Thanks for commenting, IMO it was quite insightful
Charm

Just my two cents....I also found the article insightful. But I happen to like the tabloids too. It was short and to the point. Plus I was glad to see her mention the HPV virus. Thanks for posting it Charm.

Shelley

Charm,
I did a lot of e-mail updates to our friends/family when my husband was sick. I did my level best to convey the seriousness of the situation without scaring the bejesus out of people with descriptions of frightening therapy machines. Here is my description of the radiation mask fitting:

[quote]... went to Metro yesterday (Monday) to have his radiation mask made by Tony the tech. As the illustration shows, the mask is bolted to the table so that he will be in EXACTLY the right position when the radiation is applied. The mask is made of plastic which softens in hot water, and is then fitted to the patient.

Once the mask was completed, he was scanned in it with a Picker CT machine (this is their setup machine, not the diagnostic or treatment equipment, for you Picker ex-pat's). This scan will be used by the radiologist to develop the plan (program) for the shaped radiation that will converge to obliterate the cancer with the least possible damage to surrounding tissue such as salivary glands. The ability to generate these shaped fields provides a tremendous improvement in the quality of life post-cancer. [/quote]

Isn't that better than getting someone who might be facing the same thing someday preloaded with fear?

I am a writer, and have some idea of the power of words to twist reality. I did that myself - but tried to twist toward courage, not fear - as the article does, regardless of its title.

Maria

Let me clarify my last post: it was your comment that the article read like a tabloid that I thought was insightful, not the article itself. Since you just joined the forum less than two months ago, you may have missed all the posts from patients who were very upset with the mechanics of the mask fitting. I believe they would have found your description of the mask fitting as overly dismissive of their feelings. The tabloid version, scary as it was, comports with their experience. Their reality was far different from mine. Bear in mind this guy was severely traumatized by the mask fitting and radiation treatments to the point that he can no longer work under his car, so I think it's understandable that his wife conveyed that in her article.
It's not a question of "better", more of a issue of wildly varied experiences. Personally I did not find any of the TX frightening but rather annoying.
Charm

While the description of the mask may be a little exagerrated, I had a very hard time with it. I had to stop them during the fiting as I felt like I was suffocating (Thus I have 2 masks for trophys as the 1st one was ruined) And one other time I had to stop just before the machine actually started, get the mask off and go for a walk while another patient went in. Every time, I wanted to stop it before it was finished but somehow made it through. After my last rad, the tech told me that at 1st they didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but we all know, you do what you gotta do. So NOW I have a prescription for valium. Where was that back then? I sure could have used it.

Just as a counterpoint to David. By the end of therapy I was usually fast asleep at the end of a session and they had to wake me up.

I had more problems with the thing they put in my mouth to hold my tongue down. I referred to it as the "fudgesickle" and I understood the reason for it - it was to protect the top of my mouth from the radiation that was aimed at the lower part, but it often made me gag. Question - I'm not familiar with SPOHNC.
How does that compare with OCF?

IMO OCF is superior in everyway.
Quick example: the SPOHNC "Cancer Information" section on their web site actually goes to press releases (most recent one is last April and that was about honoring its founder. The most current medical information press release is dated October 1, 2007 almost four years ago.)
Likewise the newsletter archive shows the most recent one to be in 2007. But that could be because only if you pay $25 to join SPOHNC do you get a newsletter subscription.
Brian lets anyone join the OCF forum here without paying a penny plus access every part of OCF web site absolutely free.
(But donations are a very good thing - let's remember that)
Plus OCF's website actually gives information that is fully vetted and reliable-
SPOHNC focus appears to be different - local chapters meetings, no internet forums. Their resources links are quite comprehensive and include obscure sites - but THEY DO NOT MENTION OCF AT ALL NOR DO THEY LINK TO OCF even though they do link to other competing cancer sites like the former Yul Brynner foundation (they still have the old name even though it is now Head and Neck Cancer Alliance)
I'm biased in favor of OCF. However I am sure the actual SPOHNC volunteers are wonderful people. I just wish they would all join OCF and support it instead.
Charm