I have been tentatively diagnosed with SCC at the base of my tongue and some lymth node nvolvement.
Biopsy tomorrow!! I am seeking advice and info on the problems associated with doing treatments away from home. I live in California and am considering MD Anderson. I am widowed and would have no family in the area. Is this doable. would appreciate any advice along these lines.

Joe I guess I would be a good candidate to answer this one. I had SCC to tongue and lymph node involvement also. Originally in August 2002, then discovered mets had spread to lymph nodes on opposite side, so had a second neck dissection and round of radiation and chemo in April/may of this year. I'm an American living in Southern China, and had to do surgery and treatment in Hong Kong, about a one hour car ride and one hour boat ride away. Not the sort of deal you go in the morning come back in the afternoon.

My mom lives in U.S. and my wife is Chinese and couldn't get a visa to visit Hong Kong right away, so the surgery part itself I was by myself for the first couple of days befor my mom could get to H.K the first time around. the second time around I was by myself the whole time of the surgery.

The hospital should be attentive enough that physically you should be ok if your alone. However, if you don't have anything to occupy yourself mentally that could be another issue. I took a good supply of books/music and my laptop computer.

However, the post op radiation/chemo would be a different story. Again, because of Visa problems my wife couldn't come in for the first 2 weeks or so of the radiation, and my mom only came in the first time around, then after 3 weeks.

Depending on how you react to Chemo, you may be ok by yourself for the first 2 or 3 weeks but after about 3 weeks you will most likely want some support. Energy levels go down, getting to the hospital itself could be a chore, and there will probably be some pain associated with radiation to the tongue. The first tiem around I did ok untl about week 5, then sort of "crashed" second time around they were just radiating my neck, so I was just tired, but still could make the trip back to China on weekends, still get around using public transportation. By the way, I didn't get a peg tube, so I wasn't dealing with that. However, the first time around I did wind up back in the hospital the last week of radiation because of lack of calorie intake and hydration. Basically, my tongue was fried and even water/ensure hurt like heck.

Living arrangements, I would suggest getting a temp-short stay apartment if you can afford it, preferably something with maid service. Try contacting Oakwood or some place like that. First time around stayed in hotel, not good. Second time around did the temp serviced apartment deal, more like home, and it was within walking distance or a 2 dollar cab ride to the hospital.

I don't know the full extent of your situation, but just to give you a feel for what's involved, that's my story. I'm probably the different one on this board, my company had offered to pay for me to go just about anyplace in the U.S. for treatment, and me I elected to stay here, mostly because no matter where I went in U.S., I would be in same situation, someplace strange, in a hotel, no support structure. So I stayed in HK, went with a hospital that's affiliated with MSKCC pretty much everything turned out ok.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me privately.
Bob S.

Around MDACC there are a ton of by-the-week apartments, fully equipped that have everything from phones to forks in them. I stayed there on my trip and found it adequate, inexpensive, and close to treatment, but not home by a long shot. If it were not for my daily emails from friends who went out of their way to require my responses by the page full, I might have gone a little nuts. After the third week this became less important, as the treatments had me wanting to sleep all the time anyway. Blockbuster down the street gave me the opportunity to see every movie I had missed in the last ten years..... MDACC has a free shuttle bus that makes the rounds of the apartments many times a day. It's doable. Fun it is not. But you have now found a great group of people who will be on line with you as much as you need to keep your spirits up, your questions answered, or just listen when you want to vent. You will get through this, and life on the other side is both good and sweet. Never though I would say that, but this gives you a whole new perspective on what life is really all about.

Joe, Brian is correct. This is an extraordinary group of people who truly care about one another, even though we may never meet, or even speak on the phone. You have just been adopted into this family. No matter where you go, take your computer and you will have a lifeline to people who will understand every step of your treatment and how you are feeling at any given moment. We have all been there. Brian is also correct about life being sweet. The treatment you are about to have is not fun at all, but taken in perspective, is just a small moment in your overall lifetime, and the fact there are so many of us who survived it, means that you can be sure you will too.
Joanna

hi Joe,

it is doable, lots of folks have done it

i did my rad/chemo away out of town and stayed in housing offered by the hospital for cancer folks... it was an appartment with private rooms/baths and group eating area. a really good feature is that it was just 1 bock from the cancer center so it was very easy on transportation. i also learned quite a bit from the folks who came from lots of interesting places... and who were doing everything they could to kick their cancer.

one difficult thing for me was keeping up with the schedule and recalling all that the docs told me. fortunately my wife came to those doc visits and kept me doing right... i think caregivers do us wonders. see if you can get a volunteer caregiver to help you out or ask the docs if you can record your visits.

all was new to me, so networking helped greatly. Joanna is quite right in that this forum has great folks who give excellent careing advice... so really do what you can to stay connected... and ask questions about anything/everything that concerns you.

you are not alone.
cu,
larryb