I just want to introduce myself...My daughter is only 16 and has Acinic Cell Ca...She is currently in her 4th week of radiation...We thought she would only do 6 weeks and last week they gave her another week...She has lost hair on the nap of her neck, has no taste so very hard to get her to eat...She is very upset about her appearance since it looks as though she has a real bad burn on the left side of her face...Have had a real hard time finding support group in our area for her....At moment I am her rock or foundation....Not the easiest job there is....Just hopping to find people we can relate to u....

Hi Asyoungas16,

You will receive alot of moral support on this website. Does your daughter have a feeding tube
in her stomach? If not I would recommend she get one right away. It will be the only way she can receive enough nutrition to help her recover. Getting one is no big deal,about a 20 minute procedure. I don't know what kind of cancer she has as i've never heard of the kind you mention. Is it in her throat area? Please post more in detail about the treatment they plan for her. All the best to both you and your daughter. Dan

No 16 year old should have to go through that! However, tell her that I lost all the hair along my back hairline to radiation, and even though the nurses said something to make me think that was the way it would stay, they were wrong. It all grew back in the normal place, every bit of it. So please tell your daughter that should not be a problem. I also had a bright red face, and that too went away when treatment was over. You might tell her about the Small Price to Pay File. I don't know if she is old enough to appreciate it, but it goes like this: Temporarily losing my hair in back and temporarily having a red face, and having the discomfort associated with radiation is a Small Price to Pay for being able to get on with the rest of my life when I am fininished with treatment. The not eating is a more serious problem, as she needs the nutrition to heal from the radiation damage. If her doctor is not monitoring her weight, you should probably ask for a referral to a nutritionist who can help. Please tell her also that her taste buds will recover and she will be able to eat and enjoy her food again. It is, however, imperative that she maintain adequate hydration and nutrition during treatment, or she will have a much longer recovery. Even if she cannot taste it, she needs to get enough calories daily. Even though I could not taste, I liked the cool feeling of ice cream, which of course is high in calories. That is not good nutrition, but it is a start. Make this a priority, and she will have an easier time of it, I can guarantee you. Please let us know how both of you are doing. It might not be exactly the same cancer, but we all fight it the same way, and the fight is easier knowing you have friends pulling for you -- and we are!

I would not be in a rush to get a feeding tube..

Many of us have gone before her and survived...

Help your duaghter keep a the positive outcome in focus...Its not easy, but is anything worth having easy???

Welcome ASYOUNGAS16, Please feel free to lean on us here and I hope things go well for your daughter! She is much too young to have to face such things.

I will caution other posters to be careful about offering advice about things that are not the same as we are familiar. I have not heard of this cancer either and would only be guessing about treatment options. Since most of us are not trained in medicine we could be giving incorrect or confusing information.