Walt - Glad to hear you are feeling a little better. The "likely's" and the unknowns that you mention can be unnerving. Try not to give them too much time, maybe set a time limit of a few seconds and then think more about all the positives like your "loudly modified RX-7 convertible" and that your two sons and daughter will be with you soon! Re waiting to hear back from the Brachytherapy Doctor - of course the Waiting is the Worst!! Maybe you could call and if you are really sweet with the person answering the phone, they might be able to tell you something re how long you need to wait. Or you could send them a FAX with how anxious it is making you to have to wait? Do you have a wife or Significant Other that could call and cry a little on the phone so that they hurry up with the results? Let us know what happens and best wishes for some good news coming soon!

I had HDR-IORT..High Dose Rate Intraoperative Radiation Treatment in August, due to a recurrence, and having prior surgeries and radiation, which is a form of Brachytherapy, but instead of several, you get one high dose of radiation during surgery (10Gy-30Gy), which is more effective in some ways, and microscopic cancer. In mine, they resected the tumor, did HD-IORT 15Gy directly on the tumor bed while the neck is open during surgery, then performed a pec flap to the neck, so the neck could heal better, and bring new tissue to an area to get additional EBRT several weeks later to make it more effective. I then had 50Gy IMRT for 5 weeks, with Erbitux and Taxotere as radiosensitizers. Brachtherapy can be used with additional EBRT or not as a boost.

I had the same chemo regimine you are getting, and is called TPF Induction Chemo with Taxotere, Cisplatin, and 5-FU. 5 days of that chemo killed all my cancer..Tonsil, BOT, Vallecula, three bilateral nodes, but this is not permament, and if no other treatments are given, other than induction, the cancer will return in less than a year, so radiation and or surgery is needed in addition.

Good luck.

Receive a call from Dr. Demanes the Brachtheropy doctor from UCLA.

He confirmed that ai am a candidate, but scheduling is dependent on
his conversations with the PAMF doctors and a question as to if I should do chemo round three or chemo round 4 or do Brachytheropy imediately.
PaulB, you sound very knowledgeable and your experience sounds complicated.

I had a shotgun education lol. I didn't even know what an Oncologist was three years ago lol. I had my procedure with one of the top doctors in the country for Brachytherapy, and IORT, which latter is only done in a few places. I went to him with Brachytherapy in mind, but said IORT was my only chance, so that's what I did. It's done in coordination with the Radiation Oncologist, who is there during surgery, and the ENT, and Brachytherapy is too, I believe. You may get more EBRT after, mine works better with it. Good luck.

Is that similar to a shotgun marriage?

You crack me up Walt!! So glad to see you smiling!!!
Kathy

Yes, but worse lol! These docs have all kinds of lethal weapons, and ammunition. Then when they are finished with you, they make you see all their friends..MO, RO, ENT, and the rest of the gang.

Tuesday AM at 4:45 I check-in to UCLA Medical Center to receive Brachytherapy starting Wednesday.

Tuesday they will put-in the cathaters and trach and nose feeding tube. All of which will stay in for maybe 10 days to support 2 treatments a day for about 8 days.

On discharge, I will spend a few days with my son Ted in Irvine where we are currently and have been watching Breaking Bad!!

As mentioned, I had a different form of Brachytherapy, both which are good for treatment of recurrences in BOT, others places. Good luck with the treatment, and are they planning on doing additional RT afterwards, they usually do, maybe chemo too? Anyway, you are at a good place at UCLA.

wishing you all the best with your treatment Walter.
Love Breaking Bad.
Tammy