i cant take it anymore the side effects of chemo and radiation. My first cycle of treatment will end on Wednesday. I want to suspend the treatment there and then. I have had enough of the 2 months eating without taste and nausea. I am treated here in Portugal but i would really like to go back to Fiji now, i miss home so much. I know i have beeen treated because the swellings or lumps under my ear has disappeared. Can some one advise if its good to just suspend treatment and go home I need second opinion.

Welcome to OCF! I will try my best to assist you but I have some questions that will help me to help you.

What exactly are you going to suspend?
Radiation?
How many have you done?
How many are left?

Im fairly certain it is NOT a good idea to suspend your treatments. Just because you feel the lump is gone and the swelling has gone down does not mean the cancer is completely gone. All it takes is for one teeny tiny cell to remain for the cancer to return. If your havent finished treatments then there is a very high chance that there is still some cancer left. Cancer is not always visible to the naked eye as it is the size of a cell.

Please reply with answers to my questions and I will attempt to help you further. I know it stinks and is very difficult. Ive dont it too. But in order to get thru this and go on to live a good healthy life you may need to suffer thru the rest of your treatment plan.

PS....I thought of some more questions. I am assuming you are talking about stopping radiation.

Where exactly is your cancer?
What stage is it?
Do you already have doctors set up where you want to continue your treatments?
How long of a gap would there be before you could continue getting treated.

You mentioned you want a second opinion. That is normally done before you select your treatment plan and facility.

I'm sorry for your troubles. Stopping radiation, and chemo is a very bad idea. It gives the cancers a chance to repopulate, become hypoxic, and cancer usually comes back stronger, and radiation treatmant is dosed to prevent this. By stopping radiation, it's overall effectiveness is greatly reduced, and is compared to losing 1% overall survival for each day missed. Your body can become resistant to chemo over time, and that's why treatments are kept short for this, and toxicity reasons, and you may not be able to go on the same chemo regimine, being initially chemo niave patient now, which has a good response to chemo. After that it's not as effective.

I had TPF induction chemo, Taxotere, Cisplatin, 5-FU for 5 days only. I could receive further curative treatment due to being hospitalized, but my tumors disappeared, clean scan 8 months later, so it worked, but cancer came back, and again, and again, and again.

As ChristineB asked, what additional info do you have, and many here can help, including your doctors, hospital.

Please don't stop your treatment. You say that the swelling or lumps have disappeared and that sounds like progress to me which makes it all the more important for you to continue your treatment! Please give us more information and try to answer the questions above. There are many here who have had similar experiences to yours and can help you get through the difficult days. There is a world of helpful information available if you check out the main pages (see upper left and click on Oral Cancer Foundation). It will help you to think of questions you can ask your doctor or for anyone here. Let us hear from you soon!

All of these wonderful people who posted help me a coup;e of months ago finish my treatment. Like you I was going to stop....they kept me going. It was ironic that after my dive trip to FIJI last year I knew my cancer had come back. I was getting hoarse and at depth I had some trouble breathing. It was my third recurrence and second radiation treatment.. I decided to take what ever pain meds I had to take to help me finish. The fentolynol patch, oxycodine,whatever you have to do to finish.
You will get to go back to your magical place with peace of mind that you gave it everything you have.
Good luck Steve Hurlock Evergreen Co

Ditto - what everyone here has said. Finish your treatment then go home to recover if you must but stopping it for any reason is a very bad idea that could cost you your life.

I'm so glad you have discovered this site and so sorry you are suffering so.
You are fighting a battle each and everyday and like all warriors, we may feel the fight is useless. It's tough but you aren't alone, there are people here who have endured and felt similarly to you and have come out on the other side. Please, please, please, don't give up...hang in there...one minute, one hour, one day at a time. We're here for you.