Very thankful to have found a supportive group with much experience and practical wisdom. I am at the onset of my journey which started 7 weeks ago with a sore throat and swollen gland. The gland had inflammation dating back to January of 2012 but took a turn for the worse. Ultrasound, CAT Scan, FNB resulted in a phone call on April 26th at 5:30 PM letting me know I had cancer. Last week was initial consult with medical team and biopsy of the tongue. Thankfully positive for HPV. Meet with balance of medical team at OSU Monday 5/13 to set plan for treatment. Support from friends and family is more that expected and global in nature. Planning for the worst hoping for the best.

Welcome aboard, sorry your here. Dang HPV virus got me too. I hope I had fun getting it, cause its sure not fun having it.

You got a lot to do to get ready. My advice post often and ask questions. The more these fine people know the better the suggestion become.

Start eating now and don't stop. Go as long as you can thru treatment. Its rough but doable.

Good luck.

Hi James,
You have a great attitude and that is half the battle. If you read my signature you will see my husband was similar in age and dx to you. It is a rough journey, but you'll get through it.
You will lose weight so really bulk up as much as you can the first couple weeks. Remember that hydration and nutrition are of utmost importance while in tx. You won't want to eat or drink, but you have to make yourself. Scrambled eggs are great because of the protein. If you make them runnyish they slide down better!
There will be lots of others coming along with much more detailed advice. Just know we are here and that you can pm any of us if you want to. As you go along remember tx doesn't end for about 6-8 weeks after your last radiation tx. We were a little blind sided by that. This site got us through it though!!
So glad to hear you have a lot of support.
Kathy

Welcome to OCF, James! Wishing you all the best with your upcoming appointments. Glad you have found the forum to help you with correct medical info and support.

Best wishes!

Hi James,

I'm a newbie to this forum but there are some great folks and good information here.

Hydration, nutrition and pain management are the keys to getting through the treatment. It's brutal but you'll survive it. I'm two weeks post and just starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Glad to see you're at a comprehensive cancer center. Having a team of doctors, nurses and specialists all working together to cure you instills confidence and that as well as a positive attitude is more than half the battle.

Best wishes to you as you begin the battle.Kick cancer's tush ya hear!

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

Thanks to everyone who commented. The counsel and encouragement from those who have gone into battle ahead of me is priceless. Something very special in this group.

James,

What Tx are they planning?

There are a few things that you should do now:

1. Eat like there's no such thing as unhealthy foods or gaining too much weight;

2. Get a thorough dental checkup by a dentist familiar with oral cancer;

3. Make sure your next blood draw includes a measurement of your TSH levels and record that number;

4. Get Fluoride Trays made by dentist in # 2 and begin using them;

5. Read my Signature Line and feel free to PM me and I'll give you my contact numbers if you want to talk.

This site will be the BEST thing you have done for yourself outside of being treated.

Hello James!

I firmly believe that when it comes to cancer, getting the best medical advice and care available is the smartest thing you can do and only increases your survival rates.

That being said, you are in good hands at OSU, great team there with many brilliant minds. I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Michael Caligiuri, the CEO of the James Cancer Center last year at the National Cancer Institute, along with Dr. Maura Gillison, who sits on OCF's Science Advisory Board, two extremely passionate and intelligent people who reflect the commitment to excellence at OSU.


As many of the posters above have pointed out nutrition and hydration are key. Before treatment it is recommended that you go out and eat at your favorite restaurants, and your favorite meals. Enjoy every bite and remember exactly how these fares taste, it may be a while before you get to taste them again.

Now I disagree with the majority of the nutritional advice given to patients beginning treatment (as does the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), as there is such thing as gaining the wrong type of weight, and eating unhealthy foods through treatment. Understand that the current figures are that 20-40% of ALL oncology patients die of malnutrition, which is a figure that tells me that those that "should" be reading the AJCN have missed a few publications (or all of them).

There is a direct link between lean muscle mass percentages and cancer survival (http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/3/475.full) , so when starting treatment eat like an athlete would, with the sole purpose of maintaining lean muscle mass, which will wither away during treatment. My favorite excerpt of this write up is:

"Loss of muscle mass is also known to be detrimental to survival from cancer. For example, in patients with lung cancer receiving radiation therapy, the amount of body protein (measured by in vivo neutron-activation analysis) predicted recurrence. In those in whom body protein decreased, recurrence and, ultimately, survival was worse than in patients who were able to maintain or increase muscle mass (14). Although it is possible that muscle loss occurs because of impaired appetite and, thus, reduced protein intake in those more susceptible to recurrence, the relation between muscle mass and recurrence is nonetheless striking."

Eating garbage like refined sugars, saturated fats, and anything not mission specific will not help you survive this ordeal or hold up during treatment, so focus on lean proteins (and LOTS of them) complex carbs, and unsaturated fats, much like the diet of a top level athlete preparing for competition....or a warrior preparing for battle.

Good luck, keep your chin up

Eric

Thank you Eric. I will see Dr. Gillison tomorrow and the nutritionist. You are absolutely correct on the food advice and that confirmation is appreciated. I have put on 7 pounds already but the workout regimen is building mass.

Thank You

Jim

You are most welcome Jim, keep up the great attitude my friend.

When you talk to your nutritionist have them look at Dr. Layne Norton's, PhD in Nutritional Science out of the University of Illinois, research on keeping lean body mass on a calorie restricted diet. He uses it for getting into competitive shape when cutting as he's a bodybuilder and powerlifter, however the principles will work in cancer treatment as well due to how limited our intake becomes in treatment.

Here's a link you can share, very comprehensive. http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

E