Hi everyone, my name is Linda West, I'm 46 years old and from Houston,Texas, and a patient at M.D.Anderson. I was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in March and just recently had my tonsils taken out and found the sorce!! Yipee!!! So what i here...the fun part comes next....the dreaded "Radiation"!!! And i will not lie, im scared as hell! So any great resources out there to make this a little easier, will truely be appreciated! And of course any new friends would be great too

Hello, Linda. First of all, know that everyone is scared going in. You can be happy that you are being treated at a first class facility. I was also very frightened of the unknown, and prepared for horrors that my creative mind conjured up. To my great surprise, while it is not a cake walk, it was nowhere near as terrible as I had expected.

First, go here: http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/radiation.htm

And read the entire section. Many of your questons will be answered. Where you are right now, there is nothing better than factual information, which this is.

Lots people will share their experiences with you. Every single one of us reacts differently, so you really will just have to wait and see. If you have chemotherapy also, that adds another dimension to what you will experience.

During the course of your treatment, as questions arise, be sure to come back and post them here, as there will always be someone, and usually several people, who have experienced the same thing and can provide the answers you need.

Right now, just take a deep breath, know that radiation is doable, and read the section of this site with the information you need.

You can do this!

Joanna

Hello Linda, no doubt you will make some friends here. As to the Radiation, don't blame you for dreading it-BUT- there are things you can co to make it easier.
1st: eat everything you ever dreamed of between now and when you start.
2nd: Get your support group lined up to help you do things you might not feel like doing during rad.
3rd: There are people here from Houston you might like to meet
4th: Read everything you can on OCF related to rad tx. so you can ask good questions of your Docs and insist on good answers.
5th: Ask your questions here too and tell us more about you so we can better relate to your situation. This is doable, but it is easier "with a little help from your friends." Amy

Goodmorning Linda,
I too found the source of my cancer was my tonsil, that was only 10 months ago, since then I have done the radiation, done the chemo, had the neck dissection and am currently doing HBO, but that is not standard and hopefully you can avoid that part. Like all others have said you can do this, not standing onyour head of course but very doable. Every thing that Amy said in the previous post is right on the money. The only thing I will add is if you are not getting a PEG tube you need to look into that right away, other than that go with how you feel, will it get you down and make you cry? of course just go with it, lean on your family and friends. They want to help. and of course come to this site you will not find a better group to hang with, we here will guide you as best as we can. Hang in there my dear all will be well.
Lenny

The good news is you are going to be treated at one of the top facilities in the world. Hopefully, you will come through treatments with little discomfort..
Good luck
Darrell

Hi Linda and greetings from a fellow Houstonian (south-Clear Lake/Seabrook.) Also a patient at MD Anderson, carcinoma of the epiglottis. Laser surgery this past May, no chemo, no radiation. I was at MD Anderson this morning for a Modified Barium Swallow and also follow up with the surgeon. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about MDACC. As others have mentioned, you are being treated in a world class facility. I'm very new to the forum here and I spend lots of my time reading all of the great posts here and fantastic info. I wish you the best...
Russell

As an MDACC alumni I couldn't be more happy about how they reached in and pulled me out when I was circling the drain. I love this place. Do a search for digtexas and drop him an email. He's also a past MDACC patient and lives right in Houston.

Linda,
As Brian wrote, I also live in Houston and am a patient at MDACC who also underwent radiation treatments. The people there know what they are doing and they saved my life and I am very thankful for that. Having said that...you must realize that M.D. Anderson is a very large hospital that treats thousands of people and at times you can get lost in the shuffle. It can be a bit of a cattle call.
As others on this forum will tell you, you must learn to be your own advocate. If you have questions, ask them...don't let the doctor just rush off to his next patient. If you are waiting for what seems like an unreasonable period of time...get up and complain to someone. Meet your patient advocate, meet a social worker at the Wellness center and find out what free programs are available to help you with counseling or anything else that they offer.
You will learn most of what you need and get lots of support right here on this site.
Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to correspond.

I wish you all the best on your upcoming journey.

Danny G.

Hello everyone. My name is Anne and I'm 49 years' old. I had squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal pharynx. I had radiation and chemo, and ended up in the hospital a few times due to low white blood cell counts.

I'm struggling a bit with the new "me" - having to drink tons of water, eating bland foods and nothing too sharp, etc.

I was wondering if any of you have good nutritional ideas. I struggle with finding things to eat. One time I can eat mostaccioli, the next time it's too spicy.

Any ideas?

and thanks!

I just realized I did this wrong -- sorry, Linda, for imposing on your posting!

Some ideas I can share with you, since I had both radiation and chemo: make sure you go to the dentist and get your teeth checked immediately! I ended up with many cavities as a result of the the radiation and chemo. If they can protect your teeth during radiation, they should.

You're going to be very tired during the radiation, so make sure you take good care of yourself. It's wierd that you can be so tired after just 15 minutes a day, but you are.

Most of all -- take care of yourself!!!

Good luck!