I have someone very close who is undergoing treatment for cancer (tonsil: Left side).

During the course of his treatment, the skin on his neck became increasingly irritated to the point it was bleeding and scabbing over the entire neck and jaw line. I am not sure but intend to find out why there is such a wide band of treatment. He was given special creams, but in any case the treatments were suspended 2 weeks away from completion. He was unable to tolerate the radiation & could not swallow very easily. A couple days later he went for chemo and they hydrated him and suspended that treatment as well. I noticed he could not swallow at all and was coughing up very heavy mucous. He looked very weak & fatigued. All of this was evident at both doctors' offices.

In any case I put him in the hospital the very next morning and it was a good thing I did. He almost died from the dehydration plus he had infections in his neck, lungs and kidneys. His throat is full of sores and his neck is one giant scab from ear to ear.

It seems to me that his doctors should have been monitoring closely enough to know his health was deteriorating from the side effects he was having. They never indicated any danger or concern. Are there tests that should be given prior to each treatment or tests that should be given at the very least periodically to determine the fitness of the indivual undergoing treatment so that modifications can be made?

I could use some advice here. The site is extremely helpful and I am educating myself ...but not sure what questions to ask regarding treatment to be sure a doctor is good or not.

Thank you so much for your input & bless you all!

Hi Chazz
i think it is quite unusual for things to get so bad without intervention from the radiology team.although the actual side affects are pretty par for the course.
Robins team at the radiology department had a 30 minute interview with us the day he had his first treatment and they told us of every possible side effect,gave us a booklet,contact numbers and advice on helpful medications we could get in the pharmacy.On top of that every day he went for treatment they asked how he was and if there were any problems and if there were they called the oncology registrar down to the department and he saw us.
so yes i dont think he has been monitored carefully enough,and it is real shame you didnt find us sooner,as i am sure you would have found all the advice and support you needed to get through this tough time.

not everyone is unfortunate enough to suffer so badly ,but a lot do and i am sure we will all be here for you over the next few weeks if you need help or just want to vent.

Welcome to you both

love liz

Thank you so much Liz!

I've been learning more and more each day thanks to the site and all the forum posts. I'll keep you posted as to how things are going.

Right now we are in a holding pattern, managing the throat pain and we await his blood counts and throat to stabilize enough to have the PEG inserted.

This really should have been done prior to starting his treatment but I suspect he chose not to go that route.....

Anyhow, I take it one day at a time. Some days are better for him than others but he is showing more positive signs at this point though today was rougher than yesterday. His throat and mouth are still healing and as you know new blistering can occur as much as 2 to 3 weeks out from the last radiation treatment.... So it's been a bit tough for him sisnce it seems to get worse before it gets better. I think we are at the turning point now though.

Great news chazz i am so pleased for you.

love liz