As someone who is now three months post-radiation (and writing this note from work, where I'm back to almost full time!), I can say honestly hang in there, there is a light at the end of this dreadful tunnel...

I had to laugh out loud at your post, Erik, because I think I said the exact same things during my roughest days, even beat up a helpless pillow or two, much to my wife's chagrin. I especially couldn;t stand the thick saliva/gook that didn;t seem to go away...

I set a lot of goals for myself and kept an eye on folks on these boards who were a few weeks ahead of me. I remember one woman said she ate tempura shrimp and other wonderful foods just 13 days after her last treatment -- that drove me to push through and try and beat her (which I didn't do but was close)... I had Red Lobster about a month after my last treatment

I know for me, I turned a big corner the week after my treatments ended when my doctor prescribed a steroid treatment for my mouth. Not sure of the name, but it brought a lot of the swelling down fast and I went from not being able to sleep more than a few hours (without waking up gagging) to getting through the whole night. Gauze and Puffs tissues also work well as a temporary measure for wiping out the mouth...

One more thing -- as lots of others told me, try to stay hydrated as much as possible... It goes without saying that this is extremely tough to do, but it will make a difference to make sure you're getting enough liquids (and nourishment in general)...

AzTarHeel is exactly right about Puffs brand tissues. I tried them all, and Puffs are the stongest and softest for wiping the gunk out.

MUCOSIS is a gross side effect thta is difficult to del with, I have been sleeping in a redliner from the onset of mucosis. Thick viscous gross spit, could choke you.. Expectoration doesn't come easy and swallowing is difficult but I am still adamant , no tube.
I eat 4 ensures/prosures daily plus a protien shake at night. They are occasionally tough to get down, but I get them down. When I received my daignosis I weighed 370 pounds, with Dental healing and now 22 of 39 Radiatiion and 5 of 8 Chemotherapy. I now weigh 328 pounds. My doc pitches a fit when I lose 2 pounds.
So they promote no weight loss even for obese people.
Darrell

Erik,

I forgot to mention, I could not sleep without a humudifier. I worked 400 miles from home and even bought one for the hotel. I used it every night from August until the middle of March and I struggled any time I fell asleep without it on.

Ed

Erik,

Try sleeping prompted up to about a 75% angle. I know it's tough, but you'll make it. The salavia eventually thins out. Do you have a suction machine. I would have to wake up 3-4 times at night and suction myself out to make it through. I was so tired that I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep. Now post treatment I have to take Ambien when I have gone a couple of nights without enough sleep.

Hang in there. You're no baby! This is really tough stuff!

Lynn

Erik,

Just a quick pep talk from someone who's been away from it for a long time (15 years). I thought I had hit rock bottom in the summer of 1989 when I couldn't take a sip of water without screaming in pain, and I was getting really tired of forcing tasteless mush down my throat to meet some daily calorie goal. (You can see my post under Introduce Yourself - 15 year anniversary for a chronology of surgery and radiation.)

Less than 5 months after that, in January 1990, my husband and I managed to take a trip to the British Virgin Islands where we tried our hands at sailing in the Caribbean and generally vegged out for awhile. That's not to say I was fully recovered by then -- far from it -- but at least the after effects were far more manageable by then, I could eat some normal food in polite company, and the pain had subsided a great deal.

DON'T GIVE UP!!

I remember those days

I've had many sleepless nights until my doc prescribed 25mg of Amitriptyline. It's an old anti-depressant, but a much lower dose than if presrcribed as an antidepressant, and the side effect is sleepiness. It's worked like a charm. For years a friend religiously took Tylenol PMs, drank, and did anything to sleep to no avail. He loved this stuff. AND it's not habit forming!!

Dr. M also said taking it nightly might help my something-or-other side effect (similar to the anxiety headaches you have).

If you're having anxiety, maybe a Valium (warning: habit forming) or similar? Or maybe one/two nights with a prescribed muscle relaxer?

This next suggestions sounds INCREDIBLY corny, but it's helped me sleep. Pick one word/phrase like "peace" or "love" (mine's "no stress") and repeat it over and over and over. My body gets into a rhythm, as does my breathing, and I'm out like a light.

You'll get through this! We're just on a REALLY bad Disney ride. I'm planning on writing to management about it....

Sabrina you're a riot! I had another one of those nights too. I took (well crushed and mixed into a shake) 2 Tylenol 3s at 10pm, was awake with a headache (I'm guessing stress here) at 3:30 am , up for an hour with ice pack on forehead, back to bed for 45 minutes, up again with pounding headache, back in the kitchen but this time I dissolved 1 alka seltzer morning (orange flavour) into a glass of peach flavoured thick water. Head was gone in minutes and fell asleep like a ROCK until 10 am. And I dont start my radiation until May 13th!