Hi im David and my wife is Susan. i was diagnosed with toungue cancer 1998 and now recently with tonsil cancer ,lump in neck and i am awating rad treatment in the next 2 week ,has anyone else just had rad/chemo for this
Regards David and Sue

Hello David, sorry to hear you have more problems with head and neck cancer. There a quite a few people here who had had both chemo and radiotherapy so they 'll soon chip in.

thank you Pauline

Hello to the both of you.
I finnished my treatment just before christmas, for Nasopharyngeal CA.
Don't think i was truly prepared for how difficult it got, but everyone reacts differently! And i'm only 23 so when i started to repair it was very quick.
I prepared my skin for rads using Radiance Skin Gel fom the Bristol Cancer Centre site. I think this helped as my very fair skin remained good through my 6 week course.
My main advice is to get your weight up now!
Good luck to you both through this hard time.
Michelle

Thank you for you response and kind words. Look forward to speaking to you in the future.

David and Susan

Hi!
I too had tonsil cancer with secondary in neck. Had both chemo and radiotherapy but this was following radical neck dissection and removal of tonsils.
It is now 6 months since i finished treatment. I can honestly say last year was the worst year of my life, but now I actually feel well for the first time for a year. (Went to docs in April). I think it must be the sunshine! Plus I have had a glass of RED wine(diluted with water)
for the first time!
Keep smiling

Anne

Hi David and Sue
Welcome to the "club"

Believe it or not - it's not the end of the world, just another episode in the story of life and there are some happy endings too.

Good luck in the coming months
Pete

hi David and Sue
I had a lump in my neck, diagnosed as a secondary cancer in March of 2006. This was removed by radical next section in April. At that time and that time my primary was identified as at the base of my tongue, specifically on the tonsillar platform. This was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

some observations (in no particular order of importance)
(i) my beard fell out leaving me with a rather neat goatee. Odd hairs have grown back but nowhere near the full-set that I had before.
(ii) my taste buds went into freefall and after the radiotherapy was over there was very little that I fancied eating. Indeed most of my food was sweet or liquid (I survived for about three months on two bowls of sugar puffs and about 6 pints of milk a day. I still cannot drink tea or coffee, more than a few sips.
(iii) swallowing: food like bread, pizza, pasta is very difficult to swallow, if I have anything like them it has to be washed down with milk. forget crisps and peanuts!
(iv) during radiotherapy my neck erupted in open source. Hardly surprising as the treatment is like having and indivisible blowlamp played over the surface of the skin. I fought the staff nurse on this as she wanted me to rub E45 into the open wounds. This was specifically against the advice of the radiotherapists. in the end there was a compromise and I had a gel pack applied. This saw off the sores overnight.
(v) my appetite went through the floor, sugar puffs notwithstanding and not for the valiant attempts of my wife Marion to tempt me with foods. I simply did not feel like eating. Indeed I am still eating only a late breakfast and supper each day.
(vi) not surprising, that my weight dropped around three stone and has bounced back only about a stone.
(vii) I am attempting to exercise most days. I have a bicycle on a set of rollers and can pedal for about an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less.
(viii) I have had to learn to be kind to myself, not to expect too much progress at one stage and to give in to sleep when my body tells me to. the absurd thing is that I have days when I sleep late and those in the afternoons and then other days when I find it difficult to get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. There's no pleasing some people is there?
(ix) improvement does come but it is a slow process.

Lastly, you will be changed by this experience, in subtle ways, in my experience.

Best regards

Robert WT

Hi Anne
Thanks for you contact, it is good to know there are others who we can contact, last time we went through this there was no forums like this one.

Response was appreciated.

David and Susan

quote:

Originally posted by Anne W:
Hi!
I too had tonsil cancer with secondary in neck. Had both chemo and radiotherapy but this was following radical neck dissection and removal of tonsils.
It is now 6 months since i finished treatment. I can honestly say last year was the worst year of my life, but now I actually feel well for the first time for a year. (Went to docs in April). I think it must be the sunshine! Plus I have had a glass of RED wine(diluted with water)
for the first time!
Keep smiling

Anne

Thanks to everyone who has responded, we appreciate your quick response, as we said in the response to Anne, last time there was nothing like this, it is good knowing there are others who have either gone through or are currentley going through the course of treatment I am about to start.

Thanks
David & Susan

Robert just wondering if you have given Pepsi Cola a try as an alterantive fluid to water and as an aid to eating food. Weak Earl Grey tea with milk may be worth a try rather than normal tea. Still can't drink coffee either as it dehydrates the mouth.

<<(viii) I have had to learn to be kind to myself, not to expect too much progress at one stage and to give in to sleep when my body tells me to. the absurd thing is that I have days when I sleep late and those in the afternoons and then other days when I find it difficult to get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. There's no pleasing some people is there? >>

You hit the nail on the head. Desperate for sleep sometimes, but unable to or can't stir other days. Going with the flow and day to day variations is the only way to cope.