Just wanted to say hello, diagnosed last March with tonsil ca, finished treatment end of June last year. It was a shock as only 38 & female (not that makes a difference!), never smoked or heavily drank. I am now on monthly check ups and so far everything is OK. My only problem is as many of you will sympathise is being scared witless!!! of the future. Anyway I have just read Maurice's diary and it was very enspiring which made me register my Hello, so Hi to everyone and a Hopeful New Year to all.

Hello Smiler,
Could I ask - you were diagnosed in march 2005 and finished treatment end of june.
How long did you have symptoms before the diagnosis and what were your symptoms like?

I was diagnosed in sept 2004 - had a cancerous tonsil removed and RHS radical neck dissection in October. My tonsil was not a primary. I had 33 sessions of radiotherapy which finished dec 22 2004. I did not receive any chemo and am wondering - why? I haven't really asked.(perhaps I am scared of the answer!)
How did the chemo affect you? Where you told why you had both treatments and not just the radiotherapy.

Scared witless!!! - I'll say - I had a nervous breakdown and am now on an SRI anti- depressant called citalopram. It really helped me come through that dark depressive period. Consult your doc if you need advice on it. - Don't try to be too "brave". There is nothing wrong with "chemical" help.
BTW you sound as if you are doing fine considering you are only 6/7 months down the line from your last treatment.

Best wishes - Tony

It doesn't cease to amaze me reading this message board, how differing all our treatment is. I know we all have different primaries and 'stages' of the disease, but even those of us with virtually matching diagnosis seem to have received different combinations of treatment. Surgery, radio, chemo!
Wish I could do spread sheets as our outcomes and successes, or failures would make very interesting reading!!!
Just the idea has got my head bussing

ps, think the radiotherapy has affected my spelin!

Hi Tony I was also occult (unkown) primary and I don't believe they give chemo unles they know where the primary actually is.

Also I think it's do with the individual diagnoses. Each one of us is different.

I also read somewhere that radiotherapy experts were all given the same cancer cases to calculate in an exercise and all produced slightly different plans of treatment.

Hi Tony, hope this isn't too long!!
I found a lump in my neck Xmas day 2004 thought I had glands up due to cold, didnt see GP until end of Jan 04 blood tests etc, saw ENT Feb had FNA & told non malignant!!! and it was a branchial cyst which I had removed 16/03, got bad infection re-admitted week later to sort that out another week later I was told the cyst was actually a lymph, so 3rd op in 3 weeks to find out where primary, took sample from nose, throat & removed the left tonsil as slightly enlarged, I had had no symptons, sore throat nothing! also had full body CT Scan.
They were going to do the Radical dissection but the consultants had a meeting & decided that what was probably left was microscopic & to get on with treatment as I was young & if they needed to do dissection later they could (I was very happy about this as I know its not a nice procedure).
According to my oncologist clinical trials have proven that a combination of Chemo with Radiotherapy is a great help the drug was Cisplatin, luckily I didn't have to many side effects, nurses said I was the best patient they had seen on this regime as I think it can be quite bad.
Thanks for your comments re depression etc, I started work today full time so we'll see how the stress levels go up, but all in all I am OK, just need to talk to people in the same situation as family & friends say they understand but really they don't!
Take Care - Yvonne (sorry it was a long one!)

You have done well Yvonne,
What great progress you have made.I have a real fixation about knowing and trying to understand about other people's treatments. Especially if their cancer mirrors mine in any way.
I too had an FNA and was told it didn't show anything - what the Junior Doctor (Hopeless, totally useless man) didn't tell me was that they didn't have enough sample to test properly. The FNA probably did more harm than good as cancer cells escaped from that lymph node. I think a lot of FNAs give poor results from what I have read.
NOW - the BRANCHIAL CYST - the said junior doctor told me I had one and it would be removed in due course - oh and a tonsil would be removed as well (reason for this not given)- throughout all this tumours were getting bigger and burst out of lymph nodes.The branchial cyst diagnosis was complete bullshit of course - it was obviously an enlarged lymph node. I think a branchial cyst is one of those standbys they fall back on while you stagnate (die) while in the NHS queue. Branchial cyst- benign -no problemo. Till it's too late you bastards!

They had to do a lot of digging out to remove my tumours and all my lymph nodes. An earlier diagnosis would have saved an awful lot of time and money - maybe my life too!! I may survive all of this hopefully but my chances should be so much better
You have done well avoiding the neck dissection.

Good luck to you Yvonne- Tony

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tony K,