Hello everyone, I am new to this site and i am finding it very helpful. I recevied my diagnosis of throat cancr on may 6th. I underwent 39 rounds of radation and 7 rounds of chemo. i am doing very well now. I am just trying to deal with the side effects of the radation. I started to go to our local Gildas Club, which has been a great help! I recommend it for anyone that my have a chapter in thier area. I guess that is all for now thanks DEE

Dee, hello to you. What is a GILDAS CLUB? I have no idea. So what are some of the side effects are you having? Did you have any surgery along with the radiation and chemo? How old are you? Tell us all so we can get the whole picture...Always, Vicki

Dear Vicki, oh do you know the ter4ribole thing? I went off to Scotland ten days ago--hope you have missed me--without your Las Vegas address or even your surname. In the huge rush to get ready with dogs and grandchildren and so on I could not find my diary and still haven't so I couldn't send you the spoon I was so looking forward to sending you.
I am sorry sorry sorry but I was thinking asbout you, and needless to say I saw the most perfect little one in a craft shop with a picture of Loch Ness on it. Never mind. I do apologise and will definitely send it on my next trip.
In the meantime, please re-send it so that at least I can send you something from the town, Colchester, where I live, which is the oldest recorded town in Great Britain.
And something else awful. I uninstalled my old AOL 6 and replaced it with an AOL 9, having been qassured by their tech department that I wouldn't lose anything. Well, ALL my notebook of favourite places, like this one which I managed to google, have been erased. I took me two years to collect them and I am hopping mad and writing to their head office.
I hope you are in good s[pirits, Vicki, and looking forward to the Presidential fight. Whoever wins it should be great to watch.
I had a fine holiday in Scotland and the autumn colours were breathtaking, the mountains and the heather and the lochs. But I picked up a horrible chest cough and found eating was a real trial away from home. At least with your tube you know where you are. Or aren't. And how much protein you are getting inside you.
But in the tiny kitchen of this ancient caravan I couldn't prepare the three-stage mush I prepare and had to live on Ensure cartons which are REALLY boring wwhen the rest of the family are swooning over the Scotch beef and cheeses. I'm not complainoing though. It was lovely being with my family and they so thoughtfully had booked me my own little caravan which meant I could cough and spittpo je heart's content in the morning without being embarassed.
I have an appointment with my spealist next Tuesday but really think I am going to postpone it for a month as I lost so much weight in Scotland and he will immediately whip me off for tests and I would rather try to look a bit less skeletal! I knw it doesn'tmake any difference but there you go.
How is the speech therapy going, Vicki ?
Hope you have forgiven me. Head-hanging-down-Ishbel

Ishbel, Of course I forgive you. Lord you had your hands full. I am so so happy you had a wonderful time I would have loved to have seen the fall colors. Speech is going very very well since I have the trache out. What a difference that really did make. The hole where the trache was doesn't even appear to be closing at all, I fear I am in for a long haul of tap and gauze. The only thing is the tap after a while tends to eat at the neck. But I can deal with this. I have to. I have appts. every month I am like you, I am going to start going every other month. Nothing changes in 4 weeks with this. All this is doing is running up a tab that LORD knows is going to cost a fortune. I will send you my address as you have asked however you do not have to send me a thing. I just thought while you were there, hey why not, I will never make it to those places,,,,,LOL. Please take care of that cough okay....ALways Vicki--proudokie@excite.com is my email addy--my aol messenger name is ---proudokie46----holler at me sometime

Thank God for some good news at last young lady! I am so thrilled that your speech is coming on so well. It must be great to be able to communicate more easily. Good tip from an actor friend which I am sure you know. But breathe from your stomach, hands on it to make sure you are, and hum as long as you can on one note. Then when hum gets cracky rest and try a lower or higher depending on which is easier.
That's what the Shakespearian actors so so it can't be bad!
We'll have a good old IM chaT ONE DAY ANYWAY AND --sorry caps--we won't need to hum!
Ishbel