On 1/6/2008 lymaholy wrote:
My father was just diagnosed with stage 2 tonsil cancer. We are meeting tomorrow to go over his treatment. He is 85 years old and lives in an assistant living facility without nursing care. He uses a walker, having suffered a stroke 2 years ago while undergoing endarterectomy surgery. So far the docs have told us that he is not a candidate for surgery and that they will treat him with radiation alone. My questions are should he get a feeding tube? How much assistance will he need to get through the therapy? Private nurse? Will his 85 year old body be able to handle the treatment? I just fear that his quality of life, of which he has very little left, will be horrid. Need some perspective please.
My dear neighbour , 83 years old had tonsil cancer two years ago, I'm not sure what stage it was but what I can tell you is what he went through. He went to a Cancer Treatment Hospital and was treated with Radiation, they also told him Surgery was not an option for him. He did not have to have a feeding tube. I think the hardest part of this for him was he was alone, he has never married and has no children, so being elderly and on his own was the hardest part of the whole treatment. He had to go 150 miles away from home and stay at a Cancer treatment centre and take a shuttle bus back and forth to the Hospital for treatment, some days the bus would not come for 3 to 4 hours depending on when the last patient was done treatment, if you are able to be with your father this would be such a huge help. My neighbour stayed at the centre for one month , coming home on weekends. His only real complaint during this was he could not taste anything, I'm not going to suger coat this , he was very sore and had lots of radiation burns in his mouth. He is a very determined man and followed the doctors orders to a T, it took him quite awhile when he got home to get rested, he slept alot, had no desire to eat but he forced himself. I believe if he had of had someone with him and not had to wait hours in the hospital for buses back and forth to the centre he would not have been so worn out. One of the things we did find out after was, canned peaches really helped him food wise after the mouth started to heal. Because they are sweet, he was able to taste them and the juice really helped to keep his mouth moist. It took my neighbour a couple of months to recouperate after this surgery which was two years ago. He still has difficulty tasting things and that might be the way it stays but at least he is still here with us, his doctor told him to put lots of gravies and sauce's on his food to help with the taste factor. I have noticed that he does sleep lots now, kind of little cat naps,but he is 83, other then that he is back to normal, he still drives and goes to town every morning as usual to have coffee in the restarant with his friends, he makes sure he eats healthy and rests when he is tired. I hope this helps , I think if my neighbour had of been able to do his treatment and get right back to accomodations and rest he would have had alot easier time with it, hopefully your father will be able to do this. The first two months seemed to be the hardest , pain and rest wise, but then he really started to come around. But like I said my neighbour was alone during this treatment. I wish you all the best and will keep you and your father in my prayers.