Oh Happy Day!

Whoopeee!!! Today marks the 2nd anniversary for the end of treatment for my Stage IV T1N3M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the right tonsil with 4 node involvement (I love saying that at parties)! Today the sun shone brighter, the birds sang sweeter, and I couldn't be happier. I know it's just another milestone in my recovery and I'm certainly not naive enough to think that it can't happen again but today I feel pretty darn good. I've learned quite a bit from the experience and really believe I'm a better person for it. That being said, I don't want to have to go through it again. I truly hope with all my heart that everybody on this board can and will feel this. If there is any way I can help just shout. I'll hear you over my own cheering.

Good Luck To All!

Joe 

I am so happy for you!  Oh yes, and it is definitely party day.  My husband and I will join you in five more weeks at the finish line.  Party like no tomorrow and smell those roses (if you can.)

Congrats!

Congratulations, Joe. That's a great milestone to have behind you.

I just finished my 3 month post treatment ( for SCC, stage IVa, left tonsil) PET scan and biopsy (both negative), so I'll celebrate for you, too.

Your posts on here have been a lot of help to me, and I'm sure, a lot of others.

Best Wishes,

Mike

Congratulations. I'm very happy for you. Even though none of us will ever meet, we all feel a certain closeness on this board because we are all going through it together and it is a difficult road.

I'm 1/2 way through radiation and I look forward to being able to say "oh happy day" too.

Rick

Joe,

Congrats!  My ENT said if you go 2 years you'll go 20 and I intend to hold him to it!

 To Life!!!

Eric

That's great news Joe!  Where did you undergo your treatment?  and what was its course?

Hi Sarah,

I was treated right outside of Philadelphia, PA at Crozer-Chester Hospital. They have a cancer center there that is part of the Fox Chase Cancer Center network. Great facility! I had 2 rounds of Cisplatin and 5FU. I stayed in the hospital for a week each time. It was a 96 hour infusion with the 5FU so they kept me in to keep an eye on me rather that give me a pump and send me home. I'm glad they did. I had some pretty nasty side effects from both agents and they were right there to take care of me. The chemo was given during the first and last week of my concurrent 35 IMRT radiation treatments. I had 8 fields in my treatment area so I was "in mask" for about 30 minutes a day. After treatment I took advantage of a program they had there called PEP (not sure what it stands for). They gave me counseling  on nutrition, physical therapy, and most beneficial, psychological therapy. I saw the Psychologist once a week for about 4 or 5 months. It really helped a lot. I must say that I don't think I could have gotten any better care anywhere. All of the doctors, nurses, technicians, etc... were caring, informative, and compassionate. They were/are the best and I am forever in their debt for giving me the gift of a second shot.  

Hope this helps!

Joe 

Thank you Joe for your response.  My husband received 3 rounds of cisplatin with concurrent radiation -- he finished in May 2007; then had surgery in November 2007 to remove suspicious residual tissue -- but it turned up to be cancer-free.  All of his treatment was done at MD Anderson.  He's had a really tough recovery -- doing much better now, but still struggling to eat any type of solid food.  That part is particularly discouraging to him.  He's getting enough nutrition through lots of protein drinks, etc..... but longs to eat more normally. 

Joe,

You mentioned the help of a psychologist during your recovery.  Bennett too was connected actually with a chaplain at MD Anderson that had worked with cancer patients for years.  He helped us both so much.  I'm with you -- I don't think we could have done it without him.  He helped us through those very dark days, and I will always be greatful for his assistance.

Hi Sarah,

I too have some issues when eating due to a narrowed throat opening and loss of my parotid salivary gland from the radiation. I also lost the ability to swallow during treatment and had to relearn how. I've developed a pretty good technique though and am now able to eat anything I want. There are a couple of keys to this technique:

1. Take small bites and chew the food all the way down to a liquid state.  A meal lasts forever like this and I usually get tired of eating before I can get too full, but it works. Waiters in restaurants get a little impatient when you linger over the meal but so what.

2. Take a sip of water with each bite an swish it around to keep the food moist. I also take a small sip to swallow the food as if it were a pill. You have to try to swallow small bits rather than the whole mouthful. Also, choose moist foods or else have more liquid on hand if the food is dry.

3. Relax. I've found that when I thought I was going to choke I had much better success if I just calmed down and didn't panic. It takes some practice to do this but it really made all the difference.

4. Have my wife standing by to Heimlich me if I need it. I haven't as of yet and we both hope I never do. If you are out at a restaurant it's also helpful to know where the bathrooms are, just in case.

All of this stuff took me months to work out but I'm getting better at it everyday. Practice makes perfect.  I love food and enjoy eating again. I hope the same for your husband.

Good Luck!

Joe