Hi Mrsgreen
It's been over 5 years that I was treated for tonsil cancer - it doesn't seem like that long, but there it is.
Some of my experiences (my wife was my caregiver).
1. Eating became almost impossible - food was repulsive to me. I settled 3 meals a day consisting of and egg-beater and cheese omelet, 2 Boost Plus and tea with honey. I didn't lose much weight and ididn't need a PEG.
2. I drank a lot of water.
3. I used magic mouthwash before eating, which helped when throat pain became an issue.
4. I took a codiene tylenol mixture to help with throat pain.
5. I had Erbitux treatment weekly (along with Cisplatin), and got horrific pimples. I took antibiotices and steriods, which were very effective.
6. I got thrush a couple of times - easily treated with antibiotics. I also had canker sores, which were treated with an over-the-counter topical treatment.
7. I had constipation, and tried a lot of things, finally settling on daily enemas - nothing was hugely effective.
8. I got used to the routine of treatment fairly quickly - what with seeing the same staff every day, and seeing many of the same people every day.
9. My wife was a great advocate, and I never let a problem linger - if a medication wasn't working, my wife worked with the doctors to get a different medication.
10. I had Ethyol daily, for saliva gland protection. I have very good saliva today.
11. I kept up an exercise routine during treatment - light weights and very light aerobics, as well as daily walks with my wife. These were very helpful, if only psycologically.
12. I used a vaporizer at night, and slept in a different room from my wife during treatment, since I was fairly restless.
13. It was all very, very scary at first, but taking it a day at a time, and responding to problems as they arose helped get me through.
Best wishes,
Chris