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DiscussionHusband diagnosed with tonsil cancer: looking for tips and support
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Apr 4 11:41am | Replies (174)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "How long did it take to feel a little better once treatment was ended for him?"
Hi @cris2 Now that a couple weeks have passed since your husband has completed radiation I would suspect that the bottom has been reached and he is finally on the way to recovery. Is that correct so far?
The uphill climb will be slower than you or he would expect simply because so much damage to good tissue has been done. The body needs to heal but has a lot of work to do. My feeling at this point is to do what he can, eat what he can, and try to stay active. Avoid contact with sick people as his body is taxed with recovery and has little else it can do to protect him.
This is all going to be slow. New things are going to pop up that you may have to deal with such as mouth sores for example. The mind turns to the worst as every little thing can make him worry that the cancer has returned, it almost 100% has not. That feeling goes away, well, it's only been twenty three years for me so I will have to get back to you when that feeling goes away.
In the long run he will return to what we call a "new normal". A normal that may have some lasting issues that we learn to cope with. A normal that perhaps makes us appreciate life on a better level. A normal that makes us hug a stranger in the grocery store who is going through Chemo. A normal that seems to get better every day.
Courage. Can you keep me up to date to his progress?
Thanks.
I started feeling gradually better after about three weeks post radiation completion. But then kind of lingering throat pain for 3 months. Just used magic mouthwash for dinner.