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What treatment options are available to reccurrence of H&N cancer?
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Mar 10 8:46pm | Replies (15)Comment receiving replies
The conversation likely would not be the same. However, I am not a physician, I am an engineer so I only know what I know and I know that half of those stage letters I do not know.
All I will say is we have to face these health battles or give up and likely die. We have that choice. Would I know my choice if my cancer returns? Not at this time.
I think being the caregiver is more difficult than being the patient. You have little choice out of love or simple decency. The patient however is allowed to choose and fuss and complain.
Three weeks post radiation is often the bottom before the body starts to recover. Doctors, unless they have gone through this don’t really know how all of this battle effects our body and to that end, each of us have different post issues.
Scans, especially early on don’t really tell us a lot as scar tissue often resembles cancer clusters.
Hope for the best but prepare for the worse. I or others here can likely help you though this journey.
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Thank you for your response. And yes we understand that the scans will show scar tissue, etc. I'm a retired RN (hospice) and our daughter is an oncology nurse so we see the things that this patient (in particular) doesn't or won't. He's feeling better fatigue wise, his neck is healed but the muscles have atrophied a great deal. He's always been healthy and very active. Right now we're concerned that he's going to overdo it and get hurt. This isn't a good analogy but it's the only one I can think of at the moment is after a pet has surgery and you have to keep them safe until the healing has occurred which isn't easy when they think they can do it all day 1. My daughter and I both asked him to seek a physical therapy referral to rebuild the muscle safely and his answer was no. I love this man with all my heart and have been married 45 years but he is stubborn! A good trait at times and not so much at others. I have some serious autoimmune problems which may add to my fear, I don't know. I've reached out to the Mayo oncology social worker for resources for my daughter and me that may help us keep our sanity. Currently waiting to hear back. Right now I think a vacation alone on a desert island sounds good (just kidding).