Hi @cskippy,

At age 39, I was officially Stage IVB T2N3M0 tonsil cancer on my left side caused by HPV and 3 infected lymph nodes. I am 17ys out (2008 diagnosis) where I had 35 rounds of Photon radiation which amounted to 70 Gy (7weeks) and 3 rounds of the platinum-based chemo Cisplatin.

I had other issues come up along the way with the radiation as it’s a gift that keeps on giving. So be very aware of what is going on inside your mouth and throat. To name a few off the top of my head, it destroyed my thyroid giving me Hypothyroidism (makes you feel fatigued and most of the time you gain weight too) so now I have to take a pill for it for the rest of my life. Watch your bone structure and tooth decay in that region too- so make sure you go to your dentist every six months. Paralyzed my left vocal cord so my voice is not as loud as it once was, and swallowing and speaking has gotten worse but going to a speech/swallowing therapist has helped as I can basically eat anything just may take longer depending on what it is. Scarring of both upper lungs. Had dry mouth so I researched and found Electrical Stimulation Acupuncture in 2015 where I was tested to get a baseline and retested after 8-10 appts. and had great results- never needed to go back and has been fine ever since and I don't have to carry a water bottle with me either. Since then, I believe there are other additional avenues like sprays to help with that. My accessory spinal nerve is damaged (called Brachial Plexus Legions) which is why my left shoulder sags and trapezius muscles wasting away with winging of the scapula which includes limited range of motion. Also, I would see a dermatologist at least annually to watch for any potential skin cancer from the radiation too as I received a couple spots in (November 2024) with that, but it was basil cancer which is highly treatable.

Good luck on your journey.