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DiscussionHPV Tonsil cancer: I'm very nervous about chemo and radiation
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: 5 hours ago | Replies (70)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "@hrhwilliam At what point did the radiation effects get bad? My husband is facing 6 weeks..."
@lizzyj58 I think at the end of week three I began to get sick to my stomach. Food had lost it's taste. I lost my appetite. A feeding tube was never mentioned nor did I know that was an option. Medicines however were offered up to deal with nausea, which is not common in all cases. Yet if there is a side effect I certainly will be the one to have it.
Very scary is appropriate. This journey is unlike anything your husband has ever experienced. It is not impossible but it is difficult. It is day to day and always in the knowledge that it will be finished and eventually life gets back to normal. For you and he this holiday season upcoming is more or less off the books. Make no plans or promises. The recovery from radiation is far slower than most people expect. It will be two steps forward and one step back, but it is progress. Tough times never last but tough people do. In many cases this is a life changing experience for the better, in reflection.
Please don't hesitate to ask away any concerns you or he might have in the coming weeks. You have a fantastic resource here of patients with specific experience in these treatments. I leave you with the immortal word of Churchill, "Courage".