Hi 

sorry to hear about your dads diagnosis and Im sure youre feeling upset and confused about what will happen. My hisband was diagnosed with tonsil cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes in his neck in December 2015. This time last year were just embarking on his treatment - 5 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 fractions of VMAT radiotherapy over 6 weeks ( monday to friday) If youd like to chat about how we found the treatment and tiis to help him get through it then please send me a friend request.

best wishes

Emma

Paige

welcome to the forum and sorry to hear about your dad

i and now 2.5 years post treatment for throat cancer and doing well....there also many of us on here who live great lives and each have our own individual tale to tell

Although there are some similarities, those who go through this treatment do so in their own way

i wrote a blog about my experience, which is my tale and may give you an insight and tips. There are many things that worked for me, but not for others and visa versa

it also gives you a timeline of the process your dad is about to enter

gammaraygary.wordpress.com/.../

ask anything you want ... we are here to help you and your dad through this

vatch

Hi Vatch,

Thank you for the link to your blog.  

In your honest opinion considering what you have been through what would you advise my dad I understand you're not a medical expert but this is the case. He is 74 years old and he has stage 2 throat cancer. They've told him radiotherapy is the way to go and explain how awful it is. They've also found lymphnodes in both of his lungs and are concerned about this however are concentrating on his throat for now. He doesn't know whether to put himself through it all at his age when he's already vulnerable to then be told it could be in his lungs also. He is considering refusing treatment. As I said I understand you're not an expert and this is purely just advice I'm asking for and will definitely not influence my dad's decision but what is your opinion? 

Paige

There too many variables to consider to give you the answer you are looking for 

what type of radiotherapy is he having IMRT, TOMOTHERAPY OR VMAT

how many sessions ( I hade 30 daily sessions over 6 weeks)

is he having chemo

because of his age he may not have a PEG ( a feeding tube)

is he a healthy 74 year old

does he have good family support around him

whats your medical team support like

its a tough treatment, but we get through it, some more easily than others

The important thing is not to scare you dad at this point, awareness is a good thing but too much information at this point, may not be the best thing

supporting your dad is key to him getting through this process and if you can feed him up a bit pre treatment as eating can be difficult but not impossible.

so how far down the track is your dad

Hi Vatch 

I sat and read your blog all last night and have to admit to say you were going through so much your sense of humour remained and it was brilliant. My dad has decided to go through with the radiotherapy. He's at the hospital currently having teeth taken out to prevent any infection in his mouth. I really do hope he gets off lightly but it does seem an awful lot to go through and from the forums on here, I've not seen any better stories about radiotherapy on the throat. I'm preparing myself to see him at his worst however I haven't told him what I've read on here but his consultants have explained how poorly he's going to be. I just hope his age won't be against him. 

He is due to start radiotherapy on 16th of Feb. 7 weeks 5 days a week. I'm not sure which radiotherapy it is. They haven't mentioned any chemo? Is this a good thing? His cancer nurses are brilliant. I've also told my mum I read your blog and you mentioned saliva spray helped a lot and I have told her to ask about whilst there today. I'm going to speak to my boss to reduce hours temporarily at work so I can help as my mum only got rid of cancer 6 months ago in her lung and is still not fully recovers herself. Such an awful time :(

Hi there

I'm new to this forum and was looking around for simular advise. 

My dad is about to turn 68 and was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer. 

He opted against surgery and has started a treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 

He had chemo on week 1 2 and 3 and he has radio therapy Monday to Friday every week for 7weeks. 

He is on week 2 and day 7 of the treatment at the moment. And so far blood tests confirm his body is currently coping. 

However he has been weak already. Tired alot. Having alot of acid reflux which he had to take medication for now. He also has gone off alot of food and isn't eating well but he has only dropped 2kg which the oncologist is happy with. He has on day 5 of treatment.... passed out. He doesn't know why but he just blacked out mid sentance. 

That for me was scary to see. 

I'm nervous for two future as in my dad's case he was told he only has 60% chance of the treatment working. 

We were also told that the particular cancer he has is unlikely to spread on its own. But the treatment can also encourage cells that break away to migrate. 

He is positive though and I think that is key. However I know he is going to be in a bad place my dad has always been very stubborn and thinks he will not have any side effects of the treatment as it goes on.

He is having a peg fitted and also had all his remaining teeth removed to prevent infection. 

I hope you the best and if you would likea to talk I'm more than happy to xx

Hi thanks for your reply. I'm sorry to hear about your dad and completely understand how you feel.  

My dad is only in his first week day 4 of treatment today. He is already starting to notice his mouth is very dry and has been given saliva spray to help with this.

As with any cancer they've told him his treatment is not guaranteed to get rid of the cancer and may just reduce the size of the tumour in which case he will then have to have surgery. 

I'm frightened everyday for my dad because as you said about yours my dad is also very stubborn and believes he's still a spring chicken ( which he definitely no longer is) 

Only advise I can offer is just be there when he needs it and when things get rough. I imagine a good support system is half of the battle. 

I'd like to keep in touch and find out how your dad is doing so please feel free to message me whenever. I wish you and your dad the best of luck with the treatment and hope to hear good news within the next few weeks :) 

Hi. I know this post was 2 years ago but I wondered how your dad was? My dad was diagnosed with throat cancer in Feb 2017 and underwent a 4 week intensive radiotherapy course with did see off the cancer but left him with no saliva glands and lack of tastebuds. 2 years on and his saliva has never come back and he wishes he’d never had the treatment. He has now been diagnosed with throat cancer again and has been told he can’t have radiotherapy but could have major surgery to remove voice box but because his lungs are so weak he may not survive the surgery. I don’t know what to expect it the coming months for him now

Hi,

Firstly I'm sorry to hear your dad is having to go through it again. It's a horrible disease. 

My dad is doing well thankfully. He had intense treatment for his throat cancer and is now in remission. So far so good and no shows of any return (fingers crossed). He did find it so difficult to go through but he doesn't regret it. He too still has problems. His voice will never properly come back and he struggles with swallowing since his treatment and often aspirates which has caused numerous bouts of pneumonia. Thankfully the doctors keep a close eye on him and he really is living life to the full since he got better. He went on to find out he had skin cancer which he had surgery to remove and then lung cancer where he had more radiotherapy but he doesn't regret any of it. Despite difficulties he just wanted to live but I think if he got the throat cancer back again I really do believe he would refuse treatment and/or surgery. He really went through so much and so much pain and I don't think he could do it again. My dad did want the surgery over the radiotherapy but surgeon advised against it. It really is a last resort. Depending on the age and general health of your dad I would say the hospital know what they're talking about when it comes to cancer. They will do surgery if they believe they can get it all and it's just down to your dad if he wants to go through that or not. I really do hope you have some sort of positive outcome. It's a horrible experience and I really do feel for you and your dad. 

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I’m glad to hear your dad is living life to the full and the radio worked. My dad had lung cancer too last year and went through radio which worked. Unfortunately my dad has lots of medical conditions and the surgery on his throat would be very risky so the surgeons wouldn’t want to do it and my dad has refused it. He is almost 80. I’m worried about how he may now deteriorate but am hoping the cancer he now has is very slow growing and he wlll he with is for a while longer. He doesn’t do much in regards to hobbies or going out so he hasn’t much in his life other than family. My mum is 15 years his junior so she likes to go for walks etc but my dad struggles tonwslk due to bad circulation in his legs. It’s very sad. But thanks for replying x