Hi Gary

re driving ask the hospital do a patient transfer I know a hospital in Leeds does I was lucky me n hubby have retired so he drove every day. You can request early or later appointments as well theybdontry and accommodate everyone. 

In my case no way could I have driven my neck burned early on and the seat belt was too,painful on right rife ok in passenger side. Plus my concentration went totally butbeveryine is different even know. Because if the co codomol warnings I haven’t driven keep sitting in car n mentally doing if !!! 

 I drove tomour daughter  s others Sunday morn8ng and was fine but longer journeys nit yet 

hazel 

Hi Hazel,

Thank you for your reply, I guess it's a case of see how it goes we are all different  so we have to see what happens.

Hope all is well

Gary

Hi Garry

another win for the baggies today So hubby is pleased. You asked about driving - well we were in a planes , trains and automobiles situation. We had to drive to the end of Ryde pier, get the catamaran across the solent to Portsmouth and then a taxi to the radiotherapy unit in Havant then the same home. It was a bit of a trial so I have to say after the first couple of weeks Paul fekt to exhausted to drive. I think if we had lived closer he may have been ok. One thing I would say is check if you can get parking for free or at reduced price as I know its a bit of a walk to the hospital from the car parks there and finding a space can be hard ( Ive visited there many times) 

As for work - Paul worked as much as he could even when he got admitted with severe vomiting and when we looked at some of tge emails he sent - well chemo brain - say no more lol Luckily his clients understood . 

Hope your necks feeling better and not too bruised.

best wishes 

Emma xx boing boing ! 

Hi Everyone

A happy Christmas to you all or at best as Happy as you can make it. Personally not to too bad, half way through the RT now have a four day rest. Had my second Chemo on Thursday last, no real problems with after effects, taking the prescribed meds seems to do the trick. Throat not as sore, still some trouble with swallowing, using the PEG at this point. Keeping positive and determined to beat it.

I am curious about time scales that we have all experienced. From first discovery of a lump to the point of full diagnosis and intervention. Perhaps you would be kind enough to give me an idea of your journey.

Also to prevent problems with mucas, mouth and throat ulcers has anyone had a full spectrum amino acid recommended or prescribed. If so some details would be appreciated.

I look forward to your replies, thanking you in anticipation.

Very Best Regards Eric.

Hi Eric,

I'm sure others will follow and most of my journey is on my blof here "Radiotherpay for Cancer" but basically my little journey is as follows.

Little bit of misdiagnosis inbetween which didnt help but hey ho.

I started around January this year and had constant sore throat that wouldnt go away...I was at GP 4 times before they referred me and around April. Kept on being told vitus/nothing/will go away on own.
First referall to first consuntant in May - told me was flux and acid on stomach causing problems to throat and also potentially tonsilitis as swollen and red. Put scope down nose to have a look and was totld categoricaly it was NOT cancer. Was given landoprosole ( not sure spelling) which I then had 4 weeks chronic diohareah the admitted to hospital ofr a week on steroids. I then missed my 2nd ENT appt.
Wasnt till they stopped that medication my bowels calmed down after being diagnosed with Microscopic Colitis.

Went for my follow up 2nd ENT appt in June thinking getting date to have tonsilitis confirmed & removed but soon as they put scope down nose again, different consultant was not happy, had 2 other opinions and definately a lesion there and was cancer until shown otherwise. 

Was told that day was being prepped for surgery instantly and being fasttracked to get tonsil out and biopsy.
Next appt confirmed cancer and this was around July. Was then told 30 radiotherpay sessions, teeth out then mask made before treatment. Was also told curable so I kinda just went into positive mode and got on with it mentally and was determined just to face whatever was ahead, head on and try and keep cheery and positive, which I have.

Given all prep work with surgery then dental surgery treatment didnt start until October this year and I finished my sessions 23 Nov.

Hope that helps answer timescale question (sorry if over wordy) but bascially symptoms I would say started around January this year and real intervention and plan didnt start until around July and treatment starting in October, sessions finished Novmeber and am now in recovery period.

As for muscus, never had amino acids prescibed, but like most suffered quite a bit and at peak was up every half hour during night brining up.
All I was given was Calphasol and Diffflam to help, plus a nebuliser which also helped.
Mucas I would say has pretty musch stopped completely from last week although my main contention and still is to this day is to drink, drink then drink again plenty water. I belive this has been the biggest help for me and was also told by radiotherpist to drink as much as possible as will help recovery.

Pretty much been a year out with one thing or another and although I have remained positibe and still am to this day, its been a gruelling journey, but one there is light at end of the tunnel for.

Have a great festive period and hope your sied effects are limited as much as possible and wishing you a speedy road to your recovery.

Onwards and upwards !

kind regards

Ian
 

Hi Emma, don't rub it in, I went to Villa yesterday  to watch the debacle,  2.0 up half time and lose 3.2.

Anyway,  I will try and drive as long as I can but it is a case of suck it and see.

Hoping you all have a Merry Christmas and a healthy  new year.

Gary

HinEric

Brief timeline

found  Larry the  lymph node early March in Spain thought I had pulled something in my neck above collar bone while biking in the wind .

ni weight loss ni sore throat him ough nomnithing 

cane home 14 May  still there rung drs no’s appointment s thatbweek simsaid ok gemaike 61 limo in neck fir 6 weeks magically an appointment at 12 noon ,

saw dr 15 May immediately put in 14=day cancer pathway bloody hell I though t

saw consultant 29 May did d n a biopsy said latent TB whipped and danced round the room that was the consultant.said she would send it away comes backmweek,later oh by the way got timcheckmfor cancer 

spent a week ok latent Tb where have I got

a wek later walked into rooms bedore I sat down squamous cancer cells sorry I was reckless last week. Umm just a little , shoved camera up my nose pronounced umm cancer in the tounge will have to take half of tongue n 3 Radiotherapy sessions ..how wrong yet again was she.

biopsy 25 June has mri and ct scan week before different consul lovely man gently said cancer of tonsil could have kissed him nothing in my tongue . 

Saw oncology week kater n treatmentbstarted 16/July 7;weeks radiotherapy and 2 chemotherapy sessions been in recovery 15 weeks .

pet ctbscan 3 jan results 14=Jan 

pam h p v 16/+ dr reckons the flu I had late December dropped my immune system n in the cancer popped I had had quinces in thatbronsil in 2003.

cant help with amino acid sorry

hazel 

Hi Eric 

Brief timeline - my hubby first felt a slightly enlarged lymph node on the right side of his neck at the end of October 2015. As he had a cold to be honest we thought it was due to that. However by the end of November the swelling was still there and it had grown. We visited the GP who at first thought it was a thyroid problem. When his blood tests came back clear we saw another GP who immediately referred him on the 2 week cancer pathway to an ENT Consultant. We saw the consultant on the 8 th December, had a Ultrasound with FNA on the 9th December, results confirming SCCancer on the 11th December, CT head and chest with contrast on the 12th December, tonsillectomy and further biopsies 15th December and eventually started 6weeks of Chemoradiation on the 8th February. He had few symptoms other than night sweats and the swelling- no sore throats etc

12 weeks aftet completing the treatment and following his PET-CT he underwent a neck dissection as his lymph node tumour hadnt cleared. 

Hope this hells and good luck

best wishes

Emma

Hi Gary 

Hope you managed to have a relaxing Christmas before you start your treatment . Baggies snatched a draw today so creeping up on Norwich ! and I see you guys got a draw too . 

Sending you best wishes 

Emma xxx