Hi everyone 

I am currently 6 weeks post treatment , and the following is a brief insight into my journey so far .

I was diagnosed with cancer to my left tonsil in April this year which had also spread to my neck . In January this year I had noticed a small lump behind my left jaw bone , I had two blood tests via my GP which were clear , after various scans I then received the bad news from a blood cancer Consultant ( they initially thought it was blood related  ) that I had cancer of the left tonsil ,  the next 3 days were quite an emotional rollercoaster until I saw a specialist Consultant in tonsil cancer , he took one look in my mouth and said “ yes we can sort this “ followed by “ 6 weeks treatment job done “ these quotes I wrote down and are currently on my fridge !  i nearly leapt out of the chair in relief as it looked like I could be cured !!  , this was on the 12th of April and I started treatment on the 20th of May . The pre treatment assessment was a busy day with lots of information to digest . My treatment consisted of 30 rounds of radiotherapy over 6 weeks and 2 lots of chemotherapy , one on day 1 and 1 at the start of week 3 . Receiving both treatments I found not a problem , the mask during  radiotherapy was fine and I actually found this part of treatment relaxing , and feeling the tumours in my neck shrinking fairly early on was a real boost . It was and is the side effects that remained the biggest challenge . On the evening of day one I had the most painful hiccups that lasted all night in hour long bouts with about 30 minute respite in between , these were coupled with painful reflux , this lasted for 3 days and were a side effect of the chemo , I was given meds for the reflux , i remember it being a shock having side effects so early on , the hiccups returned after the second round of chemo but at least I knew what to expect ! I lost some hair at my lower neck due to radiotherapy but this is slowly growing back . I didn’t get the feeding tube and managed to push myself through treatment and only lost about 5 kilos , but at times it was hard going . One thing that really helped was the list of jaw and throat exercises the speech therapist gave me , these I tried to do as much as possible . The radiation burns were pretty rough around my neck around week 5 but I was given some dressings that secrete a liquid that helps to take the soreness away , these really helped , my burns now have healed and faded really well and I continue to use Cetreban cream twice a day . I had been told the immediate weeks after treatment would be the worse and they were , with a mouth and tongue covered in ulcers and extreme sore throat ,eating anything was a challenge , full fat milk with nesquick and  Fortisip high calorie drinks have really helped . Mentally the first 3 weeks post treatment were really tough , I had some real low points during this period but had great support from my wife which got me through .I think after the treatment period where you get used to going to the hospital , seeing people that are monitoring , treating and supporting you everyday , you are suddenly  at home and feel almost abandoned ! this I found difficult even though  my questions via email to my nurse etc were and are always answered . I had an assessment this week and the ulcers are clearing up and the throat is healing but slowly and there is pain and discomfort from this but I think after the brutal treatment the healing process will be slow and I am being a bit impatient . I am just trying to get my lost weight back as I lost a bit more post treatment . I would love a full nights sleep but waking with dry mouth or slight pain twice a night is the norm at the moment , but my progress since treatment I have been told is really good even if it doesn’t always feel like it  . I was put on the list for acupuncture as several hospitals took part in trials a while back and the conclusion was the results were too good to be a placebo , I found a local practitioner as I didn’t want to wait and have currently had 3 sessions of 6 , and hopefully by the end of treatment it will have helped . My saliva glands are working to a certain extent but I do have moments of dry mouth , I really hope they continue to work and even improve as this will make life so much more bareable . I should get my scan date soon to see the results of treatment and fingers will be tightly crossed for that . Right, I hope I haven’t bored you too much and any of you about to start treatment stay strong and try and push yourselves especially through the toughest  parts , its not an easy journey but the cure rate is high for our type of cancer so hold on to that !!. I still have a way to go but am trying to remain positive .

Good luck