I am meeting with the hospital dentist today to decide how many teeth I can keep ahead of my radiotherapy treatment to my neck. I asked my nurse last week how they would replace any they remove. She replied without a moment's hesitation, 'They won't. You can't have any replaced or even dentures fitted for at least a year after treatment until your gums have recovered.' Time stopped, I felt physically sick with fear and I felt myself zoom back from the room, like a fast camera movement on a TV show. I'm picturing myself: no hair, no teeth, a feeding tube poking from my stomach, no ability to produce saliva, a burn on my neck. It ain't pretty.
