Tonsillectomy and panendoscopy booked

Hi Worrylo that's exactly what I had a tonsillectomy and a pan endoscopy as part of my treatment, then followed by 30 RT sessions and 6 chemo sessions. I had 2 lymph nodes affected, which the RT dealt with. They do sometimes remove lymph nodes, people on here have had them removed, so hopefully they will come on and give you some info on that. Hope you feel better, now things have started to move on, I know I did. Any questions just ask.

Ray.

Hi the gold standard treatment is usually chemo radiotherapy I had tonsil cancer snd 7 lymph nodes which radiotherapy got rid off. Make sure he has plenty of pain relief after  tonsillectomy, some trusts so neck dissections.  Treatment for me was 3.5 weeks after biopsy. It depends on availa if radiotherapy machines. I was at a large cancer Center Leeds so had 12 machines available. 
Once treatment starts you get into the swing of things. Keep off dr google. 

Hazel 

Worrylo said:

Do they ever remove the lymph in the neck or is radiotherapy the usual treatment?

Hi. Some trusts do, some not. Neck dissections are very invasive and can have nasty long term consequences so a lot of centres are now abandoning them  and treating with radiotherapy which seems to be just as effective in reaching a cure. 

Worrylo said:

Also how long after the biopsy will they start radiotherapy usually? 

That’s one to ask your team. NICE recommends RT is started within 10 weeks of surgery but it depends on capacity. My treatment started eight weeks. 

Hi Worrylo. I had tonsillectomy and base of tongue removal, then another operation to remove more under where the left tonsil had been, and more base of tongue. I cannot advise about chemotherapy or radiotherapy because I didn’t have that. On my second operation I had a neck dissection to remove the swollen lymph node and was told another 25 had been removed at the same time. I did have some neck pain and stiffness for a few month, but that’s all gone now with the occasional twinge. I am in the third year since my operation. The scar is almost invisible, I cannot speak for everyone, because the operation affects people differently, but I have been fine since my neck dissection. Your Consultant is the best person to advise you 

Hi Worrylo

I've had 2 dissections removing lymph nodes.  As has already been said they affect people differently and in my case I had some impairment in my shoulder/arm but that was fully gone in 18 months and really has not limited me in any way.  You really have to search to find my scars.  I think modern techniques are so much better than those of even a decade ago.  I sounds daunting but actually I found the dissection far easier to manage than the tonsillectomy.

With the tonsillectomy keep on top of the painkillers.  The tonsillectomy lulls you into a false sense of security of little pain for the first few days.  After that it builds exponentially, but hold onto the fact that by day 12 -14 you will be wondering what all the fuss was about!