Tonsil cancer

Good evening Perry, so sorry to hear about your diagnosis,as a fellow wife I feel for you. My husband had a similar diagnosis,he's now a little over a year post treatment. Our emotions were all over the place at the beginning. At the time we held on to being told that it was curable, but the road to recovery would be long and

bumpy. And it was. The treatment,30 RT and 2 CT,cisplatin were tolerable. My husband had his PEG fitted prior treatment,which was,like a lot of people before have said,a life line as three weeks into treatment,swallowing solids became impossible.As to dental treatment, my husband had one tooth taken out as a precaution,as it could potentially have caused problems. On this note, I wish you all the best for your journey,stay positive. Have you got loved ones to help you through? I wouldn't wish for anyone to go through this on there own. Stay on this site through your journey,there is always someone here to answer questions or give advise. Fellow wife Mel x

Hi Perry. Welcome. Stay with us. There is lots of help here. The treatment is really challenging but most of the acute effects can be mitigated. Take that feeding tube. It’s not swelling as such but pain. Pain makes swallowing nigh on impossible for a lot of us and it’s important to tell your radiographers every day how you feel. They will make sure your analgesia is spot on and will keep you comfortable 

Dont panic. This is all doable and will be over pretty quickly. 
Here’s a thread about treatment to get you started. 

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer-forum/f/diagnosis-and-treatment/287136/helpful-tips-for-those-about-to-start-treatment

Hi Perry, welcome to the group from me. It is a very worrying thing to be told, however once your treatment starts you will feel better about it all. I would always advise people to have a feeding tube if offered one, they can be a lifesaver if eating becomes difficult during or after treatment. They will only take out teeth that they think will be troublesome in the future. Many of us on here have had the same treatment with very good results, the cure rate is as high as 95%. Stick with us, we are here to help where we can, ask any questions, someone will always answer if they can.

Ray.

Very similar, the treatment is no picnic but is very doable, my feeding tube was a lifesaver, I had a PEG tube in place for around 5 months, used it during the night , fed by pump, the Abbott nurses should instruct you on how to use and maintain the unit.

I had 3 extractions, some have more others have less.

Mouth and throat ulceration is par for the course, again some suffer less than others.

Chemo has its own 'little' challenges, your oncology team will help you navigate them.

Taste and appetite usually go south for some time but eventually return to near normal levels.

This group is very helpful, great for support and solid advice, someone is always around to answer any question, or just for a natter.

Thankyou. I'm just scared of everything my brain going overtime. 

Thankyou  so much .How freely can you still move around with the feeding tube in.

Hi and welcome from me.  Being scared is natural.  You can express your concerns on here in total safety without judgement.  Whatever you do, don't google anything.  The majority of information is at best about old treatments and inaccurate in the modern world.  Try to keep busy whilst waiting for treatment to start.  The feeding tube will be your best friend during treatment and in the weeks after.  A few do have problems with the tube, but the vast majority don't. 

I will say that the treatment is brutal, the recovery torture, but life after is good and it is worth going through it to get to the other side.

Yes , it is a scary time, lots of unknowns, try to keep occupied, eat the things you like, treat yourself ....challenging times ahead....but they don't last forever....and stay away from Dr Google.

Thankyou

Yes I did the Google thing in the beginning  not helpful so am staying away from that.