Hello

Hi Tim, I can't offer you any advice as I am new to this and have only just started my radiotherapy journey. But I can assure you that there are some really experienced and helpful people offering advice and support in this group.I am sure they will reply soon.

Good luck on the next stage of your jopurney.

Brian

Hi Tim welcome to our small group. I’m 3 years post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer with several affected lymph nodes. We all recover at different rates turning points are usually in small increments 6 weeks 12 weeks 6 months. Things start to return gradually for most of us. I had a n g feedi g tube in from week 3 treatment until week 4 recivery. Best advise I can give you is forget about eating for pleasure for a while foid is fuel eat to live not live to eat was my mantra. For ne I’ve accepted that spicy food curry’s etc won’t be in my food repertoire any longer. For me I never thought myself as disabled  I’ve travelled abroad since week 8 of recovery.  Now I  ride my bike 50 lm a day quite happily I’m lucky that we both had retired just before my cancer diagnosis. I can do most things I did before cancer. There is light at the end of the tunnel it just takes a bit of finding. 
hope this helps 

Hazel 

Thanks for your message Brian, I wish you all the best with your radiotherapy.

Thank you Hazel, that is very encouraging, particularly the cycling, which I'm missing a lot. I'm really glad you've been able to carry on doing so many things!

Hi you’re welcome sheer grit snd determination got ne on my bike eeek 8 of recovery I did 8 km was hard but it did it. I also dragged myself out for a walk every day some days onky around my street but it helped. 
Hazel x

Hi Tim

It's very difficult to say how long the side effects of treatment will last as we all tend to recover at different rates.

For me, my taste was awful for months afterwards but I think I was unlucky as the majority seem to start to recover their taste in weeks with it gradually improving over time.

I was told that recovery would take anything from 1 - 2 years but generally people do start to feel they turn a corner at 12 weeks.

As regards returning to work, a lot of people find it helps to start back gently doing part time hours and then building up.  I've read people returning 6 - 9 months after the end of treatment but again, it depends on each individual.

You'll also probably find that recovery won't be a steady incline.  You'll have days where you feel much better and then you may have days where you feel you're going backwards.  This seems to be fairly normal for most people so it's important to learn to pace yourself.

Don't lose sight of your plans.  As many on this forum will testify, life may be a little different but most will stil lead fulfilling lives!

Linda x

Without wishing to sound patronising Tim, it takes time and patience. It’s a year this week since my surgery (for tonsillar SCC) and 9 months since I finished chemoradiation. I am now living life pretty normally but I don’t feel ‘back to normal’ and don’t expect I ever totally will. Recovery is a slow process and happens in tiny, tiny steps. Maddeningly it’s often two steps forward and one step back and then gradually you realise things are gradually improving. I still have a stiff neck, I have to be careful in the sun and need to have water on hand when I eat. The area where my tonsil joins my tongue still feels weird even now but is not painful. But I feel really well in myself, am eating well and managing to do daily exercise. I know we are all different, but getting outside as often as possible and keeping busy has been the very best tonic for me. 
I wish you all the best for your recovery. 

Thanks very much Linda, that is really helpful and encouraging. It is good to hear what people have been able to do after their treatment.

Thank you Mark, that is not patronising at all. Hearing from other people who have gone through the same process (or worse, as I didn't have chemo) helps so much.

I'm really glad to hear you feel well in yourself, thanks for your kind message.

I am a nosey bugger. Where does the "howisyourdog" come from? I have been a dog person all of my life.