Hola from Spain

Of course you are very welcome here posting from Spain, I’m just sorry that you have the diagnosis. You will get plenty of help from people with a similar cancer to yours. Mine was a cancer on the gum, but I can attest to the general rule with head and neck cancers that treatments are challenging but with a good success rate.

Hi Khrys  Of course you’re welcome. Where abouts  in Spain are you. We’ve a few members over the years from abroad. I have just return from 9 week on the Costa Calida Murcia. Has h p v been  mentioned ? SCC cancers orally often are. The treatment is hard but the tumours respond very well. I’m almost 4 years post treatment for tonsil cancer with several affected lymph nodes. Happily living my life. 
many questions just shout the waiting is the worst part. 
Hazel x

HI KHRYS and welcome from me too. I have two nodules in my lungs. They are very common in older people. 

Sorry about the pain the tumour ids causing you already. You'll find that when RT starts it will actually get better fairly quickly, before the pain of the treatment kicks in. You need to discuss your opiate intolerance with your team because you are going to need something pretty heavy. Morphine makes me sick and spaced out......but I had to take it and I managed. 

Throat cancer is eminently treatable so stay with us while you need a little help and support

Thank you to you all for the warm welcome, it’s so good to know I’m not alone although I wish none of us needed to be here at all. I’m in Southern Spain in the Guadalhorce Valley in the mountains up behind the Costa del Sol. I think my treatment centre will be down in Malaga which will be a bit of a trek but it will have to be done. I should get my PET-CT scan results Monday so should know more by the end of the week. I have a feeling I’m going to be asking lots of questions over the next few weeks!

Ask away. No question is silly and there will always be somebody to answer it. I used to have an up to 2 hour drive on a bad day each way for RT so can sympathise 

Hi My journey on a bad day was  90 minutes Check if you have a MABS cancer centre in the costa del  presume you’re a U.K. citizen living over there ? There’s one in the Costa Blanca they do offer cancer helplines might be worth looking j ti. Just ask in here been there done it so ti speak between us we can help in most situations 
Hazel 

My journey was just fifteen miles each way, half an hour if rush hour in Exeter was involved (which it usually was); drove myself to the first 31 RT sessions (probably not very sensible but nobody told me not to) before I was admitted for the last four. Got lucky I guess.

And hola back at you Khrys, sorry you find yourself here but it's a great resource with great people so pleased you found us.

Hi Khrys

Welcome to the forum. I live in Australia so also am a bit out of the area.  I have been part of the forum for about 2 years and have found it so helpful. Everyone is so supportive and understands exactly what you are going through. I had cancer of the jaw but the treatment was the same as for other head and neck cancers. The radiotherapy can be a bit hard but we have all got through it. Not everyone has the same side effects.

I was lucky where I live in Adelaide as my radiotherapy centre was only 15 minutes away and I managed to drive myself to most of my sessions. One of my daughters did drive me for the last few sessions which was lovely of her.

There is a very good success rate with treatment for head and neck cancers so remain positive and keep asking any questions you have as someone will have experienced something similar.

Best wishes to you for your treatment.

Lyn

Hi Khrys and a belated welcome from me.  Like you I hate opiods.  In fact I think I am one of a small percentage of the population that really gains little benefit from the standard ones.  Personally I found the paracetamol worked very well for me, but was relatively short lived.  Alternating paracetamol with Ibuprofen helped prolong the pain relief.  Whatever you do don't be tempted to take more than the daily dose of your meds.  I only had surgery and once I learned that oramorph just did nothing for me and co-codamol was just horrible I spoke to my anaesthetist and got his opinion on what may work and what he prescribed certainly helped.

Another thing to consider and discuss is that transdermal opiates can be tolerated much better than oral ones. Just a thought