Treatment starts in 2 weeks

Hi Andy. I remember your earlier posts. Welcome back if you know what I mean. 
Hang around. There are plenty of people to help you. Don’t be full of too much dread. Not everybody gets all the side effects and things don’t happen much till you’ve had two weeks of radiotherapy. Being in a trial I guess you’ll be monitored more closely which is a good thing. 
We are all interested in innovation as things change rapidly and treatments have moved along even since the two years that I finished so do keep us in the loop. 
Can I ask what stage you’ve been given if that’s not too impertinent? 
And yes, HPV driven SCC responds extremely well to RT

Good luck and best wishes 

Hi Andy. Welcome to the club none of us want to be in but here you are we are a small friendly community. Any questions were always happy to try and help. Like  Dani says the first 2 weeks you don’t notice many changes. Keep  us in loop re trial. Yes h p  v driven tumours  have  an excellent success rate. I am 30 month post radiotherapy and living my life to the max. 
keep in touch Hazel x

Hi, Andy. Once you get started into your treatment, it will become your daily routine, It is a tough few weeks, but it is doable. Many of us on here have done it, and will help you with any worries you have along the way. Ask any questions you have, someone will always answer them , if they can. All the best best with the treatment.

Regards Ray.

Hi Andy - good luck with the treatment.  I can't comment on the radio and chemo as I am on the surgical pathway at the moment.  What I can say is just ask the questions and most certainly someone has some experience in your particular situation and can offer advice.

Hi Andy, 

Its normal to feel worried about the treatment, i certainly did

But as others have mentioned the treatment does not kick in straight away, it varies by person but i was still gaining weight and stuffing my face with comfort food till week four...that was when my mouth got sore.

And you do get better after treatment.

Yes HPV16 reacts really well to treatment. 

If you are part of a trial i imagine they will keep a very close eye on you, good luck and please post if you have any questions at all, the site has been a life saver for me.

Trev

Many thanks, used the part of your blog (and Hazel's) to start buying some of the products recommended for during treatment, probably could get them on prescription but its nice to have that feeling of control, however limited it might be.

You’ll be fine. 
Once you start treatment you’ll get sent home with a pharmacy. 
I still have some if mine

Hi Andy I am just a month out of 30 radio and 4 chemo and on the mend. Certainly spending loads of time watching tv . Dont worry about what you have to go through as we are all different. Taking it one day at a time helps . All The Best Regards Min 

Hi Andy.  I Could have written your exact post about six weeks ago. Same diagnosis, same treatment plan. And I was daunted by what lay ahead to say the least. I'm now two radio sessions away from the end of treatment (33 down!). I understand things can get a bit worse for a couple of weeks before they get better but I feel that the end is in sight and hopefully things will start to turn around soon.

So everyone will tell you we are all different and we are, with different pain thresholds, motivations, idea of what is comfortable etc. I have to say that while the experience hasn't exactly been a picnic, it hasn't been as bad as I had feared.  I did find the few days after the Chemo sessions the roughest as I was nauseous quite a lot. Yes there are side effects, but your team will give you meds and strategies for coping with them. And it is usually a gradual process so you get a feel for it while it slowly ramps up. I was still eating some solid food until week 5 but am now entirely reliant on my PEG. My throat is quite sore now but it has only been this week that I have had to turn to pain relief.The hardest thing for me has been the loss of appetite and the absolute trial it became to eat, but I've made my peace with it and know I will be tube-feeding for a few more weeks (or less hopefully).

With my diagnosis the consultant told me," its treatable and beatable". That has been my mantra if I wake up in the night and am alone with my thoughts. In some ways the treatment stage has given me something to focus on. As my MacMillan nurse told me - this is you full time job now  - and she was right. I guess the anxiety will ramp up as I recover then move towards the point where I find out if it has worked or not. I'm definitely an advocate of the one day at at a time approach.

Sorry - a bit  of a long-winded way of saying that it might not be as bad as you think it is going to be and that you will get through  it as we all are/have.

Unknown said:

As my MacMillan nurse told me - this is you full time job now  - and she was right.

Now that’s an excellent view ( the rest of your post is great too ) 

That’s just what it is. It’s a full time job and food is simply fuel. 
Thanks