I just wanted to post an update 12 months on from my husband's diagnosis. He had a lump in his neck for a couple of months before and was eventually diagnosed with tonsil cancer that had spread to neck lymph nodes but nowhere else thankfully. Almost exactly a year ago he had a tonsillectomy then embarked on a lengthy process of chemo and radiotherapy. Our lives were turned upside down. We were terrified and angry in equal measure at the sheer unfairness of it all, and I guess part of the grieving process for the life you had mapped out.
Hubby lost 3 stone in weight, struggled to eat, lost his sense of taste. The radiotherapy was gruelling and many times he wanted to stop.Thank goodness for the naso gastric tube that kept him alive for several months until he was able to start eating again. Fatigue was a huge problem, along with tinnitus and finding it difficult to concentrate. He tried to return to work 4 months after treatment finished, but it was too much too soon.
A full 12 months on he is about to start work again, much stronger and fitter than his first attempt. Lasting effects are lymphoedema and tinnitus,but he is still here which 12 months ago we really didn't have faith that he would be.
It's a long hard road with ups and downs, but keep going is all I can say. Wishing anyone reading this well. There is hope.
Great to hear he's getting back to something like his old self; it's a horrible, lengthy process, but the more stories of recovery we read the better. Many thanks for taking the time to report back, wish you all the best.
Metastatic SCC diagnosed 8th October 2013. Modified radical neck dissection November, thirty-five radiotherapy fractions with 2xCisplatin chemo Jan/Feb 2014. Recurrence on larynx diagnosed July 2020 so salvage laryngectomy in September 2020.
