I always feel like it is easy to say after treatment is finished, but I hope the person realises that we were all in their shoes at one stage or another and have come out the other end. 🙂 As with Mark I am back to work fulltime plus and loving it. I was a total wreck after treatment and pretty much weak as a kitten and a damaged soul really. My skin was quite bad and I only just sneaked the last couple of rt's through. Tinned spaghetti was a good one for me as it just slid down the throat. Hang in there David and it will soon be over. Rest up as much as you can and just be kind to yourself and get through this last bit the best way you can. Julie ... View more

Hi David Radiotherapy to head and neck does get pretty tough towards the end of your treatment. Are you taking any pain killers at all and if so what in particular? It takes a while for the effects of rt to subside, so just be prepared for that one. In saying that it does get better over time. Are you able to maintain your oral hygiene? How's your skin hanging in there? Hang in there it does finish and then slowly starts to get better. Julie ... View more

Hiya Ruby I was on oxycontin aswell as morhpine, plus two other drugs. I was admitted to hospital after my 2nd chemo due to side effects and wasn't given any of my normal drugs. I did not sleep for the four days I was in there and commented to a nurse that I was having problems. No one said anything and it was not until much later that I found out it was due to withdrawals and being instantly taken off the drugs rather than a slow process. Hope you are feeling better. Julie ... View more

Hi Caitlin Personally I would be very wary of some of the alternative treatments offered. A lot of these schemes are just scams to rip money out of people when they are most vulnerable. I would certainly be looking at the validity of their claims! All the best. Julie ... View more

Hey abs Do whatever it is you need to do. So if you can't do salt water find an alternative as you have already said you will do. Throughout your treatment you will find eggs wonderful. I used to make omellettes all the time and put veges in there aswell. You might want to think of a way to get some carbs into you aswell and soups are a good way with that and / or pasta. You will know what is best for you. :) THere are all sorts of sprays you can get to help with any pain you might get. Salt water soaks are just saline water. I used to make up a litre to one point five litre a day and keep it in the fridge. Then I would take two clean flannels and soak them in some saline water and then slightly wring them out and place on the area where I was being irradiated. It helped me tremendously even though my skin was a mess at the end. I honestly thought it would be that bad at the beginning or at the very least half way through. We were all scared before we started treatment and I was scared during it also and found it quite difficult to overcome hurdles. I didn't have anyone I could talk to about the treatment, so I hope that you find this site some help to you. All the best. Julie ... View more

Hiya Radiation can get tough but it is doable and there are things you can do to help yourself. Stay in close touch with your cancer nurse. Start salt water soaks straight away, don't wait for the skin to show any signs of being burnt. Oral hugiene eg salt and bicarb mouth wash. Eat as well as you can and seek help if you cannot, it is important to maintain weight so that your mask does not become too big and also it helps you to get through and with the fatigue. Experiment with food and keep an eye out for soft food recipes that are easy to eat. I had radiotherapy and didn't have to take any pain killers. My skin suffered the most despite treating it from the outset, but I have very sensitive neck skin anyway. I managed to eat all the way through with some weight loss but nothing too drastic. I was lucky and there are others that go through far worse. I don't think you can really tell from the outset, just deal with the affects as and when they happen. There are ways of helping - refer back to the cancer nurse bit. I wish you luck and just think day 1 is one day over and done with. Julie ... View more

Hey Tash Yw re the site and hope you get some value out of it. It is hard to adjust to the "new normal". I also have some hearing loss, just found out after my job medical and have to apparently seek further assistance with it, not sure what that entails just yet though. Julie ... View more

Tashie Your welcome. :) Friends can be wonderful but most don't understand the extent to which we suffer when we get a cancer diagnosis. I guess we have to be understanding of them also and never the twain shall meet, perhaps? At least on this particular issue. Radiation can affect the thyroid of head and neck patients and lots suffer from thyroid problems afterwards. It is good to at least have a reason even if the reason isn't that great. Take care Julie ... View more

Hi Tashie Head and neck cancer treatments leave terrible side effects which are tough to get your head around and certainly make life challenging! There are a bunch of us on a facebook group and it is a very active group that offers heaps of support. It is called survivors of head and neck cancer if you are interested. It has a base of 600 plus members and all very active and supportive to one another. I am wondering if I need to get my thyroid checked as I couldn't stand the cold last winter and normally it doesn't particularly worry me. Take care Julie ... View more

Hi Fi It is tough being in the country and not having many resources available. I hope you can get a little bit more help and also find some comfort in being able to blog here and perhaps connect with people who can give you the understanding that everyone needs at a time like this. Julie ... View more