Hi Andrew sorry to hear your cancer has returned. My husband was diagnosed last year with cancer of the left tonsil which had spread to one lymph node. (Also P16 pos) The left tonsil was removed and whilst all surrounding biopsies were clear, he received radiotherapy x 30 and 2 x chemotherapy. He is now a year after finish of treatment and so far so good.   I hope for you too that the radio/chemotherapy will see off your cancer.  As I’m sure you know the P16 Positive cancers has a better prognosis than other head and neck cancers.  Let us know how you get on and all the best for  a positive outcome. ... View more

Thank you Craig, very humbling and emotional. As the partner of someone going through  this nightmare, it’s a salutary read...but helps to understand what’s going on, when sometimes our loved ones can’t enunciate it. ... View more

As you probably know Stace, it can be quite tough.... I feel like I’m grieving a bit for our old, pre cancer life and also I’ve lost my buddy, my partner in crime and my best friend....he still physically inhabits the space and has retained a sense of humour which is admirable in the circumstances,  but, well, life is different.   i know that will change as side effects begin to drop away but I think we are both changed by the journey.   I feel sad seeing him go through the dreadful side effects, the days when he is nearly crying as he can’t taste a favourite dish.... I guess I would say we endure, whilst we seek to find our new normal... ... View more

Hi Stace the important thing is everyone is different. My OH like yours was extremely disciplined with meds and mouthwashes. He used the two step R1/R2 skin products, designed for radiotherapy treatment and has had no skin breakdown! He managed to eat and swallow right until the end of the treatment.   he is now two and a half weeks post radiotherapy (which carries on working for at least two weeks afterward)   The hardest thing is the lack of taste and dry mouth which makes eating a chore and he has lost weight.  However all in all the side effects have been manageable.  Hope you find the same. ... View more

Hi everyone! This thread has been really interesting and informative so a big thank you to all the contributors!  My partner has recently started treatment following diagnosis of HNSCC, P16 positive.  He initially found a lump left side of neck and ignored it suspecting glands up following an ear infection. After three months he went to the Doc who said we will treat as cancer “until it’s not”.  Three biopsies an MRI and CT scan revealed secondary cancer in the node but unknown primary.  A follow up PET scan revealed the primary cancer in the left tonsil. This was removed by surgery in May. He has now started treatment, so surprised that every where seems to have slightly different treatment regimes, my partner is being treated at Royal Marsden in London, uk 🇬🇧. Day 1 was Cisplatin and start of radiotherapy 65gray x 30, with another Cisplatin on day 20. We have been told that neck surgery to remove cancerous lymph node is no longer looked at as an effective treatment in the UK and that interestingly Cisplatin twice during the radiotherapy has been shown to be as effective as weekly, based on clinical trials here.     Iniitial diagnosis and tonsillectomy was done under private medical insurance but we have now transferred to NHS as the majority of cancer care here is NHS.     We looked at proton beam therapy, there is only one NHS machine at the moment in Manchester, which wouldn’t have been available to him, so we would have had to self fund as the insurance company said this treatment wasn’t covered.   I have researched so much and having found you all I at least know what to expect.  My partner prefers not to know too much as that’s how he can deal with it.  We are all different I guess.   thanks again I think you are all amazing and an absolute God send to me. ... View more