Finished Treatment Now What?

jthornsbury
jthornsbury Member Posts: 62
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Finished treatment on April 19th 30X rad with no chemo! Now the waiting game and it is driving me crazy!

Had more of a bad reaction to the Ativan was put on during treatment and am finally getting a couple of hours of sleep at night! How does one deal with the waiting game that will be a part of our life from now on? Go for first scan on June 10th - a little over 10 days away and find it hard to concentrate on anything else. Have severe dry mouth but no pain or sores and mucus was not a big issue either...in that case seems like I had it pretty easy. Still experiencing harsh fatigue and know that will take months to be back to "normal".

My team has explained my followup will be ever 3months first year/ six monts second year / one a year after.  Keep seeing different things but am going to MD Anderson in Houston so trust they know the drill...

 

Comments

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #2
    Waiting

    I deal with scans by telling myself the handwriting is already on the wall and worry won't change it. Prayers that nothing comes up and if it does I will deal with it then. I was given today to enjoy and don't want to spend it worrying about something that may or may not ever come to be. Sometimes easier said than done. 

    Be positive! I got every bit of my energy back week 6 post tx and a year later have more energy than I ever did before dx.

     

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #3
    Now What....

    Congrats..., actual it sounds like you pretty much already know now what..., LOL.

    Other than waiting, taking a day at a time, and slow imrovement over the next few months, not much.

    Various aches, pains. sore spots and what not..., you strive to keep up on hydration, calories and a positive attitude, and deal with anything else that pops up.

    Best ~ John

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #4
    finished treatments

    jthhornsbury,

    Congratulations on finishing treatments.  Sounds like your first check-up is at 6 weeks not 12 weeks (3 months), so be ready for any “hot spots”. Scanxiety is just par for the course, for me it has been limited to a few days to a week before. Keep yourself busy (somehow).  I can’t sit and dwell on the what ifs, it will make me crazy.  Once you get a few good check-ups under your belt you will do better.

    Dry mouth is a bummer, there are things which help, but it does improve.

    I replay the words of my ENT over and over “you did well, it looks like we got it”. 

    Matt

  • Duggie88
    Duggie88 Member Posts: 760 Member
    #5
    It's a Wonderful Life

    Life goes on JT with you or without you. Like the others stated it is what it is. Whatever happens now is happening while you are on the green side of the grass so make the most of it. Thank God for today and tell him you look forward to tomorrow. June 10th will come and go and standing idle is lost time. I know it's tough I had my first PET scan and had to wait 2 weeks for the results and when I stopped to think about it , it drove me cocoa for cocoa puffs. The doctor told me I was clean (or NED), I left the office went into the parking lot and called my son and lost it. I hadn't cried that hard since my Mom told me there was no Santa Clause when I was in 11th grade, well maybe it was 1st grade. I have another PET coming up in July (every 8 months now) and it does get easier. Enjoy today, it's practice for tomorrow. You only get one shot at today, don't let it slip away.

    Let's all party and celebrate after your NED results.

          Jeff

  • peggylulu
    peggylulu Member Posts: 375
    #6
    Now what

    Wow sounds like you did have a lot less side effects than most ! I too only had Radiation tx -33 . I lost a lot of weight and muscle and got very weak. I'm still mosly on liquids (soups Insure etc) but I have almost all of my energy back , probably since about 5 mos. out. If you can drink plenty of water and eat lots of calories it wont take you very long to get your strength back. you could not be at a better Cancer center .! In fact I just got home from Houston yesterday ! Did you by chance see Dr. Meyer or Dr Phan ?I really did like Dr. Phan and he is super smart ! I don't know where you are dealing with your side effects but I slept in a Recliner for probably the first 6 weeks if you haven't tried it you might see if it helps. Maybe in a couple of weeks you will start sleeping  . I still take Tylenol or Xanax at bedtime and that helps me a lot. I hope this will help .

    Peggy

     

  • Netracer61
    Netracer61 Member Posts: 14
    #7
    Time to live

    Now is the time to build up your strength and live. Anytime wasted worrying is just a waste of time. Go for the gusto, life is short , enjoy it the best you can, while you can and never give up.

  • jthornsbury
    jthornsbury Member Posts: 62
    #8
    peggylulu said:

    Now what

    Wow sounds like you did have a lot less side effects than most ! I too only had Radiation tx -33 . I lost a lot of weight and muscle and got very weak. I'm still mosly on liquids (soups Insure etc) but I have almost all of my energy back , probably since about 5 mos. out. If you can drink plenty of water and eat lots of calories it wont take you very long to get your strength back. you could not be at a better Cancer center .! In fact I just got home from Houston yesterday ! Did you by chance see Dr. Meyer or Dr Phan ?I really did like Dr. Phan and he is super smart ! I don't know where you are dealing with your side effects but I slept in a Recliner for probably the first 6 weeks if you haven't tried it you might see if it helps. Maybe in a couple of weeks you will start sleeping  . I still take Tylenol or Xanax at bedtime and that helps me a lot. I hope this will help .

    Peggy

     

    Thanks.

    I am seen by Dr. Diaz and Dr. Beadle.  Great MD's and have been very thankful for their care.  It is more dealing with restlessness and some bad side effects from Ativan which I have now been taken off.  Still only getting about 4 to 5 hours a night and need to start back to work in the next month.  Still on Codine for the pain but cutting back on that as well.  I am thankful that the side effects were not as severe as others but really need to get some sleep.  Thanks for the encouraging word.

  • jthornsbury
    jthornsbury Member Posts: 62
    #9
    peggylulu said:

    Now what

    Wow sounds like you did have a lot less side effects than most ! I too only had Radiation tx -33 . I lost a lot of weight and muscle and got very weak. I'm still mosly on liquids (soups Insure etc) but I have almost all of my energy back , probably since about 5 mos. out. If you can drink plenty of water and eat lots of calories it wont take you very long to get your strength back. you could not be at a better Cancer center .! In fact I just got home from Houston yesterday ! Did you by chance see Dr. Meyer or Dr Phan ?I really did like Dr. Phan and he is super smart ! I don't know where you are dealing with your side effects but I slept in a Recliner for probably the first 6 weeks if you haven't tried it you might see if it helps. Maybe in a couple of weeks you will start sleeping  . I still take Tylenol or Xanax at bedtime and that helps me a lot. I hope this will help .

    Peggy

     

    Thanks.

    I am seen by Dr. Diaz and Dr. Beadle.  Great MD's and have been very thankful for their care.  It is more dealing with restlessness and some bad side effects from Ativan which I have now been taken off.  Still only getting about 4 to 5 hours a night and need to start back to work in the next month.  Still on Codine for the pain but cutting back on that as well.  I am thankful that the side effects were not as severe as others but really need to get some sleep.  Thanks for the encouraging word.

  • HobbsDoggy
    HobbsDoggy Member Posts: 276
    #10
    Anxious

    Wish I knew a way to get rid of anxity about cancer and the tests that happen after treatment, but I don't.  I think the keeping busy advice is the best, still its going the anxity will pop up no matter what I do to keep it at bay.  I think it is just because we are human and that it is normal.  I found going to a cancer surviors group helpful.  Seem counter intutive that talking about the cancer would make me relax about the future, but it does.  Getting the fear out in the open and hearing others stories helps a lot.

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