I'm a 1 1/2 year survivor.

i_m_ok

You guys probably know the story: I went to the doctor with a chronic sore throat, was referred to E.N.T., who referred me to Oncology. They quickly put me on radiation (five days/wk for six weeks) and chemo (I.V., four times over the same six weeks).
It had progressed to Stage IV, but they seem to have found and treated any tumors. That's well passed and subsequent exams by Onco and E.N.T. have all come up negative for recurrence. I feel very lucky: I had really good care and support, and am doing well so far.
Yeah, during the therapy I had a sore throat. I had difficulty swallowing -- so bad that I lost 70 pounds and at one point became so dehydrated that I was comatose and could not be awakened. That sounds bad, but I didn't really feel bad. Some people close to me -- especially my fiancee -- were frightened, but it all seemed rather easy from my perspective.
Eat, drink (fluids) and be merry! That's what you need in order to survive the hard times.
A somewhat unusual thing happened a year later: I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It's a totally different kind of tissue, so it wasn't a metastasis of the first cancer.
If you have any questions, I'll try to answer 'em.