Appointment for tests and set up for rads..a little scared

Laralyn

Welcome!
I'm glad you found us. :-)

As others have said, yes, this is tough. My doctor told me a couple times that head and neck cancer treatment was the most brutal treatment they give, short of bone marrow transplant. But keep in mind that it's different for everyone, so don't assume every bad thing you read is going to happen to you. Your experience will be uniquely yours, and you may be one of the folks who sails through with minimal complications and side effects.

Ask your doctor about MuGard. They have a website (www.Mugard.com) where you can get a form for your doctor to fill out and get it shipped directly to you. Those of us who used it during treatment had lower incidences of painful mouth sores, and if you can get it, it's worth trying!

Don't hesitate to ask any questions, and the one thing I have learned: this is the place where you can come and tell people how you really feel and what's really going on. That's invaluable.

Skiffin16

Welcome PJM
Here is the link to the SuperThread P51 mentioned;


SuperThread"

Sorry I was a little late for the party.

Grouper season opened up Sunday and I was out diggin grouper out of Tampa Bay most of the day....caught my limit too


Grouper Time

I also had the 35 daily Rads session (along with sixteen weeks of chemo).

Like you, I was pretty much in a state of anxiety my first nine weeks of chemo, just anticipating the mask.

My chemo MD prescribed Xanax for me...

It was the best thing ever to knock the edge off of the anxiety. It was just a matter of getting through the first few days.

I could drive with the Xanax too, it just helped knock off the anxiety. But later in the day I would be pretty tired and drugged out feeling.

So I cut them in half the next day, cut it again the rest of that first week. By the second week I was use to the routine and never needed them again.

Also for the radiation sessions, bring a cd of your choice. That helped me a lot also, it gave me a reference point on time...each song being 3- 4 minutes long. I knew with four songs or so the session would be over.

Also wear loose comfy clothes... I just wore loose baggy shorts and a tank top and slip on shoes.

I'd just take the tank top off, and they'd lay either warm sheet over me (it was pretty cold in there).

You'll figure out what works best for you.....some facilities will cut the eye holes out to help with anxiety also.

Best,
John

KTeacher

Skiffin16 said:

Welcome PJM
Here is the link to the SuperThread P51 mentioned;


SuperThread"

Sorry I was a little late for the party.

Grouper season opened up Sunday and I was out diggin grouper out of Tampa Bay most of the day....caught my limit too


Grouper Time

I also had the 35 daily Rads session (along with sixteen weeks of chemo).

Like you, I was pretty much in a state of anxiety my first nine weeks of chemo, just anticipating the mask.

My chemo MD prescribed Xanax for me...

It was the best thing ever to knock the edge off of the anxiety. It was just a matter of getting through the first few days.

I could drive with the Xanax too, it just helped knock off the anxiety. But later in the day I would be pretty tired and drugged out feeling.

So I cut them in half the next day, cut it again the rest of that first week. By the second week I was use to the routine and never needed them again.

Also for the radiation sessions, bring a cd of your choice. That helped me a lot also, it gave me a reference point on time...each song being 3- 4 minutes long. I knew with four songs or so the session would be over.

Also wear loose comfy clothes... I just wore loose baggy shorts and a tank top and slip on shoes.

I'd just take the tank top off, and they'd lay either warm sheet over me (it was pretty cold in there).

You'll figure out what works best for you.....some facilities will cut the eye holes out to help with anxiety also.

Best,
John

Good Catch
I thought that you were out fishing! I new that we could count on you to link the Superthread, thank you. Glad that you had a good day out on the water too.