Next Monday I get my pake put in my chest 14 days later I'll be starting chemo and radiation

arnoldbodner

Well I'm getting ready to start my chemotherapy and my radiation treatment on my throat yeah yeah I'm scared to death 5 weeks of chemo therapy and 5 weeks radiation it might not work we don't know they might have to go back in and do surgery or trying not to think about that

dabard

Sounds familiar to my schedule. I had 7 weeks. As I type this, I'm at the 8 year anniversary of when my treatments started. I also had the threat over me of surgery if all didn't go well. A full laryngectomy. My side-hustle is as a public speaker/coach, so the thought of losing my ability to speak was rather scary! I decided to do what was in my power to power thru the treatments. No surgery! And I crossed off a bucket list item 18 months later when I did a TedX talk on my experience. I would encourage you to watch it. I'm not selling anything! But you still have a lot of control over what happens to you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJRE7GuSHg&t=13s

arnoldbodner

I had my surgery already I saw them on a Friday and by the following Tuesday I had the surgery already done so right now we're on the next part of chemo and radiation on next Monday I'll be getting the pike put in and 14 days later will be starting radiation and chemotherapy

wbcgaruss

arnoldbodner, sorry you have to join the club here and go through this.

Since your surgery is done this is follow-up treatment to mop up any lingering cancer cells.

It is very difficult treatment, not necessarily the radiation and chemo but the recovery afterward is difficult.

It is very doable as many before you have done this.

Lean on your care team for any issues or questions you have and ask here also we may have had the same circumstances and can help.

I had H&N cancer 3 times and am proof the treatments work.

When you are referring to your pake or pike you are having put in I believe you are referring to what they call a port they put in your upper chest below the skin surface.

Also did they mention the possibility of needing or getting a feeding tube.

During my first cancer they would not start treatment till I got a feeding tube installed.

You may not need one, all cancer cases are unique as far as involvement and the exact area it is in.

If you need one or one is recommended go ahead and have one put in, they are a friend and a lifesaver when you can't get food down due to radiation treatments and swelling. Also your throat can get really sore and cause great difficulty swallowing, so the G-Tube is a blessing when needed and once recovered it is just pulled out.

You may not need one also because I see you are on a reduced radiation schedule as compared to the standard treatment of 7 weeks of radiation at 35 treatments.

I believe the official name is Port-A-Cath.

A port-a-cath is a small medical device implanted under the skin, typically in the chest, that provides easy access to a vein for administering medications, fluids, or drawing blood. It is commonly used for patients undergoing long-term treatments, such as chemotherapy, to reduce the need for repeated needle sticks.

I had one during my first cancer situation and trust me you will be so glad you have one of these.

What a vein saver.

The needle sticks for access to give your chemo treatments are really painless.

And they can do blood draws for testing, etc.

Here is a video of a fellow who had it done…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjJb1j09WM

Port-A-Cath Installed This Morning!

Here is another showing how they will access and use your port…to give chemotherapy, medications, and draw blood when needed for testing…

Chemo Port Access and Care

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rR2KqljnVc

So, Wishing you the very best…on your treatment

Please keep us updated on your treatment progress and if we can help in any way post your questions here. This group has gone through the treatments you are facing and we have first hand experience to help you and make your pathway easier.

Our motto here is NEGU (Never Ever Give Up)

Wishing you the very best…

Take Care, God Bless

Russ