My radiation oncologist was asked by a medical journal to review some small studies of head and neck cancer treatments and to compile a number of studies into one article that included all of them. He recently completed that. Head and neck cancer is the category where my cancer falls.
He said that during treatment, the vast, vast majority of head and neck cancer patients end up on a feeding tube, taking a break from the treatments, or both.
I'm in the last 3 weeks. I always feel like I can make it at the first part of the week. By the end of the week, I'm convinced I've spent a bit too much time on the wrong side of the gates of hell.
If I can make it through this week, and I think I can, then there are only two weeks left. I will get an extra "healing day" (no treatments count as healing days) over the July 4 weekend. That may be the only break I need.
At least I have a target to shoot for. If I can make it through this with no feeding tube and no breaks, then I've done better than the "vast, vast majority" of head and neck cancer patients.
A few people have referred to me as a "tough old bird". That wasn't right. I wasn't near that tough. I will gladly take that title when I finish this. I've learned that a lot of things are just obstacles to overcome on the way to something better. A LOT of things.
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1 comment:
The radiation treatments seem extremely intense. A few "healing days" sound like an exceptional idea. Your writing makes is hard for ME to swallow!
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