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Vital Info


Qm2 (qm2)


March 19, 2011


yahoo: tgradyll


Morganton, North Carolina 28655


September 13, 1947


Cancer Fighter

Cancer Info


Tonsil Cancer


April 2, 2011


Stage 3


Yes


Tonsillectomy


Radiation Therapy


Cisplatin (Platinol, Platinol-AQ)


VAMC Asheville , NC






Stats


Posts: 17
Photos: 0
Events: 0
My Supporters: 23
I Support: 33
Comments: 9
Views: 12390
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Qm2's Cancer Blog

6 Month Update

I have been absent from this forum for several months, and today I got a alert that I had a message from someone on the forum, so I logged in and answered the question.
I will also update my condition. In October I had my after treatment PET scam and it stated that there was significant decrease in the size of the left tonsil mass consistent with significant therapeutic response, HOWEVER both hilum demonstrate mild to moderate FDG uptake which may represent nodal activity. This means that I may have some nodal activity in the area between my two lungs. I will be scheduled for another PET scan in the next few months, to compare with the last PET scan.
I sure am hoping that its nothing serious, I don’t want to even think about doing treatment again. Once was enough.
Its been about 6 months since my treatments, and I feel fine. I still have my feeding tube, and still use a can or two of glucerna per day, although I can eat anything I want. My saliva loss isn’t as bad as I was told it would be but I still haven’t had much improvement in my ability to taste. Eating sure isn’t a pleasure anymore. I can half way enjoy vegetables, but all meats are yucky and hard to swallow because of the dryness of the meats.
I lost all of my facial hair and some on the back of my neck,during treatment, and now most of it has began to grow again, except for the left side of my lower face and neck and behind my left ear. I am able to grow my mustache once again, however one side is just a little thinner than the other.
I lost down to 175 from 240, and I am still maintaining 175.
I have made some improvements around the house and bought some new toys (Lincoln MKZ) for one, I made up my mind that I am going to enjoy what life I have left. Too bad I don’t have hardly any taste buds or I would try eating myself to death. Before CANCER I think eating was about the only pleasure in life I still enjoyed, and now it has been taken away from me.
Overall I am in good spirits, an hoping to beat this deamon.
Best wishes to all of you.

Posted on December 22, 2011 at 6:47:44 AM by Qm2 (, 9 comments, 901 views)
Sandyjo sent you a prayer.
QM2, I’ve missed you – so glad to see your udate. I finished treatment for tonsil cancer around the time you were diagnosed..so just a littled ahead of you there. You are in my thoughts concerning the results of the PET scan, recurrence is on my mind as well. We have to live each day..i take a cue from my little shiz zhu..he lives in the moment all the time and when I start getting ahead of myself in the thought department I play with him and take note that he is happy NOW and doesn’t worry about later. Its a lot harder for us humans, but we have to try. I like you was a foodie..never drank, smoked or ran around with wild men – so not being able to eat much is a bummer…but I do love Reese Cup milk shakes HA HA HA..
Love and well wishes to you QM2…keep posting I love to read them.
Barbara
avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 7:09:06 AM by Barbara

Glad to see the update and hope the PET with ‘activity’ is just a thing that does nothing but not exist next scan. Sorry to hear about the slow return of taste but I was told 9 months to a year POST TREATMENT. That’s April for me so I’ll take what I can get. Keep living life the way you are and I’m agreeing with you…I enjoyed food – which moved me up to 225 lbs prior to treatment….178 last month physical.

avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 7:34:59 AM by Pat C

Good Luck with the next Pet Scan.I hope it is nothing to worry about.Glad to hear you are eating better and hope that your taste returns.Have a Merry Christmas season And a healthy New Year

avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 9:40:17 AM by Tom D

Thanks for updating us! Hold onto hope that the pet scan results were false positive…I’ve had a lot of little spots that looked suspicious on the pet and then turned out not to be cancer (of course, I’ve also had plenty that were cancer, but you can’t win ‘em

avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 10:05:45 AM by Ann

Dang, hit return to soon! Anyway, just saying you can’t win them all, but the pet is known for lighting up for all kinds of things other than cancer, so I’m hoping things will work out that way for you, and you’ll get to spend some time enjoying that new car. Happy holidays! Ann

avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 10:08:05 AM by Ann

I have missed you too! I hope the PEY activity is nothing, I have heard that sometimes scar tissue shows as a hot spot! Hoping that it is a non issue.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year! Hugs Val

avatar Posted on December 22, 2011 at 8:10:20 PM by Private User

Glad to see your update, and especially that you are in general good spirits. I have salivary gland damage also (just the parotid glands) but it’s enough that I can’t eat much meat either. Fortunately, meat has always been an occasional add-on rather than a main part of my diet.Not tasting would be tougher and your keeping the big picture in front of you—absolutely have fun with your new toy—is making the difference.
Best wishes to you too.

avatar Posted on December 23, 2011 at 7:33:51 AM by Andrea

I hope your next PET scan will be better. Yes, chemo seems to destroy a lot of your taste buds, etc. It has been 18 years since the 1st cancer and 6 years since the 2nd and spicy foods still burn my mouth.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR !

avatar Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:40:33 AM by Joyce In NC

2 Month Update

The 1st of September I will be 2 months out of treatment, and I am feeling much much better.
I notice that I have a lot of loose skin on my arms and legs due to a 55 lb weight loss. My facial hair began growing back a little a couple weeks ago, but so far nothing on my neck. I still have my PEG tube, and have reduced my daily intake to 4 cans of Glucerna down from 8 per day, and I am maintaining my weight.
I have finally began to eat a little by mouth, small bites and chew well to avoid choking. Although food still doesn’t taste appealing, but at least it doesn’t make me want to throw up like before. I am so looking forward to my taste coming back to normal, and I sure hope that it does, although I have heard and read that sometimes it is a very long time when and if it ever does.
I also have been able to take my medications orally instead of crushing them and flushing them via the PEG tube, that was a hassle because some of the medications didn’t dissolve too well.
I had a visit with my Oncologist this week and he has scheduled my post treatment PET scam for October, I sure am wishing for a positive report, wish me good fortune. I also have an upcoming dental appointment to be fitted for dentures, as I had lost all of my teeth during treatment.
Good fortune and best wishes to all of you that are just entering this terrible experience,undergoing treatments, or have completed treatment. And many thanks to all of you that have posted , reading the many post sure was a great deal of help and insight to me during this terrible ordeal. Your post were actually more helpful that the information from the doctors. So many many thanks to all of you.

Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:34:25 AM by Qm2 (, 7 comments, 1606 views)
Valerie likes this.
Tom D sent you a prayer.

I am so happy for you tha you can already eat a little! Keep up the good work and I will pray for cancer free!

avatar Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:50:51 AM by Sandyjo

Hope for positive results. Glad you are starting to eat real food. All the best.

avatar Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:59:54 AM by Paul

Here’s to an “all clear” on the 1st scan.
I am almost 4 months post and have about 40% sweet taste…1 or 2 pancakes with syrup before the sugary flavor dissappears. Hotdogs…salt and sodium…yeah! Mayonaise this week without the burn but tried red sauce with pasta (just a bit) and it still burns. Glad to hear you kept the tube in and don’t rush it any…when you can eat without pain…get it yanked! I’m told sweet taste (sugars) can take 9 months to a year to come back.
How about salivary glands for you….my left side feels like it wants to come back but Ihave no scientific or medical proof that it is, will or did come back?

avatar Posted on August 26, 2011 at 8:47:21 AM by Pat C

 I noticed a little loss of saliva on my left side during treatments, however now I hardly notice any at all. I do use Biotene spray and sugarless gun to get rid or the funky taste that foods leave in in mouth, but I don’t have much of a saliva problem.
I have the same problem as you do with the first 1 or 2 bites of food tasting ok, but after that it looses its appeal.
I had some very bad experiences with meat during treatment, and as a result, I don’t think I will ever be able to put meat in my mouth again. even the thought of doing so makes me get sick to my stomach.

avatar Posted on August 27, 2011 at 4:57:23 AM by Qm2

Great to hear you are eating a bit and I also will be hoping and praying for cancer free results for you Val

avatar Posted on August 27, 2011 at 8:21:14 PM by Private User

Looks like you’re doing well with your recovery bud. Eating already after 2 months is doing well I think. I remember I couldn’t really eat a meal 4 months out. My peg tube was in until 6 months out. I did lose 2 teeth during treatment one on the bottom row and one just above it.

I had the same problem with meat at the beginning. I can now eat most meats but in few quantities. My only eating issue left is eggs. The smell of them cooking made me so sick during treatment. I still can’t stomach them in any form. I used to love eating eggs too.

I sure wish you the best in October for your scan. Props to your oncologist for waiting 4 months out. Three months out can give a false positive. Four months can too, but most likely it would be radiation scarring. Keep us blogged!

avatar Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:36:50 PM by Frank Baldizan

Hope you have a great Birthday tomarrow

avatar Posted on September 12, 2011 at 3:42:45 PM by Tom D






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