Charlie54's Journey with Head & Neck/Throat Cancer

I had a lump appear on my neck in 2005...I never smoked but I did drink for many years....after surgery to remove it, I was told it was cancer squamous cell carsonoma, I was given options to have chemo/radiation, or just watch it ..So I decided to watch it...Well 5 years later another lump appeared and this time it went from one cyst that was removed to 6 lymphnodes and the primary was located at the base of my tongue...So now I had to get chemo and radiation along with surgery to remove the 6 bad (tumor filled) lymphnodes...Treatment began 3 days after surgery, I was given Eurbotux for chemo, which did not make you sick or lose any hair, however you will break out in a terrible acne rash...I had 35 radiation treatments, the first 4 weeks were painfree, but week 5 began the daily pain in my throat/mouth area...I weighed 220lbs for many years now I went down to 168lbs...so I had to have a feeding tube put in my stomach to eat and stop the weight lost, the tube is put in during another surgery. The medicine that help my mouth pain was called by the pharmacy..MiracleMouthWash, I got it by the quart size and you will use it ..all of it...You will get fatigue during treatment and may need help getting to treatments...Now it,s been one year out and I have drymouth and must drink all day long and when eating...my taste has come back but it not the same as prior...spicey is real spicey and because your throat is now damage, you cannot eat alot or large mouth fulls...heartburn is a daily occurrance, I also have lympodema or turkey neck, but I,m 54 so I would have that anyway, it's just a little sooner...Now my summary...Although it's horrible news to get, it's no longer a Death sentence, and you will adjust to the different changes to you throat, mouth, neck, eating is different, taste is different...But through it all...I,m Alive, I feel great...You will get closer to family and friends and co-workers, almost all my caregivers were awesome, family, nurses and doctors, and friends...In my personal experience, Prayer, prayers, and talking to and trusting in God's Son...Jesu.s....has pull me through ...Your faith is a true healer when you trust in the Lord...I give Thanks to all who went thru the journey with me, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and the many doctors and nurses all who did there best to help me get thru, and to help me forget the cancer journey...There will be setbacks on your journey, pain<---although tolerable---...and changes to your body that you will have no control over, but the second you finish your last treatment...each day will be better than yesterday, and although your daily thought is Cancer now, when you finish...you will not think about it again, oh sure you may have a memory from something you heard or see on tv, or online, but that's it....One more note: Stay away from the internet for information, as you will read the wrong info and make yourself crazy, thinking of death and dying...an Thank all those who will help you...I hope my story may help and comfort you on this journey, and remember it will all be over soon...Goodluck and God Bless you.....Charlie Fowee...Ohio

I had a lump appear on my neck in 2005...I never smoked but I did drink for many years....after surgery to remove it, I was told it was cancer squamous cell carsonoma, I was given options to have chemo/radiation, or just watch it ..So I decided to watch it...Well 5 years later another lump appeared and this time it went from one cyst that was removed to 6 lymphnodes and the primary was located at the base of my tongue...So now I had to get chemo and radiation along with surgery to remove the 6 bad (tumor filled) lymphnodes...Treatment began 3 days after surgery, I was given Eurbotux for chemo, which did not make you sick or lose any hair, however you will break out in a terrible acne rash...I had 35 radiation treatments, the first 4 weeks were painfree, but week 5 began the daily pain in my throat/mouth area...I weighed 220lbs for many years now I went down to 168lbs...so I had to have a feeding tube put in my stomach to eat and stop the weight lost, the tube is put in during another surgery. The medicine that help my mouth pain was called by the pharmacy..MiracleMouthWash, I got it by the quart size and you will use it ..all of it...You will get fatigue during treatment and may need help getting to treatments...Now it,s been one year out and I have drymouth and must drink all day long and when eating...my taste has come back but it not the same as prior...spicey is real spicey and because your throat is now damage, you cannot eat alot or large mouth fulls...heartburn is a daily occurrance, I also have lympodema or turkey neck, but I,m 54 so I would have that anyway, it's just a little sooner...Now my summary...Although it's horrible news to get, it's no longer a Death sentence, and you will adjust to the different changes to you throat, mouth, neck, eating is different, taste is different...But through it all...I,m Alive, I feel great...You will get closer to family and friends and co-workers, almost all my caregivers were awesome, family, nurses and doctors, and friends...In my personal experience, Prayer, prayers, and talking to and trusting in God's Son...Jesu.s pull me through ...Your faith is a true healer when you trust in the Lord...I give Thanks to all who went thru the journey with me, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and the many doctors and nurses all who did there best to help me get thru, and to help me forget the cancer journey...There will be setbacks on your journey, pain<---although tolerable---...and changes to your body that you will have no control over, but the second you finish your last treatment...each day will be better than yesterday, and although your daily thought is Cancer now, when you finish...you will not think about it again, oh sure you may have a memory from something you heard or see on tv, or online, but that's it....One more note: Stay away from the internet for information, as you will read the wrong info and make yourself crazy, thinking of death and dying...an Thank all those who will help you...I hope my story may help and comfort you on this journey, and remember it will all be over soon...Goodluck and God Bless you.....Charlie Fowee...Ohio

I had a lump appear on my neck in 2005...I never smoked but I did drink for many years....after surgery to remove it, I was told it was cancer squamous cell carsonoma, I was given options to have chemo/radiation, or just watch it ..So I decided to watch it...Well 5 years later another lump appeared and this time it went from one cyst that was removed to 6 lymphnodes and the primary was located at the base of my tongue...So now I had to get chemo and radiation along with surgery to remove the 6 bad (tumor filled) lymphnodes...Treatment began 3 days after surgery, I was given Eurbotux for chemo, which did not make you sick or lose any hair, however you will break out in a terrible acne rash...I had 35 radiation treatments, the first 4 weeks were painfree, but week 5 began the daily pain in my throat/mouth area...I weighed 220lbs for many years now I went down to 168lbs...so I had to have a feeding tube put in my stomach to eat and stop the weight lost, the tube is put in during another surgery. The medicine that help my mouth pain was called by the pharmacy..MiracleMouthWash, I got it by the quart size and you will use it ..all of it...You will get fatigue during treatment and may need help getting to treatments...Now it,s been one year out and I have drymouth and must drink all day long and when eating...my taste has come back but it not the same as prior...spicey is real spicey and because your throat is now damage, you cannot eat alot or large mouth fulls...heartburn is a daily occurrance, I also have lympodema or turkey neck, but I,m 54 so I would have that anyway, it's just a little sooner...Now my summary...Although it's horrible news to get, it's no longer a Death sentence, and you will adjust to the different changes to you throat, mouth, neck, eating is different, taste is different...But through it all...I,m Alive, I feel great...You will get closer to family and friends and co-workers, almost all my caregivers were awesome, family, nurses and doctors, and friends...In my personal experience, Prayer, prayers, and talking to and trusting in God's Son...Jesu.s pull me through ...Your faith is a true healer when you trust in the Lord...I give Thanks to all who went thru the journey with me, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and the many doctors and nurses all who did there best to help me get thru, and to help me forget the cancer journey...There will be setbacks on your journey, pain<---although tolerable---...and changes to your body that you will have no control over, but the second you finish your last treatment...each day will be better than yesterday, and although your daily thought is Cancer now, when you finish...you will not think about it again, oh sure you may have a memory from something you heard or see on tv, or online, but that's it....One more note: Stay away from the internet for information, as you will read the wrong info and make yourself crazy, thinking of death and dying...an Thank all those who will help you...I hope my story may help and comfort you on this journey, and remember it will all be over soon...Goodluck and God Bless you.....Charlie Fowee...Ohio

I had a lump appear on my neck in 2005...I never smoked but I did drink for many years....after surgery to remove it, I was told it was cancer squamous cell carsonoma, I was given options to have chemo/radiation, or just watch it ..So I decided to watch it...Well 5 years later another lump appeared and this time it went from one cyst that was removed to 6 lymphnodes and the primary was located at the base of my tongue...So now I had to get chemo and radiation along with surgery to remove the 6 bad (tumor filled) lymphnodes...Treatment began 3 days after surgery, I was given Eurbotux for chemo, which did not make you sick or lose any hair, however you will break out in a terrible acne rash...I had 35 radiation treatments, the first 4 weeks were painfree, but week 5 began the daily pain in my throat/mouth area...I weighed 220lbs for many years now I went down to 168lbs...so I had to have a feeding tube put in my stomach to eat and stop the weight lost, the tube is put in during another surgery. The medicine that help my mouth pain was called by the pharmacy..MiracleMouthWash, I got it by the quart size and you will use it ..all of it...You will get fatigue during treatment and may need help getting to treatments...Now it,s been one year out and I have drymouth and must drink all day long and when eating...my taste has come back but it not the same as prior...spicey is real spicey and because your throat is now damage, you cannot eat alot or large mouth fulls...heartburn is a daily occurrance, I also have lympodema or turkey neck, but I,m 54 so I would have that anyway, it's just a little sooner...Now my summary...Although it's horrible news to get, it's no longer a Death sentence, and you will adjust to the different changes to you throat, mouth, neck, eating is different, taste is different...But through it all...I,m Alive, I feel great...You will get closer to family and friends and co-workers, almost all my caregivers were awesome, family, nurses and doctors, and friends...In my personal experience, Prayer, prayers, and talking to and trusting in God's Son...Jesu.s pull me through ...Your faith is a true healer when you trust in the Lord...I give Thanks to all who went thru the journey with me, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and the many doctors and nurses all who did there best to help me get thru, and to help me forget the cancer journey...There will be setbacks on your journey, pain<---although tolerable---...and changes to your body that you will have no control over, but the second you finish your last treatment...each day will be better than yesterday, and although your daily thought is Cancer now, when you finish...you will not think about it again, oh sure you may have a memory from something you heard or see on tv, or online, but that's it....One more note: Stay away from the internet for information, as you will read the wrong info and make yourself crazy, thinking of death and dying...an Thank all those who will help you...I hope my story may help and comfort you on this journey, and remember it will all be over soon...Goodluck and God Bless you.....Charlie Fowee...Ohio

I had a lump appear on my neck in 2005...I never smoked but I did drink for many years....after surgery to remove it, I was told it was cancer squamous cell carsonoma, I was given options to have chemo/radiation, or just watch it ..So I decided to watch it...Well 5 years later another lump appeared and this time it went from one cyst that was removed to 6 lymphnodes and the primary was located at the base of my tongue...So now I had to get chemo and radiation along with surgery to remove the 6 bad (tumor filled) lymphnodes...Treatment began 3 days after surgery, I was given Eurbotux for chemo, which did not make you sick or lose any hair, however you will break out in a terrible acne rash...I had 35 radiation treatments, the first 4 weeks were painfree, but week 5 began the daily pain in my throat/mouth area...I weighed 220lbs for many years now I went down to 168lbs...so I had to have a feeding tube put in my stomach to eat and stop the weight lost, the tube is put in during another surgery. The medicine that help my mouth pain was called by the pharmacy..MiracleMouthWash, I got it by the quart size and you will use it ..all of it...You will get fatigue during treatment and may need help getting to treatments...Now it,s been one year out and I have drymouth and must drink all day long and when eating...my taste has come back but it not the same as prior...spicey is real spicey and because your throat is now damage, you cannot eat alot or large mouth fulls...heartburn is a daily occurrance, I also have lympodema or turkey neck, but I,m 54 so I would have that anyway, it's just a little sooner...Now my summary...Although it's horrible news to get, it's no longer a Death sentence, and you will adjust to the different changes to you throat, mouth, neck, eating is different, taste is different...But through it all...I,m Alive, I feel great...You will get closer to family and friends and co-workers, almost all my caregivers were awesome, family, nurses and doctors, and friends...In my personal experience, Prayer, prayers, and talking to and trusting in God's Son...Jesu.s pull me through ...Your faith is a true healer when you trust in the Lord...I give Thanks to all who went thru the journey with me, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, and the many doctors and nurses all who did there best to help me get thru, and to help me forget the cancer journey...There will be setbacks on your journey, pain<---although tolerable---...and changes to your body that you will have no control over, but the second you finish your last treatment...each day will be better than yesterday, and although your daily thought is Cancer now, when you finish...you will not think about it again, oh sure you may have a memory from something you heard or see on tv, or online, but that's it....One more note: Stay away from the internet for information, as you will read the wrong info and make yourself crazy, thinking of death and dying...an Thank all those who will help you...I hope my story may help and comfort you on this journey, and remember it will all be over soon...Goodluck and God Bless you.....Charlie Fowee...Ohio