Radiation Side Effects

I have spent the last week looking at the pros and cons of the options in front of me. On the one hand, ‘watch and wait’ is highly appealing because it means no further treatment at this stage, I can get on with my recovery from surgery and I would be closely monitored for any future recurrence. It also means if I were unfortunate enough to have a recurrence, I could have chemoradiation at that point, because you can only have radiation to the same area once.

On the other hand, ‘watch and wait’ means constantly looking over my shoulder, worrying about the cancer coming back, and – and most importantly – it means the risk of recurrence is around 10% higher than if I have radiation. My oncologist tells me all cancers are best treated fully the first time around, because a recurrence could be anywhere and any stage, so better to throw everything at it now and make sure it doesn’t come back. She’s an oncologist so of course she would say that, but I have lost enough dear friends to cancer at a far-too-young age to take the risk. My surgeon is more relaxed and thinks 'watch and wait' could work just as well given my situation, but I have to say the thought of having to deal with this all over again in the future means I am currently erring toward the radiation, albeit very reluctantly.

The challenge with radiation for head and neck cancer is the debilitating side effects that come with it. I have been told this is a curable cancer but the treatment is one of the most brutal. Some of the side effects include:

-          Tiredness and feeling weak

-          Feeling or being sick

-          Skin burns

-          Sore mouth, throat and ulcers

-          Dry mouth (radiation destroys saliva glands)

-          Loss of taste/smell (radiation destroys taste buds)

-          Difficulty opening your mouth

-          Difficulty swallowing (many people have a stomach feeding tube) – can be permanent

-          Hoarse voice

-          Hair loss (to affected area)

-          Jawbone damage

In addition, there are also many late side-effects that can happen months or years after treatment and can last for many years, sometimes permanently. All of this, and there is absolutely no certainty that there are currently any cancer cells left after the surgery, so we could, in fact, be radiating nothing but healthy cells. 

With all of these wondrous ailments on offer, who in their right mind would opt to have this? The alternative of course, is cancer, so I guess I might opt for it. Of course, not everyone will have all of these side effects, but the majority of people do. It definitely feels like I would be coming out of the frying pan and into the fire.

What has cheered me up no end this week has been the amazing cards, messages and gifts I have been sent by my wonderful friends and family, near and far. I have had many beautiful bouquets and some incredibly thoughtful care packages which have brought a smile to my face at an otherwise difficult time. A huge thank you lovely people, you know who you are!

My eating is getting gradually better. Once past the 2-week mark, things started to improve significantly and I am now managing to at least attempt most foods. Liquids still come out of my nose if I don’t swallow with my head back, and I’ve learned this includes ice cream. I have discovered my new favourite ice cream – Haagen Dazs Speculoos, which is basically lotus biscuit with cream and caramel. Absolutely delicious, but we can only buy it in small tubs as part of a multi pack. I may write to Haagen Dazs and ask them to consider making full-size tubs for the UK market. Also wondering if I have too much time on my hands perhaps?!