- Getting tough: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Related story: Avoidence, observation are key steps
Getting through it
James Lary, an auto-service manager from Plymouth, Mass., recently completed sequential treatment for a large tumor at the base of his tongue and throat. Although the cancer has vanished, the therapy was an ordeal. "I got to the point where I wanted to give up," he recalls. "Dr. Posner said, 'I know it's tough, but you'll get through this, so hang in there.' " With Posner's encouragement and support from nurse Rosemary Costello, RN, BSN, says Lary, "I finally was persuaded it was worthwhile to stay in—and they were right."
Radiation therapist Chrissy Haacke, RTT, (left) and Roy Tishler, MD, PhD, are focusing on radiation treatment using DFCI's new linear accelerator.
Only gradually do patients regain their normal diet, and even then a water bottle is at hand to moisten the food with each swallow. Two months after therapy, Lary says, "Things are getting better. I feel good." But as a man who admittedly lives to eat, he's impatient. "I want to order a big steak dinner and eat it without any problem," he states. "Right now!"
Family support is crucial, and families themselves feel much strain. Says Nurse Mary Ann Case, RN, BSN, "We sometimes introduce a patient to a survivor who has been through the treatment—and we've matched their spouses, too."
Head and neck cancers, because they affect vital functions and tend to be noticeable, can be traumatic for patients. Most, however, find ways to adjust, says Case. "They get back to a good degree of normalcy — working, loving, and living."
- Next: Improving survival
- Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Related story: Avoidence, observation are key steps
