Hi,

 

My dad  Tom is a 74 year old man.  He first noticed a small bump on left jaw bone in the fall of 2003 but didn't think much of it.  This is a man that hadn't been in a doctors office in about 30 years.  By October 2004 the tumor had grown to the size of a golfball.

 It wasn't until June of 2005 the family finally persuaded him to go see a doctor which referred him to an ENT.  The doctor said he had a tumor on the left Parotoid Gland.  On July 18th, 2005 he had surgery to remove the tumor.  The pathology report came back that it was a malignant tumor(cystic squamous cell carcinoma).  He did terrific after the surgery.  The surgeon thought he would have an indention because of the size of the tumor and temorary paraylsis but he didn't have either.  He didn't have to take anything for pain or nausea.  His strength was a little down but not much.  They assured him that they felt like they had got all of the tumor but it had ruptured during surgery and for precaution to take radiation treatments.

 

Tom started his radiation treatments on August 2, 2005 - Sept 13, 2005.  He went for six weeks, five days a week.  The last two weeks he noticed he was beginning to get tired, loss of taste, nausea and the radiation was starting to burn his cheek.  By the middle of October he started to get extremely nauseated, even the smell of food made him nauseated. 

He can't handle anything with sugar and anything with tomatoe base in it.  He started out weighing 155 lbs after surgery but now is down to 128 lbs.  He is taking some medicine for the nausea when he needs it.  The end of October he collasped while at church and was rushed to the hospital.  He was dehydrated.  He said his desire for food or liquids are just not there. 

 

The first of November Tom developed a sore throat and blisters in his mouth.  They said he had a "yeast infection" in his mouth and throat caused by the radiation.  They called in some medication that he was to squish around, gargle and swallow which would numb it so that he could eat(he couldn't even swallow water).  Tom says the blisters are now gone and his throat is only alittle sore.

 

It is November 14, 2005 and he still is having problems eating though.  As of 12:30pm today, he has had (1) Ensure.  My mother called the doctor and  they prescribed him a medicine today that is suppose to help with your appetite.  The medication is called Megace 20 mg and he is to take one a day.  We will wait and see.   Jill Bates