David has made a reasonable effort to keep healthy and fit throughout his busy life as an attorney.
In early August of 2019, he started experiencing a dry and sometimes sore throat, but nothing that alarmed him. While exercising on a cardio machine, he suffered piercing pain in his left ear. He then took a photo of his throat and it showed an ugly red tonsil.
He immediately scheduled an appointment with an ENT and subsequent CT scan showed a mass. A biopsy was performed, and results indicated a P 16 positive cancerous tumor.
David succeeded in obtaining a quick appointment at MD Andersen in Houston, Texas, where he was informed the tumor had spread into his tongue and that surgery was not an option. HIs choices were conventional chemotherapy and radiation with an 80% chance of survival or a drug trial of immunotherapy and radiation that had a similar survival rate. He chose immunotherapy.
David initially fared well, and in fact, gained weight because his wife fed him well. He did experience hives from one of the immunotherapy drugs but that seemed the worst of the side effects.
As his radiation treatments progressed, he began to experience more throat pain — his saliva dried up; his appetite disappeared, and a blister formed on his tongue.
Pain medications became necessary and were increased in potency and frequency. David’s weight dropped daily, and he could only manage four swallows at a sitting whether it be food or water. Eventually his blood pressure dropped from dehydration, and he was hospitalized in the pain unit for the last week of his radiation treatments. He was thankful for the pain care.
A few weeks later, David rang the bell and went home. However, he still couldn’t eat or drink even with the maximum pain medications. His hunger and thirst disappeared, and on several occasions, he needed minor ER attention for fluids and became close to asking for a feeding tube.
Finally, a month after ending radiation treatment, eating became slightly easier with soft foods, and David began to gain weight and strength. His life began to normalize, but he still required pain support, rinses, gargles and creams for the remaining rash. Taste on one side of his tongue was very different than taste on the other.
David is thankful for his treatment. It was tough but other patients helped me pull through with their encouragement, he explained.
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