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Head and neck cancer

Lucita
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Hi there I'm new here, I was diagnose of parotid cancer and had operation on August 2016, and now I'm having radiotherapy it's been almost 3 weeks now and start suffering from pain,  tightness and teeth dislocation, mouth ulcers difficulty of swallowing and eating, feeling nausea, sick, makes me feel like giving up. My husband has been very supportive but when I'm down he contradicts my feelings and makes me feel very frustrated. Makes me feel all alone in this battle.

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    Hi Lucita Welcome to cancer chat. Don't feel alone, you can get some support here from people who know what its like having cancer. I've had similar treatment to you. With my parotid gland and lymphs plus lumps in neck removed and radiotherapy. The last week of your radiotherapy and the one after are the worst, after that you will start improving. You have come through a lot to get this far, don't give up now. You can get medicine for the nausea, tell the radiotherapists and they will get some prescribed for you. Ondansetron worked well for me. You should be using calphasol 2 part mouthwash 6 or more times daily to help prevent mouth ulcers. You can take liquid painkillers an hour before eating so you can actually eat something. Your taste has probably gone making food even less appetising, try to eat things that smell nice hard to do I know when you are eating sloppy wet food. I got to the point where it took an hour to eat a bowl of porridge teaspoon at a time, but I did it. Carry a water bottle with you to keep your mouth and lips moist a lip salve also helps. I found aloe vera drinks that you can find in a heath food shop temporarily soothing for mouth and throat. Ask the radiotherapists for some fortisip type energy drinks, the milky ones are hard to choke down but diluting them into a milk shake makes it easier. If your skin is burned keeping slopping on the cream. Buy a soft toothbrush and use 3 or 4 times daily. Make sure you get plenty rest, your body has lots of work to do repairng the damage. Go easy on your husband, he is likely very stressed out watching you suffering as you go through this. This treatment is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life but I got through it and nearly 2 years on I'm having a good life. Please come back here and say how you are getting on and wish you the best in getting through this tough time. Kim
  • Offline in reply to kimchoson

    Dear Lucita, I must say that the support and information that Kim gave me was all good and it has helped me very much. Im new to this board and the support that this board has given to me has be so valuable. Dont feel alone and believe me this board has kind carring people to help you.

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    Hi lucita

    welcomt to the forum no one want to join

    but you are here now and amongst many people that have been through head and neck cancers and survived.

    i myself and 2+ years post treatment for a tongue based cancer that manifested itself in a single right lymph node under my right cheek ... they never found a primary

    i underwent 30  sessions of Tomotherapy and 6 session of 8 hour chemo .... I also has a PEG (feeding tube to my stomach)

    this is a hard treatment to get through .... it's painful, tiring and arduous, but you will get there

    you will also get setback I had terrible mouth ulcer towich eventually they took a biopsy .....that mega painful

    oral cleaning though is of the utmost importance ... it hurts but it's the only way to get rid of it

    I wrote a blog all the way through my treatment I've enclosed the page on mouthwashes

    gammaraygary.wordpress.com/.../

    kim gives some good advice on if drugs are not working .... go back and tell your team something is not working.

    as for you husband, try not to be so hard on him .... I always said to my wife going through cancer was easier for me that it was for her as everyone helped me get through it .... there was little focus on what she was going through and my God did she go through it too.

    you are in treatment now and well on you way to being on the mend

    hang in there and all the best

    if you want to shout and scream then come and talk to us .... we know, we've been there

    vatch

  • Offline in reply to Vatch

    Hi Vatch how are you. I thank you for your reply to Lucita as your symptons and treatment were similar to mine. I had a lump in my neck that I had removed and it tested positive to cancer. I had a number of biopsys and numerous scans and tests but couldnt find the primary. I had my tonsils out also trying to sind the primary. Still havent found the primary. This seems to be a common thing not finding the primary. Just my thoughts.

  • Offline in reply to ianwoody

    Hi Ian good to hear from you

    apparently not finding a primary is more common than you think

    id like to think that my immune system is so sensitive that at the slightest microbe of cancer it chucked it out into a single neck llymph node

    keeps me happy

    so how are you coming along ... getting there slowly if you are anything like me

    vatch

  • Offline in reply to Vatch

    Hi Vatch how are you. Yes Im doing better thanks. Slow and steady but I have turned the corner. I had a bad mouth infection which caused a lot of problems but im over it and moving forward. I was very naive as when I finished my treatment, meaning chemotherapy and radiotherapy I thought that I would recover and improve quickly. Off course I was wrong. Thats when my infection started and I spent another 2 weeks in hospital. Since then I have improved but everyday is a guess what tastebuds are going to work. Porridge and eggs have been my best friend. I have struggled to find different foods to eat that satisfy my tastebuds. Its testing but at the sametime we cant complain for being alive. Not finding the primary puzzled me as the biopsy from the lump they removed from my throat and the PET SCAN all confirmed a positive for cancer in my throat neck area. Puzzling. All other biopsys and scans were all negative. As you said hope our immune systems are strong enough to fight the cancer cells away. Take care and chat again soon.

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