Hello EricB,

Welcome to this forum and am sorry to hear of your throat cancer diagnosis.

I myself was diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this later summer and finished 6 weeks of radiotherapy 3 weeks ago.

I have kept a little note of my little journey on here and you might want to read..It's under living with cancer and titled "Radiotherapy for throat cancer" which I hope you find helpful.

The symtomps you desribe are pretty much expected and ones that I have experieced/still experiencing still, after treatment complete.

Still stuggling with food and am on supplement drinks called Ensure to help get fuel in bosy as I was not fitted with a PEG.

Mucus was bad for me as well and I was up during the night every half hour at its peak but I would say around the end of second week, the mucas kind of calmed down although I do still have a dry mouth constantly. I was advised and have done from the start and drink around 3/4 litres of water every day which has definetely helped. I also use lip moisturiser to keep lips moist..

Like your self Im missing my food and can resonate with the metalic taste and still have this just now and look forward to a little progession on this front.

As for swallow, were you told to do swallow exercises every day?...I would not say that swallowing stopped but was little more noticable but manageable and the trick was to drink drink then drink as it also helps recovery and uses throat muscles, which in turn helps swallowing.

I wish you well on your journey and you are welcome to ask away with any questions or if you just wanyted to chat, there is a small group of us on here that have been through thoat cancer personnaly and are able to offer any help/support/ answer questions and a few of us are at different stages so that helps. Hazel has a blog as well and am sure she will be along to say hi as well and is a great source for tips etc as well.

Keep in touch and posting on your journey as you are not alone my friend and stay positive.

kind regards

ian

Hi Ian, glad you seem to be coping , I am due to start my treatment  7th Jan. Having 30 radio  sessions with 2 chemo sessions. It really helps reading other people's experience  on here, I know we are all different but it helps. 

Wishing you well,

Gary

Good Morning Hazel

First thing, lousy night about 2 hours sleep. In the middle of the night I had an epiphany, surely there must be a Saliva Substitute on the market to help stop this dreadful dry mouth symptom. Barbara went to the chemist and has found an oral spray, from Lacer, seems to work, the test will be tonight. Look on line there are a number of products available from the UK. let me know how you get on.

Yes, please send a friend request!

A bit about us. Barb and I, 38 years married, (second marriages) complicated family best left alone. I´m 67, Barb´s 75 and a very beautiful lady. I retired when I was 48 then after a year providing consultancy, fulfilled our dream and moved to Spain when I was 50, 17 years ago.

Barb has had an interesting career path varying from shop assistant to Prison Officer to a fully qualified psychotherapist, not only is she beauitiful she´s very clever. Originally from Bristol, we met in the Isle of Man when I was there on business.

Me, country boy, born in a little village in Hertfordshire, left school with two O levels, apprenticeship as Electrical Engineer. Switched to a selling career mainly in the world of Military Communications, data colection and encryption then Security Systems in Military situations. Got my first Directorship when I was 34.

We both love travel and have been lucky enough to travel all over the world. Food lovers, as I´ve said before. Did start and run the Jaguar Club in Spain for 7 years, left that alone about 9 months ago.

Looking forward to meeting you in March /April.

Barb has just called, time for another PEG feed.

Busy week this week, more Chemo and RT and Dr´s appointments so don´t worry if I take a few days to answer.

Have a great day, best regards from Eric & Barb,

.

Hola Eric, ive been awaiting approval to join, as being Spain based too, but the moderator kindly let me join. So what i have been waiting to say, and what you have asked......Amino Acids. Yes! I am on session 6 of 33 so your posts have gave me hope, got the Aminos free, on the end of box one, will keep going thanks to your success with them. 

Hi Eric and Barb

as the sayingbgoes been there done it with the saliva substitute sprays have tried AS saliva spray works but fornabiut 30; seconds bit better in night boots do one called expert again similar results. Plus has various ones given to me by nurses hope they work for you. My sleep was  a bit better than yours I did 2 hours woke spray sipping water sleep from midnight until 0600 then 2 co codomol 8 mg yeah finally reduced the 30 mg ones.

the drybmouth i have never totally lost saliva which helps no end when eating but it’s got thick n gunky ,which is apparently my saliva  glands working but not fully.  When I think about ut two weeks ago my tongue every time I woke wS stuck to roof of mouth,and now it’s no longer stuck ,making a noise like 2 piece  if Velcro ripping apart !! Nice analogy! But true. 

Barb sounds wonderful and 38;years is a long time you will get to your Ruby I am sure as you like me are full of positive mental attitude with a strong partner behind you.

we were both born in West Yorkshire well suppose west riding in those days ,both come from small mining villages so we are country kids as well. Don’t do big city’s at all. 

Good luck with spray there is also something else online next  that u might consider Xyimelts from the mouth ulcer company ,I have used them but because I am producing saliva they make me make too much !!! They are a small tablet that u literally stick to your gum takes 20 seconds to stick and you get about /3 hours from them in night cost £8.59 ish plus post think Amazon U.K. have them as well. 

Worth a try I have tried all sorts 

good luck with chemomr/t and peg this week you are nearly there m then it’s the Long slow haul to recovery just remember tortoise and hare it’s nit a process that can be rushed.

look forward to hearing from you

Hazel n John 

Hineric and barb

have sent a friend request yesterday should be should on top right if your screen ? Unless coz u are in Spain we may not be able to communicate that way 

h

Hi Hazel, folllowed your blog for a while, great to read anything you post here too, so helpful, i am in Spain too and get the reminders so im sure Eric will, keep giving us tips please!

Hi TFS

youre most welcome thank you for reading my blog,I find it cathartic writing it. 

Ask away when u are ready ,where in Spain are you ?

Hazel

Hi, im in the Canaries, on Tenerife Hazel

Hi

bet it’s warmer there than good old West Yorkshire. Fingers x we fly out to our rental apartment in Murcia province 5 days after result day next Monday.

keep in touch 

Hazel 

We all hope you do, with great results. Look forward to the vlog

Hi Hazel

Cannot see any friend requests and I must admit this social media stuff is all new to me, tell me how and I will send one. Don´t get me wrong I not computer illiterate I am just better with numbers, financial projections, stress curves etc -- woe - that makes me sound very boring. I also write a little, had about 300 articles published on everything from global warming to Genetics. 

Cheers Eric.

Hi Hazel

Cannot see any friend requests and I must admit this social media stuff is all new to me, tell me how and I will send one. Don´t get me wrong I not computer illiterate I am just better with numbers, financial projections, stress curves etc -- woe - that makes me sound very boring. I also write a little, had about 300 articles published on everything from global warming to Genetics. 

Cheers Eric.

Hi Eric, click on my name, lets you send friend request, click on yours,should show you friend requests, personal messages etc.I think!

Hi Eric 

like TFs  says click on your name n it should show friends requests .its nit the most user friendly site I’ve come across ,although to be fair cancer U.K. probably spend their money in better things.

how was your night I woke at 0019 after being in bed less  than an hour and that set the tone for rest of night. Think it’s coz I am reducing mynco codomol pain killers at its peak inwas in 8x 30 mg and probably 40 mls of oramorph a day. Now down to 6 8 mg co codomol and 2 paracetamol.

good luck with treatment this week 

how many more to go

Hazel

Hi TFS

doh bit thick just got your acronym after 35 years in travel it should have hit me like a brick !!!!

Tenerife

doh

blame it in the chemotherapy 

Hazel

Well, least you got it! Not very inventive of me.  I   re read your blog before my treatment today, only my 7th of 33  ,so as you know, early days. Shame you had a rough night, ive never had to take many painkillers, so no  experience of the gradual reduction, must be tricky, i will read and learn from  you.

Hi

baby steps all,the way , I thought I could substitute a 30 mg comcodomol for a paracetamol omg no way never felt as ill.

when yiu are ready I will tell you how I did it butbthink hare and tortoise very very slowly substitute 1 30 mg for a 8 mg cocodomel and The oramorph inreduced by a mil a session.

Just remember each one done is one nearer the end and the slow road to recovery don’t rush anything .

take care keep in touch .

Hazel

Exactly the right advice thanks. Hope Eric is ok.

The end is in touching distance for me now the time really does fly, today was session 26 of 30, Doc is pleased with me and how Iv coped with it, weight now stable but swallowing has got harder in the last few days. My last session should be next monday but he wants to change that so I have 2 sessions on friday so that theres no gap of 2 days over the weekend, i`ll know more tomorrow.

It will be great not having to go next week :), then a check up in 6 weeks and scan in 12 weeks to check all has worked.

Dave 

Hi Dave

onward and forward good idea if they do 2 I also had a bank holiday in my last week and they did 6 on me a few staff came in on the Saturday. .

the next process is the long slow road to recovery I am now 16 weeks post radiotherapy have had my pet ct scan results on Monday. As I am sure you know there are still some bad weeks ahead but I am proof that if me a meee wimp if a 61 years old can do it anyone can just take things slowly. Remembered yiuve had hospital staff every day although we all look forward to that first week it’s a hell of a shock to loose the comfort blanket of the hospital.

one word of advise drink drink drink try for at keastb2/3 litres theoughtbthe day as hard as it might be 

good lick

keep in rouch

hazel

Thanks Hazel I hope your results go well obviously, Im no kid myself and will be 61 in April.

I`ll keep the fluids going in thats really good advise, it works!

Dave

Am sure Eric  is fine he doesn’t come on the site every day think he has chemo as well today so probably sleeping.

good luck with tomorrow 

hazel