Laryngeal cancer radiotherapy side effects (coughing)

Hi

Have finished 6 weeks of radiotherapy for T2 vocal chord cancer in jan and voice is slowly getting better and eating almost back to normal. The thing I am suffering with is a constant cough due to an excess of mucus/saliva in my throat, this is particularly bad at night when I'm lying down and I'm finding its keeping me awake nearly all night and driving me mad. I mentioned it to my consultant and he calmly said it was all normal and I should try streaming but nothing seems to help. Its embarrasing when I'm out or at work as the coughing can get so bad that I gag and it sounds like i'm being sick. I just wondered if anyone else had been thorough the same thing and might have any tips on how to control it. I'm find co-codomol helps and the liquid morphine but don't want to have to keep taking that for obious reasons. Please help!

Zarker

Parents
  • My radiotherapy ended 12 January this year . No side effects until week3 of 4. Then fatique weight loss sore throat and the worst was hiccups 24 hours a day for 8 days . No sleep and wrenching with the hiccups . A gp gave me ant psychotic drugs which cured the hiccups in about an hour . 
    now I’ve got a cough I’ve had for a month . I think it’s my left vocal cord playing up which was where the cancer was . I don’t cough at night which is good but it’s taking a while to go . I still have muscle ache and am tired most of the time but hopefully that’ll go away . Stick with it

Reply
  • My radiotherapy ended 12 January this year . No side effects until week3 of 4. Then fatique weight loss sore throat and the worst was hiccups 24 hours a day for 8 days . No sleep and wrenching with the hiccups . A gp gave me ant psychotic drugs which cured the hiccups in about an hour . 
    now I’ve got a cough I’ve had for a month . I think it’s my left vocal cord playing up which was where the cancer was . I don’t cough at night which is good but it’s taking a while to go . I still have muscle ache and am tired most of the time but hopefully that’ll go away . Stick with it

Children
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