tender and swollen neck 7 weeks post radiation

jenandheath
jenandheath Member Posts: 8
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My husband 2was diagnosed with invasive squamous cell ca of the epiglottis. The staging was cT2N2cM0 Stage 4a.
He had 35 radiation treatments totaling 7000cGy and 2 6 hour treatment session of Cisplatin. He finished his treatment on
October 26,2012. The past week and a half he has been having throat pain saying it is feeling really tight, sensive to touch, and slightly swollen. Is this normal from the radiation treatment?He keeps playing ot off as nothing, and doesn't have his follow up PET Scan until the 15th of January.

Comments

  • hrowe
    hrowe Member Posts: 57
    #2
    It sounds like lymphedema. I
    It sounds like lymphedema. I also had a 4A tumor at the epiglottis and around 8 weeks out post tx my neck started swelling.

    Does the swelling get better during the day?

    I see a lymphedemia therapist who has experience in head and neck. Most only do limbs. She has taught me massage techniques and I sometimes wear a jovipak designed for the neck.
  • jenandheath
    jenandheath Member Posts: 8
    #3
    hrowe said:

    It sounds like lymphedema. I
    It sounds like lymphedema. I also had a 4A tumor at the epiglottis and around 8 weeks out post tx my neck started swelling.

    Does the swelling get better during the day?

    I see a lymphedemia therapist who has experience in head and neck. Most only do limbs. She has taught me massage techniques and I sometimes wear a jovipak designed for the neck.

    Was your cancer in lymph
    Was your cancer in lymph nodes on both sides as well? Would my husband call the radiation oncologyst for that therapist?
  • blackswampboy
    blackswampboy Member Posts: 341
    #4
    normal enough
    unfortunately, normal enough. rads can continue cooking for a long time.

    I finished rads at the beginning of july, and was making slow and steady progress...until the end of october, when my neck and jaw suddenly swelled up. CT scan revealed a lot of necrotic tissue, and had to get a biopsy. results came back negative for recurrence (in the tissue that they could reach), but my docs still aren't sure why the swelling happened. better now, but I have to get another CT scan and biopsy in Feb.
  • hrowe
    hrowe Member Posts: 57
    #5
    jenandheath said:

    Was your cancer in lymph
    Was your cancer in lymph nodes on both sides as well? Would my husband call the radiation oncologyst for that therapist?

    It was also into my lymph
    It was also into my lymph nodes. My PET showed everything resolved and I have every reason to believe your husband will be NED also.

    Yes, your rad onc can order a lymphedema therapist.
  • jenandheath
    jenandheath Member Posts: 8
    #6
    thanks
    Thank you both I am feeling better now!
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #7
    jenandheath said:

    thanks
    Thank you both I am feeling better now!

    lymphadema

    It was my ONC that wrote the script for neck massage therapy. It did help me and insurance took care of it. When it started, I would wake in the morning and my neck, especially the center, would feel hard as a rock and ease up after I sat up and let gravity do it's job for an hour or so.

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