- Search CSN:
- Members: Login to search all areas
- Not a member? Click here to search public areas
Talking and eating
|
|
Jul 15, 2009 - 9:17 pm
I was diagnosed in Feb. with throat cancer. I underwent 7 weeks of radiation(31 sessions)and 7 chemo sessions once a week. I decided against the feeding tube and have been able to swallow throughout the treatments. I am 7 weeks past my last radiation treatment, the mucous has subsided, I'm less tired and sleeping better through the night. My throat continues to be a problem. Although I am able to eat SOFT foods, it still hurts to swallow and it also bothers me to talk a length. My doctors say everyone heals differently, but I'm wondering how before my throat improves. |
Joined: Sep 2006
jack, I don't know if your doctor mentioned this, but radiation continues to cook for quite some time after the last treatment. How long depends upon a number of things, as I understand it, including quantity and frequency of treatments, dosage, and area of impact.
Your radiation doctor may be able to verify this and tell you how long, more or less, the rads continued to do their work.
The importance of that little tidbit of information is only to suggest that your 'real' end of rads 'treatment' actually occured sometime AFTER the last official dosage, potentially as long as a month or six weeks after, or so I have been told in this joint. (The item about cooking beyond the last treatment I received from reliable medical sources; the length of time, however, I received in here, and as such, that is perhaps less reliable.)
In any event, your ability to swallow should come back to you, although your doctor is right in that each case is different.
Personally, as a result of surgery and radiation some of my internal scarring is permanent and it seems a smaller entry point to my esophagus may be something I have to live with although dilation has not been completely ruled out. This means that while I can eat solid foods, it is still difficult to get down large chunks like everybody else does. This slows down eating a LOT. It DOES beat the alternative, however.
The sore throat WILL go away, I would bet within the month. If not, in fact, I would go back to the doc and let him know you want some testing done.
Congratulations on getting through the hardest part. Now you have to have a little bit of patience, and start trying very hard to pick away at gradually more solid items, perhaps finely diced tomatoes, onions, peppers, things of that sort. Maybe pretzels and crackers, things that are a bit less 'soft' but which you can nibble down to manageable sizes.
I know that despite my rambling on, this is really not an answer to your question. I wish I had a concrete answer for you.
Take care,
Joe
- Login or register to post comments
<