bleeding in track

sue5749
sue5749 Member Posts: 170
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hi my husband had to go to the emergency room this morning because he started bleeding from his track. They took X-rays and did blood work but they said that they could not tell where the bleeding was coming from. They said that we should go Monday to the ENT AND let him look at my husband. Just wondered if this has happened to anyone here? Really worried!

Comments

  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #2
    bleeding in track
    Well we just got home from ear nose and throat doctor he said the bleeding coming out of my husband track Saturday was caused by his throat being so dry. And he thoughtit was really swollen still. Just wondering after almost 5 weeks since his last rad treatment has anybody experienced this? Doc said that the track has to be left in because of the swelling in his throat. Still can't eat or drink anything since this all started about 4 months ago has to use the j tube. He has to go for his pet scan on the 5th of this month. But whatever outcome it is we are heading back to Michigan been here in Fl now for 7 months time to go, find doctors there, we have had enough!
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,030 Member
    #3
    sue5749 said:

    bleeding in track
    Well we just got home from ear nose and throat doctor he said the bleeding coming out of my husband track Saturday was caused by his throat being so dry. And he thoughtit was really swollen still. Just wondering after almost 5 weeks since his last rad treatment has anybody experienced this? Doc said that the track has to be left in because of the swelling in his throat. Still can't eat or drink anything since this all started about 4 months ago has to use the j tube. He has to go for his pet scan on the 5th of this month. But whatever outcome it is we are heading back to Michigan been here in Fl now for 7 months time to go, find doctors there, we have had enough!

    Vaporizer?
    Sue,

    Has anyone recommended that your husband use a vaporizer near him when he is sitting and watching TV? Yes, our throats do get dry. I did have some slight bleeding when I first had my trach and that was the problem. The down side of the vaporizer is that it seemed to cause me to cough up more plhem/ mucus then when I would just sip some water and spit it out to keep my mouth moist. Of course, my mouth would get dry once again very fast as the moisture would leave my mouth quickly. It was a continous cycle.

    How often does your husband clean his trach? I would do it every 2-3 hours during the day. At first it was roughly every 1 1/2 hours.

    My Best to Both of You
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #4
    MarineE5 said:

    Vaporizer?
    Sue,

    Has anyone recommended that your husband use a vaporizer near him when he is sitting and watching TV? Yes, our throats do get dry. I did have some slight bleeding when I first had my trach and that was the problem. The down side of the vaporizer is that it seemed to cause me to cough up more plhem/ mucus then when I would just sip some water and spit it out to keep my mouth moist. Of course, my mouth would get dry once again very fast as the moisture would leave my mouth quickly. It was a continous cycle.

    How often does your husband clean his trach? I would do it every 2-3 hours during the day. At first it was roughly every 1 1/2 hours.

    My Best to Both of You

    track
    Thanks so much for responding, he uses a breathing treatment 4 times a day. It is a treatment that the doctor gave him. like a mist treatment on his track that last about 10 minutes then I changed and clean his track about 4 times day. The bleeding did stop, but omg after we left the hospital Saturday the track was all bloody you would have thought that they would have put a new one in since they took the whole track out of his throat but they didn't so when he was released we came home I cleaned it up, but it was so hard to get the inner granular in had to try several time before it got easier to remove. Did you have trouble with swelling? The ear nose and throat doctor said that he has a lot of swelling so he will have to leave in the track for a while longer,
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,030 Member
    #5
    Swelling
    Sue,

    As you mentioned that your husband is roughly 4 weeks out from his last radiation treatment, his neck and throat can very well be swollen. The radiation is hard on us and we go through a period that we call the " Cooking Period ". Mainly because the radiation is accumlative and adds up, so the last day of treatment isn't really the end of it. It can take anywhere to 4-8 weeks afterwards for us to finally start to feel better and the effects of the radiation start to subside. Your husband is in that time frame.

    Did your husband have a Neck Disection? If he did, he could be having symptoms of Lymphedema, the backup of the lymphnode system fluids in his neck and face. Is his face and neck puffy? if so, then he may need to see a Cancer Physical Therapist to learn some simple neck stretching exercises and gentle massage for the lymphnode system. Once the fluid is out of the area, the swelling will go down. The swelling on the outside of the neck has an effect on the inside as well and narrows the throat passageway.

    My Best to Both of You
  • sue5749
    sue5749 Member Posts: 170
    #6
    MarineE5 said:

    Swelling
    Sue,

    As you mentioned that your husband is roughly 4 weeks out from his last radiation treatment, his neck and throat can very well be swollen. The radiation is hard on us and we go through a period that we call the " Cooking Period ". Mainly because the radiation is accumlative and adds up, so the last day of treatment isn't really the end of it. It can take anywhere to 4-8 weeks afterwards for us to finally start to feel better and the effects of the radiation start to subside. Your husband is in that time frame.

    Did your husband have a Neck Disection? If he did, he could be having symptoms of Lymphedema, the backup of the lymphnode system fluids in his neck and face. Is his face and neck puffy? if so, then he may need to see a Cancer Physical Therapist to learn some simple neck stretching exercises and gentle massage for the lymphnode system. Once the fluid is out of the area, the swelling will go down. The swelling on the outside of the neck has an effect on the inside as well and narrows the throat passageway.

    My Best to Both of You

    Marine
    No my husband has not had a neck dissection. He goes for his pet scan May 5th. We will see how that goes. Either way the outcome we will be heading back to Michigan the end of May. We using just come to Fl for a few months in the winter(our vacation home) has not been much of a vacation this past winter! We will get our doctor records here and take them with us when we head back north. Husband said he just wants to go home. So glad that I found this site and found out a lot about head and neck cancer! Did not know anything about it, and did not know so many people suffer from this. I have learned a lot! I feel so bad that so many people have to suffer so much! Just when you feel that you have it bad there is always somebody out there that has it so much worse. My heart goes out to all of you! One thing that I have found out going through with this with my husband is don't ever give up! I heard him say one time " I'm so tired" I know he has to be, I think the only thing that keeps him fighting is his kids, even though they are grown now. Thanks Marine for getting back with me
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,030 Member
    #7
    sue5749 said:

    Marine
    No my husband has not had a neck dissection. He goes for his pet scan May 5th. We will see how that goes. Either way the outcome we will be heading back to Michigan the end of May. We using just come to Fl for a few months in the winter(our vacation home) has not been much of a vacation this past winter! We will get our doctor records here and take them with us when we head back north. Husband said he just wants to go home. So glad that I found this site and found out a lot about head and neck cancer! Did not know anything about it, and did not know so many people suffer from this. I have learned a lot! I feel so bad that so many people have to suffer so much! Just when you feel that you have it bad there is always somebody out there that has it so much worse. My heart goes out to all of you! One thing that I have found out going through with this with my husband is don't ever give up! I heard him say one time " I'm so tired" I know he has to be, I think the only thing that keeps him fighting is his kids, even though they are grown now. Thanks Marine for getting back with me

    You're Welcome
    Sue,

    You're welcome, that is why we are here, to help when we can.

    To answer your question, no I didn't know about this site when I first found out I had cancer. I became a member after my treatments, etc. I too have learned allot, much on my own experience and also by reading the posts of the other members here.

    I can understand what your husband said " I'm so tired ". We all have been there, we just have to push forward. We don't all bounce back as fast as we wish we could. Allot depends on our age, physical condition, and mental shape. He may need to have the trach in for a bit longer, but will eventually have it removed. On another board, one member had his for 13 months before removal. Hopefully your husband will have his removed soon.

    My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here

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