White patches inside my mouth. Is it the Decadron?

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SylMarie
SylMarie Member Posts: 91 Member
edited September 2016 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hello, good people!

This morning, I found white patches on the left, upper side of my mouth (where the tumor was removed and where they are focusing the rads). This past week was my first week of rads, and I had my first chemo on Monday. They gave me 3 anti-nausea meds to take. Decadron was one of them. It's a steroid, so is it possible that the white patches on my radiation side of the mouth are caused by this medication? Is it thrush? 

I also wear an obturator (an appliance that covers the roof of my mouth). That was rubbing and making my mouth feel sore. It has never done that before today. Does thrush cause pain?

Has anybody had white patches/thrush in their mouths after taking Decadron for nausea?

 

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  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #2
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    white patches

    SylMarie,

    Is it uncomfortable, does it hurt, if not, it most likely is not Thrush.

    I have never taken Decadron and I have not looked up the possible side effects, but white patches from anti-nausea doesn’t sound  right.

    You are very early in treatments, side effects other than nausea are uncommon this soon, but it does happen.  Remember to keep your team in the loop on ALL changes.

    Try to relax and don’t borrow trouble.  Just because you read about something on here doesn’t mean you will get it.

    I wish you the best.

    Matt

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #3
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    My guess is that

    the white patches are most likely from the rads....thrush comes later, when you've lost your saliva, and yeast can grow uncontrolled (and yes, thrush is painful...stingy, hurty, usually it coats the mouth and throat).  Your obturator is now laying on skin inside your mouth that is getting tender from rads...I doubt it's the steroid, as you haven't been on it long.

    Pretty much everything new that happens right inside your mouth is going to be caused by the radiation. 

    p

  • SylMarie
    SylMarie Member Posts: 91 Member
    #4
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    phrannie51 said:

    My guess is that

    the white patches are most likely from the rads....thrush comes later, when you've lost your saliva, and yeast can grow uncontrolled (and yes, thrush is painful...stingy, hurty, usually it coats the mouth and throat).  Your obturator is now laying on skin inside your mouth that is getting tender from rads...I doubt it's the steroid, as you haven't been on it long.

    Pretty much everything new that happens right inside your mouth is going to be caused by the radiation. 

    p

    Guess what seemed to help the

    Guess what seemed to help the white patches? L-Glutamine rinses and swallows, done twice yesterday. I gave my mouth a break and didn't wear the obturator. Luckily, I can eat without it because the defect in the roof of my mouth has closed. Later last night, my husband checked my mouth with a flashlight and the white patches had gone away everywhere except the area on my upper gums on which they are focusing the radiation! Also, the pain was gone.

    The Decadron is a steroid that they gave me to take for the 3 days following chemo. Steroids can wreak havoc. I am pretty sensitive to medication. However, after 3 days would seem to be too soon to have that reaction.

    I did inform the PA who works with my med. onc. about the patches and she also said she was going to add a different nausea med to my IV tomorrow during chemo, as well as give me something different to take. The nausea has made me tired, cranky, and I want to do nothing except come home and sleep after any treatment -- even the rad days. Cisplatin is gross, even at 40 mg.  I'm hoping the new meds will make a positive difference!  :)

     

  • SylMarie
    SylMarie Member Posts: 91 Member
    edited September 2016 #5
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    CivilMatt said:

    white patches

    SylMarie,

    Is it uncomfortable, does it hurt, if not, it most likely is not Thrush.

    I have never taken Decadron and I have not looked up the possible side effects, but white patches from anti-nausea doesn’t sound  right.

    You are very early in treatments, side effects other than nausea are uncommon this soon, but it does happen.  Remember to keep your team in the loop on ALL changes.

    Try to relax and don’t borrow trouble.  Just because you read about something on here doesn’t mean you will get it.

    I wish you the best.

    Matt

    Hi, Matt.  The area where the

    Hi, Matt.  The area where the patches were located did hurt. It was actually a weird sensation between pain and electrical shock when the obturator -- or my tongue, for that matter -- touched it. It helped a lot to swish and swallow L-Glutamine twice yesterday. I will do that if I get them again. My tongue looks white-ish all over now, and that's not an area that is being radiated on purpose, anyway. My tumor was in the upper, back gums, left side. But I guess there is a lot of spill-over! 

    I'm trying not to borrow trouble. I'm just trying to navigate though this new and confusing world. In my case, I'm in a huge cancer center and there are times when I'm not sure the med. onc. and the rad. onc. are communiating. Today I informed the med. onc.'s PA about the patches, and on Thursday, when I see the rad. onc., I will do the same. 

    Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it. Today was rad treatment #6, and tomorrow is chemo #2. And so it goes... 

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