Feeding tube /Pathology report

candyshapiro
candyshapiro Member Posts: 16
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Well continuing on my road to recovery I am due for my first post op appointment on March 8th to see how it is healing. I had tonsillar cancer that also had started to go onto the base of my tongue. So consuming calories has become my full time job to hopefully avoid a feeding tube. Anything that has dairy in it produces thick mucous making it impossible to swallow. I am just coming off of the narcotics and Magic mouth wash that saved me for the past three days. Does anyone know how they determine to have or not to have? Weight loss? Blood tests? I so want to beat this. 

The good news is the pathology came back with clean margins and the radical neck dissection came back with no positive lymph nodes. Because the cell s also HPV positive they will not do any further treatment such as radiation and chemo but will follow me closely. Has anyone else been at this point before and how successful was the outcome. So happy and so scared all in the same moment.

Thanks in advance

Comments

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    edited March 2017 #2
    feeding

    CS,

    So you had surgery only, correct?  If that is the case you should return to eating very quickly.  If that is not the case then you will need to try whatever high calorie food or drink you can.  I did have a PEG, but was drinking 1 meal a day and adding nuts and oil to my smoothies.  You can get some very high calorie drinks, which should help you meet the goal of limited weight loss. I did lose around 45 pounds, but was drinking 10 glasses of water a day to stay fully hydrated.  Even though I had a difficult time eating, I loved tomatoes, cucumbers and olive oil (lots of calories).

    Keep at it, try everything and you should find a few favorites.

    Matt

  • candyshapiro
    candyshapiro Member Posts: 16
    #3
    CivilMatt said:

    feeding

    CS,

    So you had surgery only, correct?  If that is the case you should return to eating very quickly.  If that is not the case then you will need to try whatever high calorie food or drink you can.  I did have a PEG, but was drinking 1 meal a day and adding nuts and oil to my smoothies.  You can get some very high calorie drinks, which should help you meet the goal of limited weight loss. I did lose around 45 pounds, but was drinking 10 glasses of water a day to stay fully hydrated.  Even though I had a difficult time eating, I loved tomatoes, cucumbers and olive oil (lots of calories).

    Keep at it, try everything and you should find a few favorites.

    Matt

    I did have surgery only but

    I did have surgery only but they took part of my lower tongue, tonsil area, muscles associated with it and a piece of my pallet so swallowing will be a whole new way at this point. The reason for this was to spare radiation due to the HPV positive report and no nodes and good petscan results. The tomatoes cucmbers olive oil etc were they taken in a smoothie? I was 110 lb and now lost around 5. Wednesday is the day they will decide. I have a difficult time with water as it spreads and can go down the wrong pipe. I got Magic Mouthwash a couple days ago which is helping me hold at 5lb. Wednesday I start speech and swallowing rehab. 

     

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