Dry Mouth

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Darkdancer333
Darkdancer333 Member Posts: 115 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Starting week 4 and my saliva glands seem to be doing well... No dry mouth. When and if this side effect takes place does it occur. Right now I have the dreaded sore throat and phlegm.. Blood in throat not much and dried blood in nose. I assume all this is normal. I must gargle 30 times a day.. it helps with the sores.. 

Phlegm that has to be the most helpless feeling... I have lost 3-4 lbs in this time which i dont think is too bad.. I was still eating yesterday had to skin the meatballs lol but the pasta went down fine. 

One thing i will say boost and phlegm dont mix but take it anyway.

So far 14 rads and 3 chemos out of the way.. Chemo has been an actual breeze.. 

just taking one day at a time

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  • bebo12249
    bebo12249 Member Posts: 181 Member
    #2
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    You’re almost halfway home!!

    You’re almost halfway home!! The timing of side effects varyies by patient and may be soon or never; no way to predict. If chemo has not been a problem it will likely continue that way, as least that was my experience. You still may experience more reds side effects but you are almost halfway. 2-3 more weeks for the healing to begin.. 

  • BeenThereDoneThat
    BeenThereDoneThat Member Posts: 33
    #3
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    Boost Memories

    DD333, Sending positive thoughts your way. I had my time in the saddle in 2004. Radical neck, radiation, and chemo. I am here, happy, and healthy! 

    I lived on Boost, and know the 'phlegm pheeling'! You'll  be eating steak soon!

    Take care. 

  • Chilinily
    Chilinily Member Posts: 15
    #4
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    Dry mouth

    18 months since lowdose radiation for HPV-OPC.  One lymph node under right jaw.   No surgery or chemo.  I still have a very dry mouth and need water at meals and drink water all day long, also hot black tea winter, cool, not iced, in hot weather.  I also have trouble with mucus globs in my throat that wont swallow down unless I eat something, followed with water. A small piece of bread seems to work best. The only trick that works for me, and is often mentioned on these comments, is using xylamelts.  These are small mints with one side that will stick to your gum or cheek and last for about 3 hours.  I use them at night and they give relief.  Best wishes with your recovery,

     

  • Suez39
    Suez39 Member Posts: 162 Member
    #5
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    Update

    Dark dancer glad your doing good with minimal issues. Wish you were here to give me tips on how to ease my symptoms! I know everyone's body is different and that it depends on the type of cancer and kind of treatment they are receiving. My body not taking the chemo well. And i'm sooo jealous you can eat meataballs! I have a tumor on very back of tongue also on tonsils so even with proper chewing don't think it would fit! Lol One quick question. What two things would you say that you do on a daily basis that contributes to minimizing side effects?

  • OKCnative
    OKCnative Member Posts: 326 Member
    #6
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    Good to here it is going well

    Good to here it is going well.

    The mucous is the pits. Lots of gargling, use those mouth swabs and I used a WaterPik with warm salt water to get the gunk out from between my teeth that made my breathe horrible. Sam's sells a WaterPik that is really nice. Also good to keep the gums clean because saliva loss is hell on teeth.

    The Boost mucous combo is really gross. And even with that I lost 40 pounds. But, I credit it greatly for the fact I was back to 100% within a 2 months of treatment ending.

    Keep fighting the fight!

  • AlreadyOne
    AlreadyOne Member Posts: 9
    #7
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    It will get better

    Hello All, I remember when I was at four weeks and had pretty much the same symptoms as DarkDancer. For me the darkest days were the two weeks following my last radiation treatment. I too had no issues with chemo. Everyone experiences it differently. I used a humidifier in my room at night and that helped some. Dry mouth and sore throat were very present from about 5 weeks and onward. But, it all begins to improve after about two weeks from your last treatment. It is slow but you will get better. Tongue sores heal and some saliva returns and eventually the neck swelling subsides, but it does move around. I had not wanted a feeding tube put in but now am glad that I did. I was becoming dehydrated because of my inability to swallow enough liquid. I had it removed about 4 weeks post treatment. That felt amazing! I lost close to 40lbs. You can do it! Be positive and know that your body will heal. I still have some phlegm issues but my Dr. says it's not that I have a lot of phlegm, it is that I don'have the usual amount of saliva. You can do it!

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