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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for October 2010

Checking In
Hi all: Basketcase checking in here! Just got back from visiting my 92 year old aunt in Albany, GA (she's the one who lost her daughter, my cousin, in April) and spending the weekend with my brother (the only brother I've got left) in Thomasville, GA. Had a great time but good to be home. My aunt and uncle from Memphis are…
How long until taste returned?
Hi all, There is lots of info here about people's experiences with salivary function, but I am really curious to know how long it was for you after treatment ended before your sense of taste returned to normal? Or if it ever did? Thanks! ~Dane
Tube out!
Monday morning my Gastro Dr. removed my tube. I am happy to report he yanked it out & there was no pain. He told me it would take a bit of time to heal however, it is not draining & is looking great! How long did you leave your dressing on it? I am changing mine daily & also use saline solution to clean it. I appreciate…
facial hair
My radiologist told me that I will permanently lose my facial hair. I would like to know if this is true or not. I've always had a goatee or beard.
Second PET Completed
Happy to report that at 7 months out "There are no definite findings to suggest residual desease, and there are no FDG avid cervical lymph nodes identified". My original diagnosis was T4N2 SCC of the vallecula between tongue and vocal cords. My Rad/Onc gave me a referral to see a Lymphedema physical therapy specialist to…
The one best thing.
Many of you have read my intermittent Polly-Anna posts on here, chirping about survival and gratitude and being able to choke down sourdough bread. Well, here is another one. I had a revelation last night about "living in the moment." I can do it now. I am doing it. I've been doing it for some time now, probably since…
HPV + WITH AGGRESSIVE TUMORS
Hello all and hope your evening is going well. I am one week post treatment and have way too much time to think about the future. I was wanting to know what your medical team may have said regarding the "aggressive nature" of your cancer. Pre surgery I was diagnosed T2N2M0 with my Right Tonsil being the primary. Once my 2…
It's been a year....
The doctor called me 1 year ago and told me I had cancer. On my son's 16th birthday no less. We were getting ready to go out and celebrate his birthday at a rest. called Champs. I said to him " are you telling me I have cancer and he said "yes. I sat thru the dinner with my son and husband and felt in a fog. Slow motion.…
Raw Neck-Posponed Radiation
Hello Everyone, Today I went for my 29 of 33 treatment. Because my neck was litterly red raw flesh, the tech had me see the doctor before hand. He suggested we suspend the treatments until next wednesday. Needless to say I was quite happy as my neck is beyond a mess. He suggested I quit using the prescribed Maiderma cream…
What happens now?
Hello Everyone, It has been a long time since I have posted because quite frankly it has just been too hard to read all the blogs of where we were and where we are now. My husband was diagnosed on 6/1/2009 with tonsil SCC stage IV. He has been in treatment ever since and it just keeps spreading. Now it is in the liver,…
13 weeks out - PET results
Well, Glenn had his first PET scan and he's NED!! What really made him happy was his Rad Onc saying she would clear him for dentures just after Thanksgiving. They still see some swelling on the CAT scan and want another month. He still has a PEG tube and he's lost 65lbs, but he had it to lose. They're not worried about the…
World Series!!
I've got five doses of Caphosol on the Giants to win tonight's game. In San Francisco! I could also throw some of those 4x4 pads with the slit for the feeding tube in. Any takers? Bob
Never swallow again???
Hello, I live in a small Texas town just lucky enough to have an Oncology Clinic and a teaching hospital. I was diagnoised with stage 4 base of the tongue cancer with lymphnode envolvement, last Sept, 2009. I underwent cemo and radiation treatments. I wore a cemo pump 5 days a week and had radiation treatments 5 days a…
Infected Computer
I got infected with a computer virus that redirected me to advertisement sites. There is a free program called ad-ware by javasoft that did fix the problem. I don't know where I picked it up - but I do visit this site a lot and we did have that problem with that spammer. I had to load the software onto a flash drive on off…
Diet Ginger Ale for mouth sores
My boyfriend Joe has 7 more radiation treatments left and I wanted to share something we just found helpful. He has of course developed thrush and awful mouth and throat sores. He has tried everything available without any relief and his radiation doctor suggested 'diet' ginger ale. She said to swish and gargle and if…
Face mask
Hi all, I am hoping some of you will have great advice. My mom in law is thinking of having cyberknife tx with the face mask for brain mets. Since I have not had to experience the face mask , as of yet, I thought of many of you and hope you can offer advice. This would be a treatment for pallitive reasons only. She is 84…
Happy Halloween
I have the next couple of days off from work and don't have internet at home, so I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone a HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Be safe! Kathy
Vita-Stim Swallowing Therapy
Bob started this electrically stimulated swallow therapy this week. They put electrodes around his neck, wrap his neck in some other stuff, and then turn on this machine while he does swallowing exercises. Anyone else have this therapy and did it work??? He goes 4 days a week, 1 hour sessions, for four weeks. Note - he…
The food free for all, such as it was, is over. I am at baseline weight.
I am back to my baseline weight ( and as I am only about 2 feet tall, it isn't much) I guess it is a good thing, and I shouldn't complain..however.. The trick is going to be not turning into a puffball as it is hard to eat without slathering on the food lubricants (foobricants?) butter, dressing etc. Any suggestions? Hard…
My poor abused tongue
Any suggestions on how to handle the sores that have taken up residence on the side of my tongue? Also, everything burns my tongue, including water. Is that normal? I've been doing swish-n-spit with the baking soda / salt and painting my tongue with the magic mouthwash, which doesn't last all that long. 7 more days to go!
How Did Everyone's Employer's handle your Cancer Situation?
I want to Know how everyones boss handled the situation with Cancer, Mine is slowly working me out the door, you no the one that has been a dedicated worker, and now feels the prize pony is useless.....I just want to hear, we hear about our own personal problems, but did it effect your job. I, like others here know we had…
Bob's PET Scan Results
Well Bob had his 1st post Cancer PET Scan last Wednesday....He did NOT tell me he had to go in on Friday for the results. I was asleep and heard him shower and get dressed..thought nothing of it until he said do I look ok? I said for what? He said I am going for my results...OMG I could not get up and get ready and dressed…
Home from Brother's Funeral
Hi all: Basketcase checking in. I'm back from Chatt. for my brother's Richard funeral services. Being the big TN Vols fans we all are in my family, his wife had him dressed in a new orange shirt he'd just bought and a black suit and a beautiful TN tie! We put an orange/white shaker in with him and one of his TN ball caps.…
Cold Hands & Feet
It is getting winter time in North Carolina and I am again beginning to experience the being cold syndrome, especially the hands and feet. I am now going on five years post treatment (radiation and chemo) and being cold is another one of my many side effects. I have read on this site about others experiencing this and…
Parotid Gland Cancer - Stage 4
I am 44 year old female and found out 2 weeks ago that I have cancer of the parotid gland. 3 months ago I went to my primary care doctor because of pressure in my right ear and what I thought was a swollen gland. Thinking it was a possible ear infection starting, I took antibiotics twice, but nothing changed. My ENT sent…
Chemo for Base of Tongue
I am a 58 year old male that was recently dx with SCC - Base of Tongue as primary source. Noticed a lump on right side of neck in January of this year. My primary care doctor ordered a CT scan after my office visit. The results were unconclusive & I was told lump was benign. Dr said it was most likely a sinus infection &…
Thick mucus and sore throat
Dave finished all rads and chemo 8 days ago, ooooh yyyea! But the problem is the mucus seems very thick and is making him sick, and throat is so sore he has let up on taking fluids orally. Any suggestions for these 2 problems, and How long before it will ease off? The doc said rads would continue to burn him for several…
Just got my PEG installed; what a nightmare!
Hey all, Just got released from a 4 day stay at the local hospital after going in on Wednesday for same day surgery/installation of the PEG tube. About an hour after being released I began experiencing the most horrible stomach pain of my life, actually the most horrible pain of my life period. There was the pain from the…
New member????
Just wondering if anyone else has had a new member??? add them as their friend. It just strikes me as a little suspicious that I would get this request on the same day that someone posted spam on every forum. The person who added me as their friend has never posted on either of the forums I frequent and has not filled in…
NEWLY DIAGNOSED
I have just been diagnosed with poorly differeniated squamous neck cancer, and I have my neck dissection in 1 week and I am only 31. I have so many questions regarding what I will look like afterwards. My doctor said I will have a big scar and my neck will be sunken in, how bad will it look? I know I sound really vain but…

Head and Neck Cancer

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