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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for November 2011

HBO and hnc
I'm new to the Forum and am posting for the first time. I hope I'm posting correctly as I don't want to break any forum rules. My oldest sister is a cancer survivor,She has the same H&Nc as the actor Michael Douglas is enduring, I say survivor loosely, because she was diagnosed last July. She has been through her chemo and…
Happy Turkey Day All CSN "Buds"
Dear Buds: Just wanted to take this time to tell y'all how thankful I am for all of you! Your support and encouragement knows no boundries! I'm so thankful I found y'all. I could not make it very well without y'all. You're a special group, that's for sure. God Bless and Happy Turkey Day! Jan (Basketcase)
thankful
I am so thankful my husband, Jim, whose hypopharyngeal cancer is in remission, is able to eat anything and everything he wants this Thanksgiving. We know we have been blessed and thank God for it every day. Thank you all, too, for all the good advice, all the listening and just for being here through some dark, scary…
Two years and one month
Well. Another check up and No Evidence of the Damn Disease. Happy as a pig in &@!(. I think we're missing out. We don't have thanks giving in Australia. Can someone explain to me when and what it resembles thank you all for posting all your thoughts and knowledge. It has helped me and others soooooo much. Love Jen xxx
Happy Turkey Day...
∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣ ╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║ │╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣ ││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║ *”˜˜”*°• From our house to your house •°*”˜˜”*°• •°<•°*”˜˜”*°•Happy Thanksgiving to my CSN Family and Friends•°*”˜˜”*°•</font> ♥ :-) Have a wonderful day, don't eat to much, for the rest...you will :-) Best, John
Fentanyl patches and hot showers are a fatal combination!
I was on a Fentanyl patch for a while. But weaned myself off it because I needed my hot showers so badly to clear my thick mucus. You might already know this. But just thought I'd share this with everyone in case people are unaware. Hot showers can trigger the patches to release too much drugs too quickly. The overdose…
Thanksgiving with NED
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I haven't posted in a while. I just completed my 18 month scans and they tell me that I'll be spending Thanksgiving with NED. We're planning on a little turkey, football and happy dancing. To all those beginning the journey, be thankful for the professionals and caregivers that help you through…
Thank you so much
Please allow me this opportunity after the longest 8 months of my life to tell each and everyone of you, thank you so much for your support and advise. After being told that I could call the following day to get the results of my first PET scan post chemoradiation, I was instead told, "Report Unavailable" Today I found out…
Having some success
I'm 11 weeks post op from my neck dissection and I'm starting to have some success and freedom from the pain in my trapezius muscle. I noticed that the past 2 mornings I was actually able to pull a shirt over my head without it taking 5 minutes. So my rotator cuff and shoulder blade have relaxed enough that they are…
which is harder, chemo or radiation with chemo every three weeks?
Hi to all! I'll be starting my chemo cycles on Dec 08(it would be 4 days a week),3 cycles. I am done with my radiation with one chemo every three weeks, lost 20 lbs, i am trying to heal right now to be ready for another fight. I know everybody is different but i just want to ask which is harder?
MY CSN BUDS
To all of my CSN buds, and incoming new buds, I want to say happy Thanksgiving, and say we are all truly blessed to be here, no matter what condition we may be currently in. For all who are not having a very good go if it right now, be thankfull you are here and able to be a part of this group. IT WILL GET BETTER!! To all…
nasty taste
If he tries something the taste gags him and makes him nauseous. Then he has an aversion to it and won't ever try it again. I have tried fruit or veg smoothies, magic mineral broth, soups, yogurt, you name it. I think that the lack of natural minerals, enzemes and vitamins is slowing down recovery. To me it is like…
Mouth Sore Question
I swish 3-6 times a day with baking soda/salt solution, I have a script filled for magic mouth wash, and will be picking up another script for caphosol(sp), mouth and throat are not really too bad at this point, however the rt side of my tongue feels and what I can see like I have a small cancur sore on it. Is there…
I finally figured out what could be causing my lighted headness.
Hey Guys I know I havent been on here in about month or so but I finally went and got a balance test last week after my ENT doctor ordered it and here is the results they have found out: I have permit inner ear damage on the right or left ear but they cant figure out which one it is. I have numbness in both legs and right…
hospitalized after treatment
Spent almost 4 weeks in hospital after radiation and chemo. Neutropenic? I don't know can't eat anything as throat feels like it's being ripped open by razor blades. Family just keeps forcefully telling me to eat in a disgusted voice and I explain I can't it's too painful. Hospital was comforting but I was afraid I…
How do you get yourself to eat with no taste?
I am just past the middle of chemorad treatment, I have to admit having little or no taste I have been struggling to eat or drink anything. I have tried various soft foods like mashed potatoes, watered down rice, various soups, shakes, etc. The more liquified, the faster I can get it down, it seems the better. I drink my…
How do they decide on neck dissection post chemorad? Most who had it have side effects?
Been reading people's experiences with their neck dissections and it doesn't sound so easy. Do most people have side effects and long term symptoms from their neck dissections? Primarily, how do they exactly decide if you need one after you're done with chemorad treatments? (I am left tonsil SCC, left lymph involvement.…
Thanksgiving foods
What is your favorite thing to eat this time of year? Maybe the easiest to go down, the best comfort food, whatever makes you happy. I'm trying to figure out what to do for Bob that would make him feel "normal" this Thanksgiving. I think it's got to be so hard seeing everyone else eating things that used to be favorites…
Salty taste???
Hi everyone, My dad is almost 4 weeks out of treatment. He is swallowing somewhat now and even tried some broths, however, he still has phlegm and when he spits it out he cannot believe how salty it seems to be now. It is driving him crazy and doesn't care to try to eat anything because of the salty taste. Has anyone…
Tongue pain--5 months post-surgery
Things have been going great. Finished Radiation/Chemo beginning of September and just returned from a week-long vacation in Europe. More tired than usual, but feeling good until . . . Recently, I've been having pain in my tongue where the tumor was removed via TORS. I can feel that the area around the incision has thick…
Receding gums.
Anyone know if radiation causes this issue or makes it worse? Or can all this brushing I do make it hard on my gums? Those that use the water pic thingie, does it hurt? Would that be better for my gums?
Need Swallowing Advice
Hi my name is Joan and I have been treated for cancer at the base of my tongue. I had 35 radiation treatments and 3 cisplatin chemo treatments. The treatments finished on Sept. 26 and a week later I got so run down that I wound up in the hospital where I suffered a minor stroke and got out of the hospital 15 days later.…
Taste and Saliva
I am a little over 2 weeks post rad and have a little saliva but very minimal and not enough to swallow food without washing it down with liquids. I have a sensation of taste but in most cases it is not what the food should taste like. For example I just had a powder sugar donut with my coffee and it tasted like cardboard.…
Whey Protein
During the course of your treatment(s) have any of you drank whey protein drinks? I drink at least 3 per day to add protein to my diet along with any regular foods that have natural protein. I mix the whey protein powder with 8 oz 1 % mild and it adds another 66 grams of protein to my diet.
New Cancer patient
I just found out that I have Head and Neck Cancer. I will go to MD Anderson in two weeks for test and then treatment. I have had two biopsies and have an enlarged lymph node. I have Squamous Cell Carcinoma. They do not know where the primary tumor is. I have two children, full time job and am a bit afraid of the changes…
hemoglobin
Have any of you had a problem with a low hemglobin count during radiation therapy? Mom's count was 7.2 this morning so they're going to give her a blood transfusion to get it back up. I'm just curious as to how common this is among cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments.
Flouride tray alternatives
Hi All, Went to see my ENT today and he scoped me and said everything looked PERFECT. He was concerned about my teeth though. Didn't I read on here about some fluoride gel or something one could use in lieu of trays? Any info would be appreciated. Best to all, Steve
Good and Bad news
Haven't been on all week, my laptop got a spyware and waiting for son to fix. I have to use the desktop in the bedroom and can't multitask on it. :( We recieved the CT on Jim's brain results yesterday. Good news is there is no tumors or lesions. Thsnk you God! Bad news, Jim has hydrocephalus (water on the brain). We have…
Neck Dissection
Vickie just got the results of her CT scan after undergoing three rounds of Chemo. Her scan showed that a subtle enhancing node within the left posterior cervical triangle remains, but no other enhancing nodes or seperate mass lesions are evident. Our oncologist says this is incredibly good news and wants to just do…
Very New
I am looking for any information. The situation is brand new and I apologize for only having very limited info yet. My Daughter has been having problems with some headaches over the past 2 weeks. The MDs ordered a CT and MRI of her head yesterday which were normal of the brain. They did however find a 1cm lesion or mass in…

Head and Neck Cancer

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