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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for July 2012

Anyone here use Nystatin?
I think the thrush is back, and my doctor told me to use Nystatin for it (which I already had). He said if it doesn't clear up in a week, we'll try Diflucan (again). Does anyone have info on how long Nystatin takes to work? As the thrush takes hold, it makes it tough for me to swallow at times... and my speech pathologist…
Speech issues following treatment.
Greetings, CSN! Short time lurker, first time poster. Quick background: SCC of right side of tongue on 1/18/11. Partial glossectomy, no further treatment. Metastasis to right lymph node behind my ear, diagnosed on 2/14/12. Neck dissection on 2/23/12, with 33 rad treatments and 3 Cisplatin starting 4/12/12, done on 5/16/12.…
Tests set for the am ....
Hello group ! I go in tomorrow morning for that CTA and lumbar puncture (air test) hoping to get some concrete info to decide on next steps with this adcc. It's only been 6 mo's since this trip started and it feels like a lifetime. Will update in awhile...results can come back soon...lol, or within a week. Prayers and good…
In The Hospital
Looks like it was a tough weekend for a lot of us. Hubby has two cisplatin chemos and 26 rads under his belt with lots of side effects but hanging in there. Then, he started running a fever Saturday afternoon, getting up to 100.2. We used Tylenol to get it down but if we waited more than 4 hours for a dose, it started…
Anyone have any thought on steroid shots to aid healing?
My Onc said if I'm still experiencing a sore throat/swollen throat after a month, he could give me a steroid shot to aid healing. Has anyone had one? I haven't read every post but I haven't read anything about it, but I may search it out. My profile will tell my DX but I'm a little different, not as severe as most on these…
I stepped back in time about 5 weeks....
I haven't felt this miserable since the 4 or 5th weeks of rads, and I can't put my finger on the reason for it, too many choices. I had the 5FU pump from Tues to Saturday....my face turned a tiny bit pink on Weds, but by Thrus and Friday, it was hot, red, and puffy. I thought maybe I got a little too much sun on Weds, and…
1 year out of treatment, still exhausted easily.
Hi Everyone I have been a "lurker" here for 18 months. Don't know exactly why i never participated before but now i feel like i am finally getting some perspective on this whole cancer journey. I was diagnosed early Jan 2011 with T2N2Mo StageIV NPC. Did 33 Rads 6 rounds of chemo (3 cisplatin, 3 carbo with taxol and 5FU)at…
2nd Surgery tomorrow..
Hello my fellow warriors! So tomorrow I check in at 6AM to go in for my last (hopefully) surgery. The surgeons will be removing about 40-50 lymph nodes during the neck dissection. At this time, the doctor will be cleaning uo the enges of my tongue to prepare it for reconstruction. They will remove the tissue from my left…
Start of 3rd week
This is the start of my 3rd week out of trt. I am able to eat some flavors of yogurt, some hurt! I was able to eat some cream of mushroom soup from progresso. I just strained out the mushrooms.....ouch no chunks please. I tried some chocolate milk which went ok and tried some really creamy retried beans but that I think…
swallon neck
Hi, I am new to the forum! My husband had cancer on the base of his tongue. Had that removed and a radical neck disection. Now his neck is very swollen and he is really having a hard time with it. We have been to the emergency room twice and dicussed it with his Dr's. He is really having a tough time with this. They say…
Slippery Elm for mucus
Buzz has been battling a cough and excessive mucus since his cancer returned. At the suggestion of a PA, he is taking Slippery Elm and it is helping the thin the mucus!!! It comes in a capsule form and a lozenge. I guess there is a tea also. I have been opening the capsules and mixing them with water. I then put this…
2 Year Check Up
A few weeks short of 2 years out from treatment and the latest check up and scan was clean as a whistle. They’ve been giving the PET/CT scans every 6 months, but that has been pushed back to 12 months between scans now. Good news all around. I hope some will find hope and encouragement in this. I was diagnosed with BOT SCC…
Need some encouragement
I was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer, unknown primary, in December of 2010. At the time, my PET CT scan showed a spot on the liver that was suspicious. A subsequent liver biopsy was negative, so the decision was made to do radiation. I had 33 sessions of radiation, and it was assumed I was cancer-free. My first…
wierd smell/taste associated with oral cancers?
Hey Fellow Survivors, This might sound strange, and maybe a tad morbid, but I was curious about this and have yet to see any information about this. My ex-wife's mother died from lung cancer several years ago. For some reason, I can still--even after all these years--remember a particular smell emanating from her when I…
update on peg tube I had put in Tuesday
hi everybody I had my peg tube put in Tuesday what was suppose to be an easy procedure ended up costing me a night in the hospital so I got out the fourth yay also costed me two missed radiation sessions which I'm sure I will make up they just got my plan set up and put me on jevity for the tube which I just got yesterday…
Help with lingo
Hello All, Pretty new to this site and was wondering if anyone out there can help with some of the lingo. I keep seeing all of the abbreviations and don't know what most of them mean. I just want to better understand all of the posts and advice. Thanks in advance :-) Billie
persistance..sometimes needed
I posted about an issue I had with my oncologist. I was so flabergasted with what they said, I was unable to think clearly. Today I called them back, remarked that I had done a online app., for Mayo. And then I asked the nurse to ask the dr. for the exact TEST or TESTS results the dr. was using to confirm the pressure and…
Got To See My Throat
I saw my surgeon last Tuesday and this time he had a monitor up on the wall so I could see my throat while he scoped me. Now I know how much of the base of my tongue he took out. My vocal cords looked okay but I've been hoarse since the second week out of radiation. My symptoms and what we saw didn't match up. My throat…
Daily hydration
My hubby will be beginning chemo treatments some time in the next two weeks along with 5-a-week rads. Our medical oncologist tells us that after (or before) each rad session he will take a short walk down to the chemo area for IV fluids which sounds like an outstanding idea. Have any of you had this done? Is it pretty…
Tinnitus
Anybody have/had tinnitus (ringing in the ear) due to their nasal tumor. I'm not talking about tinnitus due to the treatment but from the tumor itself.
Radiation Burns on Tongue
I was diagnosed with cancer on my tongue the first of May this year. I went in to have the cancer removed on the 10th of May. They removed the left half of my tongue. They created a flap using skin from my leg. I spent two weeks in the hospital. I recovered for about a month and started Radiation Therapy. The first 5 or so…
1 year out and my husbans is still ned
Yippy!!! He went for his scope yesterday. He is one year out and still NED.. He has other problems going on, but with the steroids he is feeling much better.
Thanks for being over weight
Hi: To all cancer patients that has lost a lot of weight and muscles.When I began my treatment in Dec. 2000 I weighted in at 265 lb could bench press over 330 lbs.But when Cancer finished with it's diet plan. I was now only 131lbs, without any muscles. Thanks to my weight and the Lord I survived. Today after 12 years I…
Dry throat, chocking and throwing up
I thik i have posted this earlier but i forgot if there was any idea i missed to try. I try milk/buttermilk suggested by Phrannie and that definaltely works. Right now I am Drinking few sips of butter milk every 30 mins. Water does not work eiither. If i forget to wake up, i get a very dry choking throat and will end up…
Almost 5 weeks out
I'm about to hit the five week milestone after finishing chemo and rads. I think everything is going well and I'm just an impatient person who wants to be back to normal already. :-) I have an appointment with a speech pathologist on 7/13 and I'm trying to both wait it out without going crazy, and to not think about Friday…
Has anyone become Tongue Tied or had memory problems
My Husband Bob still hs eating issues probably due to the tongue being tied and he needs surgery on his sinues. He has been Cancer Free over 2 years now but he seems to be declining fast..he had a spider bite Brown Recluse and seemed like he became senile,..then he had a tooth pulled a few weeks ago and it got worse...he…
PEG questions
I checked the super thread but didn't see exactly what I'm looking for. First of all, I feel wayyyyy better today after using this for just 2 days. I'm on jevity 1.2. 1. Do you guys actually check for residual? Because that will gross me out. 2. Will the little bit of "back flow" that gets in my tube become rancid and make…
feeding tube
My G tube came out this morning! Only took a second and did not even feel the doctor pull it out. One step closer to the new normal :-)
Search csn tricks
Is it possible to search all posts or threads by a user? E.g. Can i see all threads i started? John, general vote is that you might have a answer :) Thanks, Sam
Zinc?
Has anyone out there heard anything about some kind of zinc tablets helping to restore our taste buds faster? I read it on some site before I found this site and now I can't find it. Wondering if anyone has tried it or knows exactly which kind of zinc it is?

Head and Neck Cancer

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