Head and Neck Cancer
Discussion List
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Thyroid
I have read about Thyroid problems caused by radiation. What are the symptoms? I find I'm not regaining my energy, I'm tired all the time and find even walking up stairs leaves me breathless and my heart races. I've black out when I stood up too quickly. I want to regain some energy but seem to get weaker by the day. I…
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3 and 1/2 years only
Another batch of good news. I am behind Duggie by about 6 months, the latest PET/CT scan back full of excellent results. The trials and tribulations of chemo/rads seems a distant memory now. I still have a slight bit of dry mouth to contend with and I've recently joined the thyroid club, but it's all good. As Duggie said,…
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Great day today somewhat
Well today has been a pretty good day. Jim was alert most of the morning and evening. His mind however is failing. He did not know my sister, Donna yesterday and he did not know my sister, who is staying with us for a few weeks, this morning. He kept seeing a dog on the front porch and a man in the house. He got emotional…
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4 years today
Hi Everyone Haven't been on much lately work prevents me from having much of a personal life but hell, that's what keeps me so young looking. (I know, that would be my funny for the day) It will be four years today about 11:30AM that I finished radiation. I find it hard to believe it's been that long, but with getting up…
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What is that?
Last night Jim coughrd up something that looked like tissue. It was about the size of a dime. The next cough produced blood spray but very little. Could it be lung tissue or throat tissue? Hospice nurse didn't seem to concerned but would send a nurse if I wanted. Said if he was resting she would take her time sending nurse…
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Still having pain 12 weeks post treatment for base tongue cancer.
My father is still having quite a bit of pain in the back of his tongue where he was radiated. Is that common 12 weeks out. Shouldn't the pain go away by now?!
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scan results
No new recurrences, prayers answered. Tumor around carotid shrunk about 1 cm. Knewv chemo would not eliminate. Since there is no new recurence, the chemo is done and I can go back to Mayo to get SBRT on the tumor. Tenatively, a planning session at Mayo next Tuesday w/MRI and then back the following week for 5 days of…
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Couple inspirational sites
Hi, Many of the board's topics are related to the physical issues resulting from oral cancer's diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Mental and emotional topics often seem a byproduct of some physical issue. Here are a couple links to sites offering wonderful support on topics of the soul and mind. An article today prodded…
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mom with a new trach
My mom was diagnosed back in December wiyth T3 larnix cancer. She then moved in with me and my husband. She has received a g-tube which has worked great due to her not being able to swollow. I am going to pat myself on the back for this one. During all of her treatments so far she has maintained her weight. Dr are amazed…
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Connie needs your help & Support
To all my friends on this network, I do not come around as often as I did when Connie was really sick although as most of you know this disease always keeps a person on edge even when the scans come back clean. Connie has been out of treatment since 2011 and she had her feeding tube taken out in early 2012. We really could…
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First chemo
Hi, just checking in after my first chemo. cisplatin really sucks! It knocked me down for 5 days straight, three of them in the hospital. I tried everything to stay hydrated and could not keep anyhting down at all. Meds did not help, but now feel much better. Radiation is not nearly as bad, eight txs done so far. I lost 16…
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tongue swelling
OK..we are experiencing tongue swelling...anyone have any rememdies for that? Almost thru the third week of rads... thanks Ya'll!!!
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taking ondansetron and vomiting
They have givin me ondansetron to help nasua but have taken it twice now and both times ended up vomitng...is there anything else I can take??
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Questions on brothers neck dissection - update
Hey everyone ! I am going to ask those of you with experience with staples after surgery what to expect for my brother. I had stitches...so a bit different. He read the surgical report to me and it sounds not so good. He won't hear about the final pathology for a few days yet. They removed 3 tumors from the left side of…
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Side effects of the cetuximab
Got my first dose of cetuximb yesterday and the side effects kicked in in the early evening.Bad headachs,nausa,sweats then cold almost like the flu.Have meds that I have to pick up but wondering if the feeling this is gonna everytime.Or will my body adjust.
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magnesium deficiency from Erbitux
With only one more tx to go, they have decided that I have a magnesium deficiency from the Erbitux. They put me on a perscription and I was thinking a week or so but it had 60 pills and several refills. Did anyone else experience this? If so, how long were you on meds? Why can't I just eat some (creamed) spinach or…
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To tube or not to tube....
Friends, have sailed through dissection and tonsil removal. I meet team next week to discuss treatment and pathology. It looks like 6 weeks RT to start in a month to six weeks. Most people seem to favour a feeding tube. In about 14 and 1/2 stone. I could bulk up to 15 prior to treatment. Any thoughts from experience. My…
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Terminal Restlessness UPDATE
Jim has "Terminal Restlessness" that keeps him moving, jerking, seeing people and things and restless. Anyone have experience with this. I looked it up on line. I know I shouldn't but I never heard of this before and wanted to know. The oncologist added Haldon which helped some but he still could not be still so they…
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Good News from Dr.
Got good news today, all 23 nodes they removed were clean, and also all my margins. So looks like I am cancer free...at least as of today....except.. There was one part of the path that said: "Angiolymphatic Invasion is Present". In the comments it says: "An immunoperoxidase stain for D2-40 highlights carcinoma within…
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3rd week of radiation and chemo combo
well..my hunny is on his third week of radiation and so far so good...starting to have trouble swallowing but as long as he keeps ice and water going in all day...its doable right now..hope it continues to be manageable...thank you all for your help and tips...Lysine has helped keep his acid level down..and glutamine has…
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My new path
So after almost two years of follow up from my last cancer, I have a recurrance. Its not curable, being right in the path of two previous radiation therapies, so I'm now officially on the palliation path. As before, my cancers tend to be fast growing ones, so I went from totally without symptoms, to some real problems in a…
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The journey is moving on
The hospice nurse came yesterday as Jim got more and more restless and started twitching a lot. Jim's oncologist and nurse happened to be on call. Added Haldoron, not sure of spelling, which took until this morning around 11 am to help so I was up most of night. Finally fell asleep some where after 4 am untill 8:30 am. He…
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Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis
Both my vocal cords are stuck closed. Pretty frustrated. I got through my rad/chem in Aug 2013, good Petscan in November. I had cancer of the larynx. First my ENT wouldn't take out my trache because of swelling. That went down but still had a restricted airway. He sent me to Vanderbilt (5hr drive) to see if they would…
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Fluoride Trays left in too long
Accidentally left the fluoride trays in for 45 minutes tonight, also I boiled them to clean them, shrunk a little but they still fit well over my teeth, I am more concerned that I left them in one time for 45 minutes instead of just 10 minutes, anyone have any experience with this, I am wondering about the toxic affects of…
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need more prayer
Please pray for Jim to be peaceful and relax. Very unsettled this morning. He can't seem to relax. Gave him small dose of Ativan. Afraid to give him more because the last time I gave him full dose he went in opposite direction and was very agitated. Please pray for his peace and that he can relax. Debbie
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2 years out since last recurrance and NED!!!
Just wanted to share this with everyone. My mom went through total of 2 recurrances with total of 4 surgeries plus 6 biopsies combined and radiation since Nov of 2010. If you read her profile you will see that beast kept hanging on for quite sometime. Whenever I researched the prognosis after recurrance it made me so…
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tounge flap stich
Wondering about those that when a graph was used to form the tounge flap if it was stiched in?I have noticed that I have one and now since talking more and eating more it seems I can feel the the stich now move around.Is that normal and it will disappear like a normal one and nothing to worry about?
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Branchial Cystt or SCC
Hello. I am new to this but have messaged some great people who have really been helpful. I am 47 and from Liverpool UK. I have a submandibular neck lump. It is either SCC or a branchial cyst.It is being removed Monday and will have a biopsy whilst in out. If it is cancer I will wake up with a neck dissection. I have two…
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radiation mask
Was fitted this week with Radiation mask. Had to be in for about 30 or 40 minutes while they did pet scan. Start radiation treatments next wed march 26th. 6.5 weeks 5 days a week. Any hints on how to cope with the being strapped in can't move freaking out feeling that comes with being in that mask. must admit Nervous. RK
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planned maintenance on CSN this morning
Planned maintenance will be done on CSN this morning between 5:00 and 8:00 Eastern Time. There may be one or more outages during this time. We apologize for the inconvenience. Greta