-
Hospice
The time has come my friends, I have been going downhill for the last month and I have decided no more treatments. They sound like they would be making me sick. We need to find out what type of help thay they can give us. I don't want to be home alone, I have had some falls lately. I will stay on as long as I can and my…
-
Tube feeding required because of swallowing issues durning and after treatments
Many times folks going through treatments with radiation and chemo will experience swallowing issues and have to have a feeding tube placed. This helped me back in the early 90's when I went through my treatments allowing me to get needed nutrition. It is again assisting me now tgat the treatments I had way back when has…
-
ENB diagnosis this week
So something I thought I would never say, I have cancer. Wow seems like a terrible diesase that the other guy gets. Still quite stunned and very emotional, which for me is new and terrifying all in its self. I recently had a nosebleed that was out of control and I couldn't get it to slow down let alone stop the bleeding.…
-
Wheat grass to help after chemo
My sister just told me that cancer survivor friends of hers said wheat grass is a great for helping flush through the chemo. Has anyone else tried this and had good, or not so good results? I am finding the chemo to take more out of me than the radiation; just had second chemo at midpoint of my 7 week radiation.
-
Caring bridge
I wanted to make folks here aware of a site called Caring Bridge that can be accessed at www.caringbridge.org It allows you to set up a page where you can update friends and family through journal entries. It also has a calendar so people can sign up to bring you meals or come and help if that is something you want to…
-
Where to get treatment?
I have a parotid gland tumor that is growing into my lymph nodes. Also some spots on my lungs. Had EBUS procedure on Friday and waiting for results. Drs. Say parotid gland is primary and want to do radiation and chemo but nothing will happen until pathology from EBUS comes back. The waiting is so Frustrating! how long…
-
pain in my jaw bone
Hi. I have a question please.. im 17 months out of treatment for stage 3 throat cancer hpv neg. In the last week I have been experiencing dull aches in both sides of my jaw, is this just another late side effect. I find myself worrying over even the littlest things i guess. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
-
cisplatin and kidney dysfunction
Went for my second cisplatin chemo session for SCC of tonsil today (radiation concurrent) but was told that my kidney function had deteriorated since my first session a week ago. They hydrated me and said my MD would call tomorror with recommendation. Has anyone seen cisplatin cause dysfunction after only one session and…
-
lymphedema therapy
My insurance pays for lymphedema therapy but I have to miss work to go. It doesn't seem to be too effective plus I can do exercises by myself and I have a compression device. How long would you contunue to go to lymphedema therapy?
-
anyone develop psoriasis?
About three years ago, two years post-treatment, we started fighting psoriasis on Jim's face. It is now spreading to his eye and I'm worried our doctor will finally want to use one of the biologics which have a propensity for making one prone to develop cancer, specifically, lymphoma. The doctor has been resisting these…
-
neck dissection lymph node lit up post chemradiation
Hi, I haven't posted here before but have been reading them since my boyfriend was diagnosed with NPC stage3 last August. His 6 month post treatement PET scan had 2 lymph nodes lit up, they were subcentimeter size with moderate SUV value, the highest one is 4.6. They were the two largest nodes at inital diagnosis. He just…
-
New Article
Encouraging news on the PD-1 front. But, the FDA continues to have their head stuck up their collective butts. You still can't treat SCC in the lungs that started in the H&N. If it started in the lungs, your good to go. Crazy huh? Be safe and happy, Joe…
-
Pain management - any experience with methadone?
Hi all, We are still in the hospital trying to manage pain, hydration and nutrition. Most of the nausea has decreased and my husband is tolerating a clear Boost (Breeze). The main problem is the acute mucositis brought on by the adjuvant chemo regimen of Cisplatun and 5FU. It has also triggered something called "radiation…
-
dry mouth
New on this forum, just signed up today. My treatments ended mid October last year for stage 4 base of tongue SCC. ( 35 Rad W/ Cisplatin Chemo). I still have minor swallowing difficulties at times and dry mouth. I do take pilocarpine and it seems to help a little. Can anyone out there tell me if your salivary glands come…
-
A year ago
Today was the anniversary of the day we got the diagnosis. I can still remember what a scary, overwhelming and completely horrible day it was. All the unknowns, all the fears, all the worries, everything. The road to recovery was not easy for us. Dima's cancer was advanced and he ended up in the hospital after each of the…
-
Kidney damage
IN 2009 I had chemo and radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer. Towards the end of treatment bloodwork showed that my kidney creatinine numbers were increasing. a week after treatment my kidneys were only working at roughly 56%. The chemo onc said there is no damage and laughed it off. No treatment for the damage was given and…
-
New guy here, with a question.
Hello fellow travelers, I am in remission from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ssc), since 9/12. Have had neck and tongue muscle spasms ever since then which ive pretty much learned to deal with, they still suck but ive learned to deal with them. Recently i've had a sore throat. Not your basic "sore throat" this is like having…
-
What to expect with SCC excision on lateral tongue
I was recently diagnosed with SCC of the right lateral tongue. I was one of those rare cases in which lichen planus turns to cancer. I will be undergoing surgery next Friday at Moffitt Cancer Center. Although pain is not something that particularly bothers me, there seems to be a recurrent theme of "pain" in relation to…
-
update and questions.
Okay, I am in 20th day of radiation now and just hit the no taste barrier. I can still swallow, with water, so I still eat some things but take 4 cans jevity a day. Just barely maintaining weight, but as long as they are good with it, so am I. I don't really have any sores in my mouth and still manage to swallow, so what…
-
Recovery
So mom is in her last week. She has 4 days of treatment left. Her throat is so raw and tight she is having trouble getting anything at all down. She's using magic mouthwash but it's not helping a whole lot becuase her throat is so tight. After treatment ends, how long does this last on average? Does the throat ever loosen?…
-
UPDATE: Blood in Phlegm
Hi All, Hubby is almost one year post tx. One side effect of his treatment has been throat clearing... constant throat clearing. They said they burned his cilia off in his trachea with the IMRT and that's why he can't clear phlegm normally. Anyway, he was clearing it out tonight as usual but it had blood streaks in it!…
-
Worrying
Fr
-
Gelclair for mucositis
Just wanted to mention one more option for oral mucositis.... Gelclair. Here is the info from their website. www.gelclair.com Barbara
-
No more adjuvant
We've booked a bed in the hospital for the last 2 days and will be here at least through the weekend. We just couldn't manage the side effects of pain, dehydration, and vomiting at home. These side effects are from the 1st of 3 planned rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy with Cisplatin and 5FU. All along my husband has been on…
-
Survivor Hope
Hi, I am the wife of a Head and Neck survivor. Just wanted to give all of you a little hope. Nine years ago today my husband was diagnosed with with stage 4 pharyngeal cancer. All I could find about it was that he would only live maybe 12 months. Well here we are 9 years later and he is still here. Treatment was tough but…
-
Surgeon recommendation
My 39-year old husband has received a preliminary diagnosis of a carotid tumor and will receive the results and final diagnosis next week. I am looking for surgeon recommendations because I'd like to be prepared if his ENT wants to discuss scheduling surgery. I've seen mixed feedback about whether vascular surgeons, ENTs…
-
anyone ever not eat or use pegtube because they are mad at wife?
Ok I never have liked airing dirty laundry but this is life or death so here goes. My husband Robert diagnosed first part of June tonsil and neck and 3 lymph nodes involved. Well Robert never has been a big eater and he weighed 129 lbs and 5 11. They put tube in before treatment started. He had reaction to first chemo but…
-
Need break please
Spent great week at lake but when home got sick. Struggled five days and soon to be two weeks between Icu and step down. Cellulitis of breast. Not cancer related. Doing dry vac or maybe mastectomy to close.battling very low blood pressure and c diff. Just drained.
-
Dry Mouth
I feel like I'm going backwards in a sense. I completed radiation 7 weeks ago to the day. Seems my salivary function was better during treatment and up to a few weeks ago. It just seems like they shut down over the last few weeks. I thought after treatment I would only have one way to go, that was to only improve. Getting…
-
Just joined today - but diagnosed Aug 2014 and now cancer-free!
Not sure why I never got around to joining early on - but I've been reading here the past year. All the details are in my about-me page - but in a nutshell - I was diagnosed at age 45 with SSC/Base of Tongue - HPV Neg - I had seven weeks of Cisplatin and radiation and ultimately a conservative neck dissection. I had a Peg…