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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for July 2016

FOUR YEARS GONE BY
July 30 marks exactly 4 years since my last radiation treatment and I’m cancer free. I decided to mark the day by doing three things. I went for a century bicycle ride (100 miles) just to remind myself that I’m 100% back to doing everything that I used to do prior to treatment. I updated my profile which now shares more of…
Waiting on the recovery
I am awaiting my recovery phase. I just rang my rad bell this past Wednesday and my chemo bell on the 21st of July. Lately, I get so down about not drinking enough to keep my swallow functioning. I struggle with this nasty mucous every time I drink something. It's like fighting an invisible force and I end up coughing or…
Radiation aftereffects
I began Radiation Oncology during the summer of 2008 and was instructed to cover up from the sun. On my exit interview that aspect was missed due to more major considerations such as if my taste, salivary glands or hair would return. Years later I avoided the sun but this week I began cryogenic treatment for Actinic…
Chemotherapy
My friend is undergoing chemotherapy for the past 6 months as he is suffering from cancer. Repeated chemotherapy has weakened his immune system. It has damaged his salivary glands and has caused a dry mouth. Now, he is suffering from tooth decay and infection. We consulted a dentist at Toronto (…
Cisplatin and 5FU as preventive doses
After going through all the radiation treatments and 3 chemo treatments the tumor was gone. My husband who is 69 years old and had been in good health until now was just starting to get back to himself after what the doctors called "a traumatic course" that included complications of acute kidney failure and depression. He…
No pictures again! Climb that mountain
I had wanted to post a picture but that feature doesn't seem to be working again :( So you will have to imagine the picture. I just wanted to write and let those who are currently battling head and neck cancer that better days lie ahead. A year ago we were just finishing up chemoradiation and fighting through weight loss,…
recurrence article
After posting my 6th month NED earlier this week, a fellow warrior snt me an article on a recent study which tends to indicate the great majority of recurrences occur within the first 6 months. Always, a concern particularly when the battle is so fresh in my mind and still recovering, but this article was comforting having…
Cisplatin plus Abraxane-Clinical Trail
Finally some answers! At this time there will be no surgery. Because the cancer is Squamous Cell Carcinoma – P16 it was determined by the team of Drs. yesterday that my husband will be treated with chemo and radiation. There has been a trial of a specific chemo drug called Abraxane which is already approved for other…
6 month NED
Fellow warriors, Good news today. My 6 month CT scan came back NED. Whew, 3 more months down. So relieved. Feeling good, back to recovery mode. Good luck to all those in the middle of it....you will soon be on the other end. I am very thankful today. Cheers, Tony
Surgery, chemoradiation or Chemoradiation
I would be interested to know how decisions were made regarding surgery then chemo/radiaion or the decision to try to avoid surgery with chemo/radiation. My husband and I have been trying to decide what we think is in his best interests before we hear from the Drs. They met today about him. if he has surgery he faces, 4…
Vomiting from Mucus?
I'm almost through my fifth week of rads and have been experiencing an increase in mucus production. I've also been throwing up about once a day and I'm wondering if it's from all the mucus settling into my stomach and causing it to get upset. Sometimes trying to hack up the mucus will also set off a round of vomiting.…
NED -- Three Year Checkup
Friends, Wanted to add another NED Report!!! Scan went great this week and my lead MD at MDA Houston gave me the thumbs up and actually even said that the area that recieved radiation looks incredibly good. So one more trip down to Houston to recived the good news and dont need to return till 2017!!! All is great with the…
End of week 5 , still alive
Hi everyone, Shirley here reporting at the end of week 5. Still on solids although awoke with the worst sore throat to date. Nausea still. Vomiting here and there. My neck muscles are so stiff. Skin starting to bleed behind ear ,was prescribed silver cream stuff for it. 5 tx to go then probably 2 more weeks of agony before…
The Return of Dry Mouth!
Hi All, I am 2 1/2 months post- treatment for surgical removal of sc tumor near the parotid duct followed by 6 weeks of cetuxima and 30 days of radiation. After three weeks, I had some taste, and my mouth was slowly recovering. i have one parotid gland, salivaary glands., and I had adequate moisture in my mouth Things…
Dry mouth support group
I suffer from no saliva thanks to radiation I have started an online support group for people with this problem. Have a dry mouth is so hard....... here is the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/1024253284332042/?ref=bookmarks
Anyone know about Vero, the latest for radiation?
The reason why I am looking into the Vero machine, is that it is touted to reduce the treatment time, and also the damage to surrounding tissue. I guess it might be considered the newest thing, more so than the Proton Therapy. So far, there are not many machines. It looks like a university hospital in Texas has one machine…
4 weeks down!
I have 3 weeks radiation and 1 chemo (cisplatin) left. I can't eat solids anymore. I am drinking 4 shakes a day, 2 made with ensure enlive and 2 with a protein powder, milk and a banana. I can eat watermelon and vanilla ice cream, and of course drinking water inbetween. I am on gabapetin and I think that is helping, but…
Base of tongue, tonsil, 4 lymph nodes P16 squamous cell carcinoma
Hi all, We finally got the news that my husband's H&N cancer is P16. We're grateful because it responds better to chemo and radiation. We met with the Radiation Oncologist today and now we're scared of all the awful side effects...ESPECIALLY the possibility of loss of the ability to swallow. Anyone willing to share…
Done ... But far from over!
Been a few weeks since I have posted to this board. Last few weeks have been a little rough. I had my last Cisplatin dosage on 7/7/16 and it nailed me. The day after that dosage, it became very difficult for me to swallow effectively as the mucous seemed to have tripled in my entire oral cavity. My last radiation (# 33)…
New Diagnosis-Going to Siteman Cancer Center-Anyone else?
Hi, My husband is newly diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer involving the right base of tongue, right tonsil, 4 lymph nodes, and a muscle in his neck. PET scan results were that it has NOT spread to other body parts. We're still waiting to see if it is HPV positive or not as the first biopsy didn't have enough cells to…
anxiety over scan
Boy I have felt like a champ mentally and have already had one 3 month NED scan, but I am feeling the anxiety of having my 6 month scan on Monday. I guess that is all part of the fun.
Fourth week done
Well, I'm heading into the home stretch. Officially have fewer rads left what's behind me and that bell is getting closer and bigger. Finished up round two of Cisplatin this week and it's knocked me on my butt. Really not looking forward to that third and final treatment when my reserves are even less stable. All I've been…
PET vs. Ct Scan
Hello, Monday I am having my second scan since I finsihed treatment in Feb. I am a bit nervous, but that is par for the course. The first CT scan as NED. My question is I often hear of people getttin PET scans. I have never had one, I have only had CT scans and am curious if anyone can tell why doc sometime do CT or PET…
really confused
My ent doctor told me that i have hypertrophy on base of tongue so he sent for MRI two weeks ago and today i had a biopsy of lymph node . I don't understand why. Why he did the biopsy of my lymph node and not my base of tongue? ? I'm really confused Please help Thank you William
these teeth!!!!
Very frustrated! I had mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lower left jaw. I lost 1/4 of my jaw and 1/4 of my teeth in order to remove the tumor and 21 nodes. Implants aren't an option as I have a titanium metal jaw now. I have a partial that "fills in" the missing teeth for looks only as I can not eat with the partial in. It…
End of week four , please no more
Shirley here reporting at the end of week four. More of the same side effects, nausea mouth pain throat pain and narrowing. Still eating solids. Lost appetite though. The smell of the hospital makes me sick. Water taste weird. I'm tired but will try to hold on. The worst is yet to come week 5 and 6 here I come. Congrats to…
MuGuard review
I've been using it off and on, but to be honest, the wait time between eating and drinking is an hour, and for that reason, I don't feel it was worth the hassles, and cost. It does work, but so did the Lidocaine swish and spit, or the swish and swallow pink stuff. Difference is that no wait time for the latter two. Thought…
Obturator
I am hoping someone sees this post, since it looks like a couple of my posts have not been answered lately. Does anyone have an obturator? My temporary one was placed during surgery and I am told that when my mouth is healed enough, my prosthodontist will take a mold for another, and so on, until I am ready for a more…
Has anyone dealt with cancer in the gingiva (gums), upper back? What to expect?
I was wondering if anyone had cancer in the upper jaw, at or near the back molars? My surgeon extracted 3 molars and the canine tooth on the left side. Although I had surgery at the end of June, the post-op pathology report is not back, but he said that since there was some bone involvement, the tumor board would probably…
Neck Pain
I'm 4 years cancer free. After surviving a stage four diagnosis and some aggressive treatments I'm disabled and a mere shadow of my former self in more ways than one. I have no more muscle mass. I'm only 5'8 but I lost over a hundred pounds during and after treatment. I'm still more than 50 pounds lighter than I was BC.…

Head and Neck Cancer

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