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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for January 2017

Any Nasopharyngeal Cancer survivors? If so, what kind of treatments did you get?
I am researching about this cancer because my dear sister was diagnosed with stage 4 around Thanksgiving of 2015. The tumor is the size of a baseball. She immediately started chemo and did 6 rounds. The chemo was not effective at all. The cancer spread to her liver & pelvic. She is currently getting immunotherapy and…
Post Cancer treatment Problems
Hi Everyone, I'm writing this as a son of my mother that had cancers throat, she been cancer free for about 6 years now. The problem is that more and more my mom are more angry and unreasonable out of no where. she don't trust anyone, paranoid and angry around me and the familes members. She seems to ack normal around…
ROLL CALL 2017 - CLOSED
ROLL CALL 2017 First Updated January 30, 2017 All H&N members are welcome! Roll Call is dedicated to the memory of HAWVET (JOHNNY) who’s curiosity to know and to share a little bit about members of the Head and Neck Form inspired him to start and run this thread (2008 thru 2014). Thank You. First off, please feel free to…
Erbitux vs Cisplatin help please
Have a friend about to start treatments. His chemo will be weekly Erbitux. I had Cisplatin and do not know anything about Erbitux. Can someone please give us a brief comparison? Side effects? Hair loss? Etc? Thanks. JK
Help - Neck Dissection & Forearm Free Flap
Greetings Warriors, My husband had surgery last year to remove cancer that had invaded his upper jaw bone. This left a hole between the roof of his mouth and sinus cavity. He has an obturator device to plug the hole. His major problem is severe trismus where he can barely open his mouth and eating is out of the question.…
Got Booted (Well sorta)
I've been booted out of places before rudly and politely but it never felt so good as it did Thursday. I went for my yearly check up with my surgeon and he told me again I was cured and because it is 7 years there is no need to come back anymore unless of coarse something developes. For those fighting or in the recovery…
Back again...Need support...
Some of you may remember me, others may not. My dad went through sinus cancer and has survived. He still struggles with no taste, lack of saliva, and recently had an episode where he couldn't get mucus out of his throat and was struggling with breathing. Anyone who remembers me, knows this is very scary for me and I've…
Coughed up Blood
My husband had bot surgery with removal of lymph nodes on Dec 23. We are having a pet scan today and see the oncology drs on Tuesday. He says he still has a sore throat on the side of the surgery and yesterday he coughed up blood. He is only eating through a peg tube as he was in the hospital due to nausea and constant…
Anyone out there in HNC land that is bilingual Spanish?
I am Spanish bilingual and was recently asked to offer support to a Mexican American in Tucson who has a recent diagnosis of HNC SCC and is about to start treatments. It would be helpful if there were others "que puede hablar en espanol". Let me know JK
Recurring throat and gum pain
Hello everyone. I am new here. I was diagnosed with squamish cell cancer on the top of my vocal cords. I jad 32 radiation treatments. I was very lucky. I caught it early. Stage 1 and no lymph noded. I had quite a bit of throat pain for awhile but started getting better within about 4 months. I was able to eat mor…
Start of return of taste
I got done with tonsil cancer treatment 3 weeks ago, and think I MAY have some taste returning. Is it common for everything to taste salty? I also think I can taste real banana (in a smoothie), but am not sure whether the taste is real or I'm imagining it The salt taste tho, is strong, and constant. is this the start?
desperate for tips on how to deal with Cisplatin and Radiation in Oral Cavity
Hi! So on the 11th Jan. I went in for Robotic Surgery to search for my Primary Cancer. (I had been diagnosed in late December with 4a HPV16 SCC in my right neck lymph nodes (by lymphectomy), one removed and two other possibly infected.) My surgeon removed both sets of tonsils and the base of tongue. No cancer was found…
Is there anyone who has had nasal cancer?
I am anxiously waiting for an ENT visit scheduled Feb. 13th! 2 yrs ago I was diagnosed with a dysfunctional turbinate. CT scan "without" contrast came back clear just stated slight deviated septum. Fast forward 2 yrs. and here we go again. Only this time, I still have some blockage of left nostril, sore in upper left…
Six months HPV Oropharyngeal Cancer free, NOW has HPV nasal warts?! And my advice.
My husband is six months HPV Oropharyngeal Cancer free! Now has HPV nasal warts. Anyone else have the virus after Cancer treatment? I know this is a different strain. I just thought it would be gone after such invasive treatment. My advice to anyone going through this now. Get Orgain protein meal powder for the feeding…
After radiation and chemo, getting your hunger and taste back
i have been almost 5 months out of treatment and wanted to share something that could possibly help you get your hunger and taste back more quickly. I did not see other info about this on the site about this possible solution and so, am posting this. i was on a feeding tube for a total of 5 months. To get the feeding tube…
Bone Pain
Checking in again! Good day CSN members. I'll be having my 1 year anniversary PET 3 days from now. A little bit nervous as I've been having random bone pains. But I try to keep my mind off it. Anyone else having same experience with bone pains? It comes and go. I guess I'll know the news in 3 days and will keep you'all…
Getting nervous
Have an appointment with my old ENT guy on Monday, having some problems that need to be addressed. Over the past three or four weeks have had on and off sore throat, also ear was giving me some pain, last Tuesday I was in the emergency room at my local hospital for heart palpitations, that cleared up and the doctor said it…
Chemo and Cardiomyopathy
my husband has been cancer free for 3 years. He had tonsil cancer . He had a major heart attack 4 months after treatment. He recovered well. His ejection factor was 55%. Several months ago He has diagnosed with heart failure With ejection factor 35%. Doc is puzzled by this progression and is leaning toward chemo damage as…
What tastes good? Bad?
Hello fellow warriors! I completed the normal 35 rads and 6 cisplatin chemo rounds. Treatments complete on November 16, 2016. The recovery is going well. I thought I would share a few foods that tasted good sooner and some that didn't. Some of the foods that don't taste good used to. So good: KFC original recipe dark meat,…
Surgical/Radiated Area
Like most I have gone through a lot of changes since my treatment ended August 2016. However, now that I'm about four months out I am starting to notice odid "feelings" in the area of my surgery and radiation. I see an ENT monthly, he actually performed the surgery. Thus far between physical exams and a scope as recent as…
3/2/17 will be 5 year NED for my mom-however....
Hello, For thos ewho do not know me, welcome. I am sorry you have to be here. For some of you that have been on this forum when my mom was in treatment you may remember me. My mom had a long almost 2 years fight with 2 recurrances. Anyway yes, on 3/2/17 ( which is also her birthday) it will be 5 years since her last…
Physical therapy for neck and swallow concerns
My husband finished 35 rads and 12 chemos over a 16 week timeframe for Squamous Cell Carcinoma stage 4-A and it was HPV positive Now that we're finished with treatment we're being sent to physical therapy to prevent Lymphodema and to show my husband how to do neck stretches so that he doesn't lose range of motion years…
Chicken Soup for the cancer patient
This is not about motivation, this is about actual chicken soup. I was in considerable distress from no calories and having problems swallowing anything thicker than water. One of the nurses suggested boiling a complete chicken, and then not separating the fat from the broth. That turns out to be easier to swallow than…
Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma???
I'm the wife/caretaker of a wonderful man who was diagnosed with carcinoma in his face on June 28, 2016. To make a long story short, after his surgery on August 1, 2016, the cancer was finally diagnosed as Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma (MAC). His surgery involved a right orbital exenteration, partial maxilectomy, removal…
Hearing Loss
Hello everyone, I am back from completing my second round of rads with chemo. Held up well, eating still and back to work the next day. Much better than the first time around. However, I had 6 weekly, low dose infusions of Cisplatin, and as you know, it can cause hearing loss. My right ear was in the field of radiation and…
Lymph node cancer- treatment options - need suggestions
About a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with cancer on my tongue. Moffitt cancer center in Tampa cut out the infected part of my tongue and two zones of lymph nodes ( to see if they were also affected - they weren't) on the left side of my neck. Everything was good until month and a half ago when a lump under my chin…
how long to recovery
This topic is one of considerable interest to many of us. I know, I know, "it depends". My experience: I am now seven days after my last rad treatment and am beginning to believe this might have an end. I got down +500 calories, walked easily, saw the last of my radiation burn skin drop off, and mucusities is now…
Waiting for ENT visit
I wrote recently about my wait for an ENT visit. 2 yrs ago I saw an ENT who first treated me with antibiotics, to no avail. They diagnosed me with turbinate dysfunction and placed me on Flonase. The flonase seemed to do the trick as far as warding off my sinus headaches. Fast forward two yrs and I am back in the saddle…
post-radiation repercussions and side effects
My husband had chemo and radiation to treat an HPV-related cancer that started in his tonsils and moved to his lymph nodes. His treatment stopped almost four years ago but he's just now starting to have some strange - to us - side effects. Has anyone else had this treatment, and has anyone found afterwards that there are…
Throat/Healing
I had SCC of the tongue. SUrgery, chemo, radiation. My radiation (35 treatments) ended in late August but my throat still bothers me. I don't have teeth anymore so I drink smoothies or eat soft foods only but I find whatever soft foods I eat afterwards my throat hurts a lot for several hours. Did anyone else experience…

Head and Neck Cancer

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