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Head and Neck Cancer

Archives for April 2017

Potassium level dropped
We get to spend at least 5 hours at the hospital tomorrow. Hubby's potassium and magnesium have bottomed out. He is getting depressed now too. I guess 12 straight days of being hooked up to an IV will do that to a person.
The Mask and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone, My husband will be going in for his mask fitting on the 18th. We are both curious about the mask and weight loss. My husband has put on a lot of weight in the past few weeks since he has been eating anything and everything while he can. Doctor's (and wife's) orders. ;-) However, we are wondering what…
Gone, gone, gone..
I was telling my brothers, "I still have my hair" next day.... all fall down. Still have my taste buds, now, what's a taste bud? Still, have an appetite... except it's gone... I'm just over halfway, but this round of chemo has been really rough. I can't say "not sure how much more I can take" cos I have to go all the way.…
Low heart rate
Has anyone had a problem with a low heart rate after head and neck cancer treatment? My husband finished treatment 2 years ago ((NED - yeah!) for stage 4 tonsil cancer, HPV and P16+, he had IMRT along with 3 doses of Carboplatin. He is 63 yr/old and went in for routine cataract surgery to find his pulse was 48, which in…
Running out of hope
When you're afraid of losing someone you love so dearly, you do everything in your power to help them. My sister has been fighting stage 4 npc for 1 1/2 year now. The primary site is between her eyes & its the size of a baseball. It has metatases to her spine & liver. She also has multiple liver cysts on her liver which…
First post second treatment NED
So far so good. I've had 5 scans in a year and my latest is NED. Staying cautiously optimistic, though and getting better every day. Cheers!
A heartfelt thank you
I posted here a few months ago for the first time as a distraught mother of a son who was diagnosed with Stage 4 scc HPV related cancer. I received so much support and advice (advice that I provided to my son) and I just wanted to say thank you to all the warriors here who are going through this battle and who have…
Taxol/Carbo and nails
Husband's nails turning dark and look like they may fall off. Anyone with experience with this?? Crystal
Prayers and positive vibes needed!
Hi all, This isn't totally cancer related but since joining I have felt nothing less than the utmost support and caring from all of you. Today is a big day for my husband. I have mentioned in some of my other posts that we were hit pretty hard with 2 big blows. My husband was not offered a teaching contract for the new…
Trying to make the right decision
On March 1, 2017 my ENT found a swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck. He scheduled a CT Scan and a FNA biopsy. On March 7th the biopsy showed positive for squamous cell and the CT Scan showed a small mass on the lymph node about 1/2 inch in size. This started a whirlwind of appointments and procedures with a…
HPV recurrence non surgical treatment choices
Good afternoon warriors! My Husband was diagnosed Nov 13, 2015 with base of tongue and larynx t3n1 squamous cell cancer. He recieved 39 rads and 14 erbitux. The tumor shrank but was still present so we went to Philadelphia to Dr Gregory Weinstein and on June 10 2016 had a hemiglossectomy with partial larynx removed. We…
neck swelling after radiation
I had HPV-tonsil cancer in 2016 and had 35 rounds of radiation and 7 chemo treatments with cisplatin. I finished the radiation treatments in October of 2016. I have the lingering effects of no taste and no slaiva but deal with that. My neck started swelling in the past few weeks and I went to my ENT doctor and they…
Milk substitute
Hubby is refusing Boost or Ensure ever since he threw a Boost up Friday night. We've returned to Carnation Instant which is fine. However the milk aggravates his mucous issue of course. Should we give almond milk a try?
Ongoing nausea
First, let me say how excited we are that today is hubby's last radiation treatment! ! Now, the bad. He got his last Cisplatin treatment last Tuesday. They gave him IV Emend, Zofran and steroids. The Emend is supposed to hold off nausea for 4 to 5 days but Friday the nausea started. By Saturday morning, he was the most…
Last chemo... to do or not to do...that is the question
OK, please let me preface this by saying that I know that everyone is different, I know that the chemo aids the radiation, and I do know that ulitmately this is my husband's choice. With that being said; My husband's last chemo treatment is on the 17th of April, a week from today. He has been really on the fence since last…
3rd Time Around
My father-in-law's cancer has returned. This will be his 3rd time battling squamous cell carcinoma. Original diagnosis was in 2000. He underwent a radical neck disection and radiation. Cancer returned in 2015, he had a partial larengectomy, lost half of his voice box and had a PEG put in. He was able to speak really well…
Need trach removed...Help
Hello, I am new to the forum but have been reading everyone's posts and think this site is great. Makes me feel like i am not alone on this journey. so a little about myself, In December 2015 i was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and had surgery that removed 95% of the lesion. I did not do radiation or chemo and now feel…
Two Years and Counting
Had scope and physical exam for my 2 year post treatment. Nothing at all suspicious. NED as far as the eye and scope can see. Now the fun part - Was supposed to have CT of Head/Neck and a Chest CT. Insurance denied because it was a few days short of 6 months since my last CT's. They called me at 4:15 the night before to…
Has anyone had to get a feeding tube after treat ended?
My husband will finish his treatments on Monday. He was doing pretty good all things considered with eating until this week. The last Cisplatin has kicked his butt and he's having trouble keeping Boost down. He's starting to panic about the possibility of needing a feeding tube. He was able to eat some chicken noodle soup…
Strong Salty Taste in Mouth
i am one week post treatment and have developed a new side effect over the past couple of days. There is an ever present, strong, salty taste in my mouth as if I swallowed ocean water. If I try and sip water, it takes on this salty flavor and is super gross. i do gargle with salt and baking soda several times a day, so…
Thrush
omg, this is as bad as having my tonsils removed when I was 23. I had tonsillitis every other week, finally saw a specialist (this was in the UK) and I was in a "good" week, and he said they looked great, I explained, that they wouldn't next week. So instead of a huge wait, he gave me a pass to come back the next week, if…
Soar Throat
Question: How long does the soar throat last? I was diagnosed with HPV-OPC, September 2016, and had 6.5 weeks of 5 times weekly, low-dose radiation, which finished 23 December. No chemo or surgery. Have endured 3 rounds of thrush/candida, which, first time, thought was radiation damage, so just kept on with the pain meds,…
PEG tube to Mickey Button
Woke up this morning to a plugged PEG tube. Was able to get right in to the Hospital's Feeding Tube Specialist who suggested I make the switch to the Mickey button. She assured me there would be no difficult transition period and explained that many patients prefer them because of their small size. I opted to swap out for…
'roid rage- Dexamethasone is a little peice of heaven/hell
Hello all, Can you tell that my husband is accruing more and more fun symptoms as we apprach the end of his treatments? Here is my new question for you all to possibly ponder. Who took Dexamethasone and had symptoms of what I call 'roid rage? My husband took Dexamethasone with his first dose of chemo for 3 days after…
Hondo
This is Hondo's daughter, I wanted to let everyone know that he passed away Monday. He has been struggling with pnemonia from aspirations since August. He was hospitalized about a month ago and since then was just unable to bounce back. I know you all meant so much to him and gave him so much support and uplifting during…
Septal squamous cell carcinoma
Hi I am Marijan and my husband was diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma on his septum last october 2015, and last march 2016, he had a surgery and had his septum removed. in his last ct scan last month, theres another growing on the flooring of his nose. anyone here has the same case?
Base of Tongue/Throat
The panic initially began after having three wisdom teeth removed in late October 2016. Prior to that, another minor panic after finding a small lump in the soft pallet, roof of mouth, which turned out to be a tooth cell that had grown of its own accord. The maxillofacial surgeon who removed the lump sent it for pathology…
Xylimelts - when they work, what do they do?
I'm experimenting with ways to deal with dry mouth. My rad oncol is very stuck on xylimelts, but when I try them they seem to not do much. If they work for you, what do they do?
Anyone have success using "Thick & Easy" or "Thick-it" ?
I want to travel (flying) but eating without access to a kitchen is a big problem. Anyone have success using "Thick & Easy" or with "Thick-it"? I can not figure out a way to use these products. I have tried both products. Everything turns nasty. Nasty to look at andnasty to drink. It is hard to disolve. I've tried warming…
Ensure... how many did you have?
Friends, I am a bit irritated and I am not sure if it's warranted. So I need advice (of course), help, tips, etc... My husband lost 12lbs during the first week of treatment. Chemo, rads, all that fun stuff took us for a loop. Anyway, he has since then gained 9lbs back and keeps playing win/ lose with the last 3lbs. During…

Head and Neck Cancer

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