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symtoms
Have a question , my brother had throat cancer 3 yrs ago , scans have all been good, the problem is where his neck was cut on seemed sticky the other day so he took a wash cloth and wiped it off, and clear water begin to squirt out enough he said to fill a pop bottle cap full? After his surgery 3 yrs ago he had a lot of…
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Surgery vs No surgery
I have read many of your stories and I know that each case is different. The day my husband had his biopsy the ENT told me that it's not an area they can operate on because of where it is and that chemo and radiation with the possibility of seed implants after treatment are the course of treatment. From some of your…
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MEC salivary gland cancer (submandibular), newly diagnosed
Hi! I am thyroid cancer survivor and now being Dx with salivary gland cancer (mec of submandibular gland). This may have been caused by radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer... So one was done the other came in. Im so sad! I just had two wonderful babies and i cant enjoy them as i have to concentrate on all these…
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Stage IV T3N2Mo Looking for answers
Hello All, My hubby is finally feeling good. Gained some weight which is great. Went from 255k (and no not chunky....lol..6'3' big dude) all the way down to 170.No tube needed, but got pretty thin after treatments. He is 8 Months out now, and just weighed in at 188. He looks great, and is in my estimate 75% which is…
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Cellphone use & Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Hi All I have been reading up on MEC a little. Things have gone well for me so far, but I wanted to get a bit of background on risk factors for my particular form of cancer as I was at an unusual age to get it. Maybe it was just bad luck, but I definitely think I made some interesting connections. It seems the only thing…
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I am volunteering again, but this time to the nursing schools.- Update 8/08/2015
I have given much thought and have decided to speak and volunteer at the colleges that teach nursing and pulmonology. We have two schools in town that train and teach nursing, RN and LVN. I will soon get the answer on speaking and volunteering to let then have experance with people who have laryngecyomy's. Most doctors and…
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Question about throat constriction treatment
I have a question about the procedure to correct a throat constriction. Can it be done in the ENT 's office or does it require out patient? My husband will see a speech therapist next week and his ENT in a few to see if his swallowing problem is due to a constriction; my mother once had a problem swallowing and her Dr said…
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Cancer in throat
My husband was diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his throat , said it was to the left of his voice box. The biopsy showed there was one lymp node affected. Dr. told us he would treat it with 7 weeks (total of 35) of radiation with 7 chemo treatments and the chemo would be mild but was doing the chemo to accelerate the…
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1st chemo
I had my first chemo yesterday (Erbitrux). I had a little trouble with reactions, so they had to stop the drip twice and slow it don so I could finish treatment. Took about 5 hours, which I will tolerate gladly for 7 weeks to minimize side effects. The day made me weary but not nausea or anything like that. I had an…
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How much radiation
I know some of us are concerned about radiation from scans so I did a little research. Interestingly the only radiation from PET is from the short lived tracer that they inject you with. It is only 5-7 mSv (millisievert) and we all get 2-5 mSv through natural exposure per year. CT scans are more on the order of 15 mSv.…
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head and neck radiation/chemo recovery
I am almost six weeks out from finishing my treatment. I have a patch of muscositis under my tounge that seems like it will be gone soon. I would hope that when it goes there will be nothing preventing me from eating. Its almost as if the mouth pain and not being able to eat is at least as bad as having cancer hanging over…
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Seed implants
When my husband got diagnosed they mentioned seed implants after the treatments are over. Have any of you had the experience of having the seed implants or know of someone who has? Is there a time period that they're active? Any personal experience good or bad would be greatly appreciated.
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memory
tried to post earlier but didnt go thru. my question is : is it " normal " for chemo to effect your memory pretty bad ? mine is shot to hell and i dont know if its age ( 75 ) or the chemo. i,m 4.5 yrs out from tonsal cancer. just thought i would get some input.
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Eating after treatment
My husband finished radiation and chemo treatment 3 weeks ago For hypopharynx cancer. He lost his ability to eat before the treatment and depends on a Peg. He is hoping to resume eating soon but so far cannot manage to get any food down; wondering how long others had to wait or any suggestions. Thanks in advance
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recently diagnosed mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Hello. I have recently been diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland. The pathologist said it looks like intermediate grade, but the doctors would like to treat it as high grade because it is affecting at least one lymph node and has invaded my facial nerve on that side. They are planning to fully…
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Scan results
In February, I had another mandibulectomy here in STL to remove the fibula put in my jaw back in 2011. Have been dealing with fistula in cheek since last Sept. Several weeks ago a new hole popped up next to the fistula in a former surgical scar. The next day, I thought I saw a small piece of bone peeking out. The next day…
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Lack of Taste
Ok my mom has just started radiation this week and chemo started last week. Already she said she has thick mucas and no taste. Everything tastes like cardboard and she was struggling to even eat dinner last night. They are hitting her with 66 gray of radiation whatever that means (we didn't even know this until yesterday…
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HBO TREATMENTS
Well here I am again with questions I thought I would never have to ask, much the same way when I was DX with BOT in 2012. I went to the dentist and looks like I will need some teeth pulled and likely 20 and then 10 HBO treatments. Thus my questions. I posted years ago and have since responded to many about the fear of the…
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fit radiation mask today
So, I went and fitted mask today with no problems.9 snaps, cut-outs, the whole bit. They said when treatment starts I should be off the table within 15 minutes. 1st session on 10 Aug I believe, with 1st chemo on Tuesday the 4th. Now I am already starting to deal with constipation . Irrigated the PEG once today but was told…
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PEG help
My husband had his PEG inserted earlier today and seems to be in quite a bit of pain. I'm sure this is completely normal but since the doctor didnt have the decency to come find me after the procedure I'm coming to you professionals. Did any of you suffer the day of your PEG insertion and is there anything to help ease…
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it all begins; update
Thank you to everyone for your support and information. I am not very good at keeping up with things like this and socialization in genera, but I want everyone to know how appreciative I am of what I have found in this community. That being said, an update is in order. Finally, I go in at 6am to have my PEG tube done. On…
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Voice challenges
Greetings survivors! This is kelly & I hope everyone is hanging in there! I'm 18-months + post-treatment & I'm doing extremely well except my voice is getting very very hoarse. I was wondering if anyone knew of anything I can do to strengthen & nurture my vocal cords? I'm a public speaker and September is going to be busy.…
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Haunted
Haunted may not be the proper word but lately I feel cancer is always around me effecting friends and co-workers sort of like look I’m over here. Some of you may remember I said I worked with a guy who has esophageal cancer and another guy whose wife had cervical cancer. Well my co-workers wife past away and he retired…
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Esophageal Stricture from Radiation
I'm 3 months post last radiation & Erbitux treatment for throat cancer, tongue and larynx and 3 swollen lymph nodes. Pet scan came back negative last week so that's a real positive. My problem is that I haven't been able to eat anything, even soft foods like oatmeal or mashed potatoes for the past six weeks. A swallow…
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My Husband
My husband lost his battle this morning. He fought hard for 5 years. I am so thankful that it was peaceful and he is now at peace. Now the changes begin for me as I had him for 55 years for which I am thankful. Sharon
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How does the Diagnosing work?
Hi! I'm 23 years old. I have NOT been diagnosed with cancer or anything. But I'm a mother of some wonderful little girls so I need to know things in as much advance as possible! If any one could help me it would be greatly appreciated! heres the story.. almost 2weeks ago I awoke with my normal slight sore throat. I…
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A friend newly diagnosed
hello, i am new here but not new to cancer. I have had breast cancer 3 times. I know the cancer, surgery chemo radation drill with BC but not head and neck cancer. My frind has squamous cell cancre of her tongue.It grew at a rapid rate and they thought she would have 1/3 of her tongue removed but in 2 weeks it grew and she…
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Xylimelts
My dry mouth has gotten worse, mostly at night. During the day I can drink water, coffee, and lots of liquid to keep things in check. At night, I tend to be a mouth breather and I wake up in pain due to the lack of saliva. I tried having water by my bed, but I can't swallow until I get up and spit, gag and spit some more.…
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Need support and prayers
Hi all, Dima woke up with chest pain and difficulty breathing. We are in ten emergency room. The first doctor said she thought it was pericarditis and that I could be caused by the chemo. That was around 8am. The cardiologist came and said something we could not understand but that sounded like it wasn't that. He left…
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Frustration, depression...and guilt...
Now at 11 months post tx and the taste and saliva issues still suck big time. Better than last summer I suppose, but barely... 90% of everything I eat and drink tastes like crap or not at all. Eating the same things over and over that I know have some semblance of a taste. Nothing has helped the saliva, have tried…