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Head and Neck Cancer

Throat Cancer - Stage 2
Hey everyone, I recently found out that my dad was diagonsed with Stage 2 throat cancer. He goes in this week or next week to have a body scan. We know that the doctor already told us that he will need to have surgrey and radiation. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to gain weight before his radiation? He weighs…
Dry mouth and pain medications
Since a common side effect of the most frequently prescribed pain medications such as Vicodin (lortab/hydroco) and Percoset (Oxycodo) is a dry mouth, has anyone experimented with alternatives to see how it might impact the loss of saliva? I had a lung biopsy a year ago (fortunately not a cancer issue) and was prescribed…
Eating when you have no saliva
I'm 7 weeks out of rads, my sense of taste has returned, sweet and salt are normal, sour is off the charts and bitter a close second, but I think they're that way as there is no saliva generating at present. Sour causes the saliva glands to flood the mouth to dilute sour and make it tolerable, but with no saliva, the sour…
How long?
So I realize the answer will be different for everyone but I am curious how long I should expect to have swelling/inflammation from radiation. I actually went to see a friend of mine who is a physical therapist last week because I felt like the swelling had gotten worse and I was concerned about lymph not draining…
tooth ache
My husband had a severe toothache last night. It's on the left/top side towards the back.It started to radiate up the side of his head. He took 3 vicodins and 2 ibuprofen and the pain finally went away. I wonder if this is decay or bone deteroitation. It was not a throbbing pay.
One lymph node lit
PET scan one year from diagnosis shows one lymph node lit, but no cancer elsewhere. Original diagnosis was Tonsil primary with mets to two lymps and went with 30 weeks radiation and erbitux. 1st PET sacan showed all clear, but 6 months later showed one lymph node lit. Now they want to do surgery to take out lymp node.…
Myopericytoma
Hi canadianmom, Just got onto this site tonight. I'm going to describe my situation in a very concise way, as I'm receiving some pressure to make a decision by the doctors. I'm sure there will be much you don't understand (I wouldn't) because of my brevity, and I will be more than happy to answer any questions from you or…
Myopericytoma
Hi canadianmom, Just got onto this site tonight. I'm going to describe my situation in a very concise way, as I'm receiving some pressure to make a decision by the doctors. I'm sure there will be much you don't understand (I wouldn't) because of my brevity, and I will be more than happy to answer any questions from you or…
Here it goes... side effects attack
Hey everybody! Well, my Dad just finished his 13th RAD (out of 35) and 3rd chemo on Friday (once a week he gets Cisplatin). The side effects are already taking place. This past week he started to feel a sore throat which is just getting worse. It really hurts badly, so his meals are now more mixed. He will probably have to…
Hurts to swallow food, feels like something there.
I had tonsil cancer, robot removed tonsil and 36 lymph nodes by neck dissection. 7 were cancer. i had my 9th rad today and when i got home i made some lunch. baked potato and hamburger pattie. i took a bite of the meat and when i swallowed it felt like i was trying to swallow a bone. hurt so bad. wasn't as bad with the…
biopsy
Because of a suspicious swelling on an xray taken of Jim's ribs, the oncologist is ordering a bone biopsy. The radiologist read it as a concern for metastasis. Praying this is just an infection from one of the many spontaneous fractures Jim has due to the advanced osteoporosis. I've told Jim: it's not cancer until they say…
Help is needed
Posting on Head and Neck-August 14th: My 85 yr old father has throat cancer and is just about done with chemo & radiation, he only has 2 more radiation treatments. The problem is that in the 2 weeks he has been having so much thick mucous, that he coughs violently and vomits everything and anything in his stomach. He has…
Has anyone else undergone Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber treatments?
I'm a five year survivor (so far) of squamous cell carcinoma in the base of the tongue. Everything was going well until the summer of 2007. That's when I started having difficulty swallowing due to the radiation treatments back in 2004. My neck tissue was hard as a rock. I've been having esophogeal dilitations monthly…
1 month out from Rad
Just had checkup with ENT and Radiation Oncologist both thought I looked good with no issues. Still a lot of swelling in neck area and stiff neck, but burns and blisters are almost completely gone. I am taking minimal amounts of oxycodone for flare ups, but not much pain to speak of. Biggest problem is sleeping or lack of…
I am tube ignorant, I think....
Keep in mind, I got the darn thing in April, but never HAD to use it till July. I've ran Coke thru it, and I flush it with warm water....but it's getting slower and slower, till today, it wouldn't work with gravity at all...I had to put the plunger in the syringe. Is this how it works? I mean, everybody starts out being…
Migraines back...grrrrr !
Hey everyone, I have lived with and worked through this issue all my adult life. Until, I had my surgery for my dx. I thought hmmm was this related ? But never asked. Well 8 months later wap...back again. Could be just another cycle....use to get them cycling at least 6 x's a year. They usually last 5-7 days. On my 4th day…
Birthdays & Milestones
Today is my 59th birthday, it's hard to believe a year ago today I was having lunch with my daughter and granddaughter who at the time was 6 , and this angel of my heart askes "grammie your going to loose your hair right", and I said yes, she then gets a bit more serious and wants to know if people are going to stare at me…
Really weird
So all day today and tonight my spit has been almost normal (it's actually in a somewhat liquid form that I can actually spit out) AND my sore throat is about 70% gone. Ive had no pain meds since yesterday afternoon. Is it normal for it to come and go? I did develop a huge sore on my lip overnight though. This whole…
And then there was 1
Yes tommorrow, 8-10-2012 my final RAD treatment 33 of 33. Wow to say it was a rough road to travel would be a bit of an understatment, but I have to admit (for all the newbies about to go thru it) it was not as bad as I anticipated. Redundant thats a different story. So as I type this my neck is Bright Red, and slightly on…
Bloating problems inhibiting calorie intake
This is my first post here. I have only been reading until now and appreciate the information being shared. I am a caregiver and very worried that the (week #3) infusion of cisplatin on Tuesday has caused severe bloating in the family member that I am caring for. The bloating has made it difficult to ingest food by mouth…
Ora Sooth
Has anyone had any experience using Ora Sooth Rice?
HOW LONG DOES RADIATION KEEP GOING
FEEL LIKE THE ENERGIZER RABBIT- DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL EVER GO AWAY- THEY SAY HAVE PATIENCE- HAD 33 RADIATION TREATMENTS -VOCAL CORD CANCER- JUST WANT MY VOICE BACK
ENT Visit
My husband went to see his ENT today. He has been using his feeding tube to eat and only sipping water. His ENT and the surgeon that put in the tube both told him today that he needs to start eating by mouth as much as possible no matter how much it hurts. Even if it is one meal a day! So we are going to try mashed…
Driving
Last night I did something I haven't done since Jan/2011 when I was told I had stage 3 Laryngeal Cancer, I drove my car and had my oxygen at tow. Talking about excited, my hubby went with me, life has gotten better. Wishing everyone a awesome and pain free day. bjw1955
taste alteration and suggestions
My mom cannot eat anything secondary to the taste alteration. She states everything tastes terrible... Do any of you have any suggestions on what worked for you? Yes, she has her PEG and that is her primary source of nutrition. However, she would love to eat. Thank you for your time! :)
Doc advice : eat at any cost
I had a appt with my doc today and she said to just start eating whatever i could and not to worry about pain in throat. She said if needed take pain med but keep pushing in eating. I have was eating pureed food okay but when try to eat pieces, my throat was hurting. I could eat but than throat would hurt. She said to take…
Swallowing trouble?
Have a pretty good sore throat for three days now. It even hurts to swallow water. But here's my quandary... I was swallowing weird because it was hurting so bad, like I anticipated the pain and didn't swallow normally, then I choked a bit once and became afraid of aspirating. Now I'm not drinking at all but I find myself…
Coca-Cola...seriously...
I was reading through some old posts trying to learn about the mucus. Mine isn't that bad it I wanted to arm myself with knowledge. I found some posts about Coke and I thought no way... But here is what I discovered just now: 1. It really doesn't burn my mouth and throat even though the side of my tongue is raw and my…
NED for Tim6003 - thank you all for tucking me in!!!
Hey all... MY scan was NED!!!! Thank you all very much for your prayers, thoughts, well wishes... My kids left the power cord to the computer at the clinic (let them use it while I got the news) so computer was dead the next day and got home late (3 hour drive back home).... Worked all day the next day and today when I…
Mucus Metamorphosis??
It's gone from white to having a little more color. It's not coming from my chest at all. Originates more from the post nasal area. Is some color ok or should I get antibiotics ASAP?

Head and Neck Cancer

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