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Suggestions for inability to tolerate "metallic" taste?
My husband just finished his third week of radiation for cancer at the base of his tongue. He has a very very low pain threshold and has been in pain for two years. MRI in Dec. finally detected the cancer and so he's on the tough part of treatment now. I'm trying anything I can think of to get him to eat. He's getting…
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Home for A While
Hi all: Got back Monday afternoon from NC. All was well there. In-laws doing pretty good. Father-in-law had 88th birthday while I was there. The boys did let me back in the house and were so overjoyed to see Mama of course. Believe it or not, am finally taking down Chritmas decorations! I leave them up thru Feb.! I love…
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This is surprising
For the last couple of weeks I have been getting a lot of thick packets of denial information from Medicare. Basically, they are denying all of my IMRT treatments because their medical review person does not belive they are medically necessary. Today I called the Onc's office and the story is that Medicare does not yet…
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almost done
Hello Forum, Well I am on the last stretch. 5 more rads and one more chemo and I am done with the current active treatment plan. It is weird, the infected lymph nodes that were oh so visible are all but melted away. I am so excited to get this phase over with and start towards recover from treatment. I have stage 4…
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constipation
Well looks like I'm posting again. this time about a different topic. Having a hard time with constipation and extremely painful hemrroids. It hurts so much that I cry. I'm scared to be on pain meds cause of side effects and sometimes it makes you more constipated. I was on didlaudid for pain and cetalopram for depression.…
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Surgery on Monday
My husband will fight the beast for the third time on Monday. Doctors have decided to remove his oropharynx (2 cm) surgically, and then decide whether to re-radiate him, give chemo, etc... depending on what they find in surgery, clean margins, etc. So Monday we begin AGAIN. It has been 2 weeks since he was re-diagnosed and…
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Big Day Tomorrow
I haven't posted here in a while. I have been battling pain, depression,, anxiety and a host of other problems. I had a full body CT scan on Monday and tomorrow I meet with my cancer Doc to see if the chemo drug is still shrinking the tumors in my face, lungs, and spine. This is the second scan since chemo started and the…
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One more day
Well, one more day to go before I start my treatment. Thursday at 1:30 I have my 1st radiation session (IMRT). I met with the Chemo Dr today and He told me I was STILL aT20n0m. A CT scan last week shown no signifcent Change in size and for the first time he told me it was hpv+ Which my wife looked at me funny (22years…
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Nose blocking NPC
Hi I've my radiation treatment finished a month ago and still my nose is always blocking. I will have to clear it by time to time. Any of you have the same experience as I do? Any comments and suggestion, appreciated! cheers, Neo
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Question for the Ladies
For those of us that lost all of our hair thru treatment, my hair is coming back in about 1/4 all over my head , not wanting to sounding toooo vain it's coming in gray and I think it makes me looked washed out..I've always been a redhead. I saw my stylist over the weekend and we discussed giving me some color, I am 2…
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From Stage IV to Center Stage ~ Denise DeSimone
For those that like to read and such, LOL.... I haven't personally read this book, but it is of a topic that we all share in common; From Stage IV to Center Stage I saw it on Daytime this morning... Best, John
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Good news and confusion about my esthesio removal and f/o tx
I went for my follow-up appointment with ENT and Rad Onc yesterday. The good news is the path results came back saying that the tumor was as we expected an esthesioneuroblastoma, but all the margins were clear. The ENT was mentally patting herself on the back...I'm happy she did a good job too. But she was not sure that…
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5-Treatment - High Dose Radiation ???
I posted last week about my husband having recurrence. Likely he will have another surgery, chemo and re-radiation (it's been over 2 years, so they say he is 'eligible'). However, yesterday when we saw Radiation Oncologist, he mentioned a different type of radiation that is very high dose, targets the tumor specifically,…
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A heavy heart
It's too early but I didn't sleep well. Went online to read our local newspaper and was very saddened to see a gal I had met had died. I live in a small town of about 15,000. Last April while waiting for my PET scan there was a woman in the next cubicle awaiting her's also. She over heard what my cancer was and where I was…
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Peg Tube Removal
I'm about to schedule the removal of my peg tube and would like to know how the peg is removed. I did read somewhere that all they do is pull it out. If so, doesn't it hurt?
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brand new
Hello there. I am a caregiver to my wife Shae. She'll post sometimes, too sick to right now. She finished radiation therapy 3 months ago for ethmoid cancer. Everything was fine until last month when she totally has gone into decline. During the actual treatment she was great, ate wonderfully. her doc just told us Thursday…
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Feeding Tube advice
So my father is getting his feeding tube tomorrow , we take him in at 8 and his surgery is at 10am! He will then start radiation and chemo next monday..It is starting to get too real and I just fear he will be in pain. So my question is how did you feel after the feeding tube was put in, any pain or anything that helped…
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Sudden taste loss
I am about 8 months from last rads and was congratulating myself that a large part of my taste had returned (after around the 3rd month). I have a cold right now and have completely lost all taste and smell overnight. Haven't had a cold or flu since treatment so no idea if this is normal in the new normal way of things. I…
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Update on Surgery - Lung Spot turned out to be cancerous
My husband's 6 month PET showed all clear above the neck but the spot on his lung that they were watching got a bit bigger. Due to kidney issues caused by the chemo he can't get contrast with his scans so the RO referred us to a thoracic surgeon to have a bronchoscopy done. That came back negative but they didn't feel like…
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feeding tube questions
I've been reading several posts about the PEG. I'm through with treatment for my advanced nasal and eye cancer. I've lost so much weight...down to 100 pounds. Before everything I only weighed 115 anyways. My doctor didn't want to give me a tube cause he said could lead to infection. HOWEVER, I can't swallow, have tons of…
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PET SCAN Approaching.....
Hi CSN Family, Well,it has been a while since I posted. Still trying to adjust to my new normal, but that seems to change daily! I have been NED for 1 year now, although in 10/11, I went in for a lung biopsy that had been on previous scans for the past 2 years, but now was glowing. Ughh! I went confident in my faith, that…
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Sweetblood22?
I haven't seen Sweetblood around lately. Have I simply not been paying attention? I hope all is well. Deb
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A Year in the Life
OK, my wife, DrMary, really wants me to write in something and so I shall. I am really not trying to get all of sorts of congratulatory messages nor, much less, trying to make anyone else feel bad for not being as far along in recovery. Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of kind of the last step in treatment. (I was…
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NPC
Did an intriguing NPC search this AM- finding a 3-part NPC seminar you tube on Google with five C Specialists, at what appears to be a meeting of C Drs. A Swedish Dr is the MC, and there's an Asian, Brit, and American Specialists. NPC was the specific C being discussed. I'm not sure what year it is from, other than it's…
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any suggestions to help with taste?
My husband Robert, will be finishing his second week of chemo/rads on Monday. Shortly after his second chemo last Tuesday, he lost his taste. We know this is a side effect, but we are looking for tips on what types of food and/or flavors may have broken through for people. Butter seems to work with vegetables and noodles,…
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Weed
Hi, All. I live in Michigan and I could likely get legal marijuana due to my cancer. All of my life, I have been very anti-drug and at 61 I can honestly say that I never tried weed. Yes, I survived the 60's and the Marine Corps without once trying this. However, with the pain, anxiety and loss of appetite that I have been…
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Gotta love insurance
I have had cancer twice in one year. Radiation twice. Insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross) will not let me get another PET Scan until I am showing symptoms. I asked what the symptoms were to look for (I also have asthma and allergies). This is how I spent my lunch 30 minutes today. I have to agree, Cancer Sucks--so does…
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side effects
Sometimes we get side effects, or so we believe that seem a little off track, I remember the one where there was pain between the elbow and wrist that someone posted, I too had that pain but did not think it was related. One effect I now have is that if I go to bed and am on my back for about 30 minutes, my mouth goes…
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my worst fear wan't so bad - Mexico
Well I was worried about what to do if my tube had to be replaced while I was in Mexico. Well yesterday I woke up and my coffee was streaming out of my tube (pin hole) like Old Faithful. I loaded my skinny butt into the car and went to the local hospital to get a new tube. It took less than 45 min in the emergency room and…
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How many of our Cancers were caused by alcohol and cigarettes
Hi I was wondering whether all our Cancers were caused from cigarettes and or alcohol or are we just unlucky as because I smoked and drank beer my family is blaming me for getting the Cancer saying it is my own fault