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2nd Bellybutton Club
Well, I became an inductee to the 2nd bellybutton club at 12:45 PST today. I knew it was going to hurt, but Wow! I certainly hope the folks in the waiting room couldn't hear me holler. The receptionist at the desk gave me a funny look as we were leaving, so I think maybe - just maybe - someone might have heard me. I…
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Chemo hiccups
Hi there. Decadron (a steroid) and the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists (Emend, Kytril, Zofran and ramosetron) used for nausea against Cisplatin can cause persistent hiccups. Anyone here have that problem? Yesterday I had them for 3.5 hours before a bit of Maalox finally got rid of them. Got them now and I gotta go to the rad…
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2010 Update
Hi Everyone, Haven't been on in long time. Don't really know why. Last treatment was Aug.19,2009.Was clear last scan and check. Go for CAT scan and check the end of January. Will be 17 mos. Always have fingers crossed. Lost 70 lbs. and have kept it off.Needed to loose it, but not like that!! Went through a bout of…
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Hearing and the Dying
As of a couple of days ago my Dad, who has termial neck cancer, started getting well sedated and basically non-responsive. This had to be done (per instructions from Hospice) to ease his increasing agitation and restlessness, especially at night. He was released from the hospital a little over a week ago (an ER trip and…
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PET and CAT results came today
Hubby Pat has his surgery Oct 1 - radical neck dissection and a complete laryngectomy. Right after his surgery, his doctor told me that if the surgery had been postponed by a week or two, he would have died. The tumor was growing very, very fast. The doc took everything he could see and all the lymph nodes. He said he had…
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Strange side affects question
I'm 12 weeks post radiation treatment and have two minor weird things going on that I wanted to ask you all about. I'm not overly concerned as I'm guessing radiation therapy will cause all sorts of strange little body changes that one will feel for years to come. But anyway, has anyone ever experienced or heard of either…
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Dry Mouth
To those of you suffering from dry mouth and I know many of you on this site are, I would like to offer the following information. I have been using the Biotene products for some time now. I use the toothpaste as well as the Biotene Moisturizing Gel. The toothpaste and the gel do a wonderful job. However as most of you…
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Thick, Foam Saliva
I am 2 years out from stage 4 throat. Does anyone have any suggestions? I currently spit it out all day, into pill bottles. My students and my boyfriend accept it as part of my life. Now, He's my ex-boyfriend, after giving me the Pre-Christmas "dump". I can't even imagine going out on a first date, or even attracting a…
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1 week left!
Only 1 more week left of rads to go and then I'm done with treatment! I've decided not to do the 6th round of Cisplatin as doc can't say for sure if it will be of any benefit but it will definitely make me sick. And I'll most likely only do 33 rads vs. 35 and be all done by Christmas. Again, doc can't say for sure that 35…
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Is my husband going to be able to eat again?
Hi, everyone - I don't post here very much (only once before), but I read, read, read. The knowledge and support I've gotten has given such relief. Thank you all for that. My husband just had robotic surgery in his throat and on his tongue last week. They removed 2/3 of the base of his tongue, and a lot of cancer/damage to…
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One year ago
Last year on December 18 I got the news that I was now part of the "you have cancer" club. As clubs go, you all are a pretty nice bunch...and extremely helpful. I am lucky to have found this board, if unlucky to have joined the club. Well, last Saturday I marked my new birthday by going to Disneyland with the extended…
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Coughed up chunks of cancer
The second day of chemo last week I coughed up two white chunks about 1/2" long with vains running though them. I had seen some pictures of cancer on google before I started this treatment and it looked like the pictures. I asked my Oncologiest about it and he agreed it was cancer. Must have been in my throught and became…
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Synthoid ~ Update
LOL, you put the jinx on my good fortune.....just kidding, I knew it was coming soon. Went to have the port flushed and also visit the ENT for my routine scope, poke and probe. Everything is looking good there, nothing out of the norm, all systems go, EEEEEEEE. But as you all know, my ENT is my lead MD. He has been…
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Neuropathy - Hands & Feet
Hi all! I've missed you all so much! I just saw the doc today and all is clear, had a PET scan the other week and that came back clear. Whew...I'm eating like I never had cancer or went through treatment, adding a bit more water to help chew and swallow but for the most part I think I'm at my new "normal". During my…
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Head Pain MRI completed today 12-20-10
Hi Everyone, I am amazed this passed week how the pain level has gone down in my head and now a bonus. I thought I was going to die a few days ago when some very thick mucus started forming in my mouth, so thick I could not swallow or wash it down, we could not figure out what was going on. The Eustachian tube that has…
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swallow test today
Had my second swallow test today and was able to swallow some water with very little aspiration. When i had my first test a few weeks ago i wasn't able to swallow anything. Since my first test i have been doing the Shaker exercise and maybe it is helping. I wasn't able to swallow the pudding they gave me today and told me…
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Caught a Cold
First cold I caught since my cancer, I was taken the new advil congestion and chest cough syrup to break up any mucus, using only the half of my throat, it was a really weak and raspy cough, now has gotten more pronouced and turned sore, I got 2 hours of sleep last night, I was afraid my airwave would close and I would…
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Merry Christmas plus relatives
I am very happy to be celebrating my first Christmas post diagnosis and treatment. I am healing slowly, but I am healing. I am amazed how the celebrations with each of my parents was just like the last couple of year's. a part of me was expecting something different, something more personal, more sentimental, but aside…
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SPOT ON LUNG
Hello all. What luck I have. I just posted yesterday about my clean Neck CT. My ENT called back late in the day to tell me the Radiologist noted a small spot on my Right Upper Lobe. Apparently the upper portion of your lung shows up on a Neck CT. My ENT said the spot did not look cancerous. He thinks Scar Tissue from the…
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Anyone have robotic surgery on tongue?
I got news yesterday that the surgery for the tongue primary tumor removal is set for the 22nd. My doc will be using the recently FDA approved robotic method - I think it's called the da Vinci machine and the overall surgery is TORS - Trans Oral Robotic Surgery. Has anyone had experience or know anyone who's had this…
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Ginger for nausea
My husband is to start chemo this Wednesday (head/neck and lung). I saw a post somewhere on here about taking ginger ahead of time to lower the nausea side effects. CAn anyone tell me, do you have to get capsules from a store or could you just mix ground ginger with some water. My husband is on a feeding tube, so taste is…
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Easy to swallow holiday.
Since I would like to eat with the family for the holiday, and after Thanksgiving I realized if I want something I can eat and swallow I best bring it up there myself. I am trolling the Internet for ideas and I came across this site which might be beneficial to those of us with swallowing issues.…
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Lost A Fighter
I am a poster here and I know that this is off-topic, but I just had to say something. I met a woman at a Gilda's discussion group who was suffering from stage 4 cancer. I only met this woman once, but she made quite an impression on me. She was valiantly battling a cancer that had ravaged her body but she was still upbeat…
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Is the chemopherapy drug 5FU too toxic?
My wife Connie is in a clinical trial. She is doing induction chemtherapy. She has cancer at the base of her tongue that spread to the lymph nodes in her neck. Her chemo regiment is 3 week treatments 3 times. The 1st day she does Cetuximab, Cisplatin and Doxetacel, then she takes home a pump with 5FU which pumps continuous…
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First chemo today
Whew!! What a long day! In an effort to get treatment started as soon as possible, my husband went to a different hospital where his onco practices to get the first treatment in. It is 55 miles from where we live. The drive this morning (during rush hour) turned out to be rather pleasant. We made it in about 1 hour 20 min.…
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Cancer coming back ??? Angry now
I havent been on here for a while, was busy dealing with chemo & rads of which i recently finished 4 weeks ago. On 26th July this year,I was operated on for cancer in the mouth, they dug a big hole out of my mouth and took some skin flaps from my left wrist to fill the hole, i spent 3 weeks in hospital,then 2 weeks…
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Nasal Congestion
So i have been using the NED nasal cleaning solution, which helps. Does any one know how long the congestion last and how long i will be blowing my nose. It's frustrating, but better than being dead. I have dry mouth real bad, but the stoppers 4 helps and i can get by o.k. with that. There are other side affects that still…
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Finished treatments!
Two weeks ago I finally finished my 35 radiation treatments to my sinuses and cervical lymph nodes and 2 rounds of 8 day chemo treatments. Now I am home and trying to find my new normal. There is a lot going on emotionally - I spent a several days in tears. My biggest challenge is recovering from sinus surgery and the…
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PET Scan & Exam Results
For the first time since July 2009, my husband has NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER DISEASE in his body! Doc says he is not surprised he can't swallow, it's still early after the surgery (3 months)and we need to give it more time and more swallow therapy. Easy for us to say, we are not the ones who can't swallow our own spit. But Bob…
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Basketcase checking in!
Hi all: Hope this finds everyone enjoying the season and not too stressed out! I did get all my decorations up and even the outside ones and the lights too which was Charlie's job. Now, it's probably not plugged up like he did it, but I did manage to still just have to flip the switch on the power strip to turn everything…