-
Thick mucous question
Hi all! My husband is almost through with his 35 rads and only 1 more round of Cisplatin. Of course, he's battled the loas of taste and appetite, some fatigue, and sore throat. All of that, he has taken in stride. But, the thick glue like mucous is almost more than he can bear. Our question is will the mucous situation…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Taxol/Carbo and nails
Husband's nails turning dark and look like they may fall off. Anyone with experience with this?? Crystal
-
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…
-
Post Treatment Cancer Related Fatigue
I was diagnosed with squamish cell carcinoma (throat cancer) in late October 2016. Had a tumor on the base of my tounge and limph node on the left side. Started chemo and radiation treatments in November and completed all treatments in mid-January. I had 6 chemo treatments and 38 radiation treatments. No surgery. What my…
-
Depression
All throughout my treament (and before) for SCC of the tongue what I heard was you have to be positive thats 1/2 the battle. I had 3 surgeries, partial glossectomy (1/2 of my tongue replaced by a skin graft from my arm), a trach tube, neck disection and lymphnodes removed, powered through a major infection at the site of…
-
Muscle Spasms in Neck: Can anyone relate?
Howdy everyone. It has been a while since I have posted a thread; but Mark is complaining more and more of "tightness" in his neck. Last night for the first time, he described it in a way that I could understand better. He said it was like having a constant muscle spasm in his neck, and he is combating that pain all day,…
-
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…
-
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?
-
Refusing Radiation
My husband just found out he has cancer a week ago. They are searching for the primary. In the meantime, he has a friend with head and neck cancer who told him the horrors of radiation and that he should just have surgery. While our cancer team has yet to give us his cancer plan my husband is already totally against…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Welcome to my journey!
Hello. My name is Chris, and I have recently been diagnosed with oral cancer. I wanted to offer a link to my blog where you can follow along in my journey with this horrific disease. I hope to shed light on what one might expect if they are unfortunate enough to find themselves faced in a similar situation. Please reach…
-
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,…
-
'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…
-
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…
-
In a Quandary: Surgery or No Surgery Before Radiation and Chemo
I'm now facing my 4th battle with oral cancer since 2008. Have had 3 prior partial R glossectomies and a R modified radical neck dissection. In January, I found a swollen lymph node under my chin. The needle biopsy was negative but the surgical biopsy was positive as well a biopsy of small ulcer on floor of my mouth. PET…
-
Base of Tongue Cancer
Hi all....newly diagnosed with SCC cancer at the tongue base. As I'm sure all of you know, it's almost overwhelming to hear that you've been confirmed as having cancer, but after locating this site and discussion board, I am heartened by the support, information and helpful suggestions that other "cancer folks" offer here.…
-
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma
Hi Everyone! I found out last week that I have mucoepidermoid carcinoma and I can't find that much information on this type of cancer. I'm 29 and felt that I was quite young to be diagnosed with this type of cancer as I don't drink or smoke, but from the reading I've done so far, it seems to affect a variety of people. I'm…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…