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Head and Neck Cancer

Salivary gland cancer stage 4
Hi, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 salivary gland cancer he had an 11 hour surgery at UCLA to remove the tumor. He had 7 weeks of Monday - Friday radiation... he had been cancer free for almost a year, we just found out a few weeks ago that his cancer spread it's near his eye on the bone and also back of his skull, they…
Late side effects after H&N chemoradiation (eating, mucous, etc)
Hullo There First up, to address the elephant in the room - I'm clearly not American, but an intruder from overseas (I mention, as I've found some good info in these forums and for the most part the community seems to be State-side - GO USA!) We have an Aussie cancer support site, but the community involves three people…
Post ENT appt
I had my follow up appt. with ENT this week! He said CT scan was clear for sinuses! I have slightly deviated septum and swollen turbinate on left (problem) side! He feels the nosebleeds are being caused by the turbulence when air passes through! Btw, I was never scoped! Of course I'm elated that the scan came out clear…
Tomorrow is the big day!
I had my first set of CT scans last Friday since completing treatment to see if the cancer (squmous cell carcinoma on the base of my tongue and lymph node) is gone. I'm meeting with my doctor tomorrow to go over the results of the scan. Of course I'm nervous as hell and that is all I've thought about 24/7 since Friday. I…
ROLL CALL 2017 - UPDATED FEBRUARY 21, 2017 CLOSED
ROLL CALL 2017 2nd Updated February 21, 2017 All H&N members are welcome! Roll Call is dedicated to the memory of HAWVET (JOHNNY) who’s curiosity to know and to share a little bit about members of the Head and Neck Form inspired him to start and run this thread (2008 thru 2014). Thank You. First off, please feel free to…
Recovery- Sore Throat Worse
Finished rads 8 weeks ago. Was feeling gradually better until Wed. Had a dental cleaning Wednesday and two days later throat hurt much worse. Is it normal in recovery period to have throat pain get worse? Two steps forward 3 steps back? Still not able to eat anything other than pudding and milk shakes.
Dentures
I am curious if anyone has gotten regular dentures and figured out how to deal with a partial tongue, dry mouth and migraines in learning to use them. I have the top ones glued in right now, but after a while, I have to take them out. When I have migraines, they aggrevate the headache. The bottom ones are the real problem.…
Neck cancer longterm effects
I had my radiation and chemo done in 2006 but last year 2016 I started having problems swallowing. I have salivia that continus to come out. If i eat i spend the next 20mins coughing up phlegm. I also have a pain that feels like it starts from one ear to the other through the eyes and in my head. Is there anyone who has…
ROLL CALL 2017 - CLOSED
ROLL CALL 2017 First Updated January 30, 2017 All H&N members are welcome! Roll Call is dedicated to the memory of HAWVET (JOHNNY) who’s curiosity to know and to share a little bit about members of the Head and Neck Form inspired him to start and run this thread (2008 thru 2014). Thank You. First off, please feel free to…
No Saliva? - No Problem - The Answer: okra water
Your new best friend: Okra. You are going to make okra water. Simmer cut okra in a covered pot of water for approx. 10 minutes. 2 cups of okra to 4-5 cups of water. Your end result is ‘okra water’. Drain the okra and place in a container. Fill that container with more water, cover, and pop in fridge to sit. This will yield…
Post radiation throat pain
My husband is 5 weeks out of treatment consisting of 35 rads and 3 megadoses of cisplatin. ( for T3 scc in his glottis) His throat swallowing pain has not gone down at all. 2 wks post treatment actually pain went slightly up, and then slightly down but it is still very high and is same as what it was at the end of…
sliva glands
Hi.everyone.Have a question about the slivia glands.Mine haven't been to bad and didn't seem to to much of dry mouth as I was always sipping something.But now I was just fitted for dentures that were made for for my mouth.And the problem seems to be that my slivia glands are running like a nose in the middle of a cold.Has…
Nausea and throwing up 3 months out! Help!
My husband will be 11 weeks post chemo/radiation (5/37) on Friday, and he is still having terrible nausea. He throws up at least twice a week. He is still only taking in liquids as his throat and tongue are still very painful. He does not have a PEG tube, and is down 80 pounds. He takes zofran 3x day for nausea... Just…
The will to live
Everyone that belongs to the Cancer Survivors Network either are currently in treatment, a caregiver, or a survivor that wants nothing more than to live. I am new in the survivor role. My wife on the other hand is a 12 year survivor of oral cancer and a 11 year survivor of breast cancer. We both have faught to live! Last…
Saliva mysteries - what does this mean
I'm nine weeks post 35/7 rad & chemo treatment. I can be painfully bone dry, put in a piece of sugarfree gum, and be well moistened in under a minute. Does this mean my glands are still mostly functional, just taking their time to recover? Xylimelts have no effect, the sprays help for a while, but a piece of gum and I'm…
Officially 'Cured'
Hello Good People of CSN - I hope you are all fighting the good fight and winning! Just to introduce myself as I haven't been on all that often for a while, I was originally diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma with unknown primary in March 2012 (not sure how they stage it when its in a lymph node but no primary and…
6 month pet scan tomorrow- been very ill- terrified
squamous cell carcinoma bot, 40 rounds radiation ended sept 28, 2014. I have no one in my life, I've had cancer symptoms, night sweats, throats pain never stopped, migraines, bleeding from mouth and cough, taste buds getting worse. constant mouth sores. I have absolute dread that tomorrow they will tell me C is back. I…
Feeding tube /Pathology report
Well continuing on my road to recovery I am due for my first post op appointment on March 8th to see how it is healing. I had tonsillar cancer that also had started to go onto the base of my tongue. So consuming calories has become my full time job to hopefully avoid a feeding tube. Anything that has dairy in it produces…
Just saying thanks!
I don't always comment in here but I do read quite a bit. For me it's reassuring to see a group of people who are dealing with issues like I have. I've yet to meet anyone in "real life" who has had the type of cancer that I had so coming to read these boards makes me feel less alone in this struggle and the aftermath. Some…
Bleeding after Surgery
On day 8 post op I have some bleeding and when I clear the mucous I have fresh blood and clots. They mentioned when I left the hospital there might be some but if it was substantial go to the hospital. What is substantial. Very frustrated by the early aftercare on what to expect, frequently asked questions, what to do if…
Ear and jaw pain NORMAL?
My husband is 2 months post radiation for a tumor on his tongue, and has started getting a clogged ear and a lot of pain in his jaw (on the side of his radiation) from his ear down along his jaw. Has anyone experienced this? I don't know if I should make him an appointment to see the dr. I feel like the time between being…
Struggling...
Really could use some advice. My dad went through treatment and radiation in 2013... He's still really struggling with mucous. I notice him wheezing a lot when he talks. Sounds winded. I get scared because I saw him come on mucous and it took him a few moments for it to pass. Every time he eats he chokes. He had a swallow…
New Here: My Mom has Laryngeal Cancer (she is my world)
Hello Everyone, I am new here. I am 21 years old and my Mom was diagnosed with Stage III Laryngeal cancer in November 2016. It is HPV positive and only one small nearby lymph node is involved. She has a good prognosis (about 75%-80%) and an 80% chance of getting her voice back completely. Even though all of those numbers…
High calorie food
Like several others here, I struggled with getting down enough calories during treatment. While hunting around on Amazon I just came across yet another nutritional shake, this one very high calorie. It is by Nestle, and it's in their Boost line, but it is Very High Calorie Boost. 530 cals for a 8 oz box. Not cheap, $37 for…
6 days out of surgery- Advice needed
On Feb 21st I had robotic surgery for tonsillar cancer that went down to the base of my tongue. They did a radical neck node disecction and it is HPV positive. (good thing I understand). Four days in hospital and then released. I have been only on tylenol suppositories every four hours for pain. I am a pill gagger and…
Water coming out the nose while swallowing???
Just curious, now that we are getting the swallowing down pat here after tx, he is noticing whatever he swallows sometimes comes out of his nose. Is this normal? How do you prevent this from happening. Also he says it seems to create more mucus/phlem afterwards.
XyliMelts - opinions please
I'm am in dry mouth phase, and looking for options. I tried the Biotene dry mouth paste and it mostly just accumulated mucus. My rad oncol pushes XyliMelts, but they don't seem to do much. I am on day two of that experiment, so they might yet produce, but so far, nada. I'm applying two at a time, upper outside jaw. I'm…
Hearing Loss
Hello everyone, I am back from completing my second round of rads with chemo. Held up well, eating still and back to work the next day. Much better than the first time around. However, I had 6 weekly, low dose infusions of Cisplatin, and as you know, it can cause hearing loss. My right ear was in the field of radiation and…
Time does fly
Today, June 2,2012 marks 7 months since the De Vinci robot and my wonderful surgeon and his team, removed the cancerous mass from my epiglottis...I'm feeling great, some minor complaints, but all in all, wonderful. It took 4 months for my taste buds to recover, limited on foods I can eat because of the epiglottis removal,…
Cancer of the epiglottis
I was diagnosed with cancer of the epiglottis with one lymph node involved a little over five years ago. I was treated with in-hospital stays for chemo then with heavy radiation. I had a stomach tube for 6 months. I am posting this message for two reasons. One is to let you know, if you have this cancer, that you can…

Head and Neck Cancer

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