Sore mouth and tongue

brianm
brianm Member Posts: 16
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi all, Could anyone give me some help for a sore mouth? My husband is on tretment No 11 of Folfox with Avastin and has developed a sore tongue and mouth, he has been using Mycostatin mouthwashes but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Take care and Thank you. Jackie

Comments

  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #2
    I developed ulcers on my tongue and sides of my mouth after 11 rounds of FOLFOX (no Avastin) -- sounds like your husband and I are on the same schedule! They hurt a LOT and I was quite miserable. My oncologist gave me a steroid cream. I could put it on the ulcers 2x a day -- for a few days. Cleared them up right away. Good luck to him (and to you!).
    Tara
  • CAMaura
    CAMaura Member Posts: 719 Member
    #3
    Hi Jackie - Plain (naturally made) yogurt really helped me. I ate a lot of it and sometimes, I would hold a spoonful in my mouth for maybe 20 seconds or so. Chemo kills everything - including all of the good bacteria needed in our mouth (as well as in our intestines). See if this might help your husband. It might take a day or so, but if he can handle a sort of sour taste for a little bit, it might pay off for him. Take care - Maura
  • dash4
    dash4 Member Posts: 303 Member
    #4
    hi, my husband has had 6 months of 5FU and avastin and is now with irinotecan and erbitux for 3 months now. He has not had any mouth ulcers or sore spots or any mouth problems at all....I am a dental hygienist and was very proactive on his mouth care. He uses Prevident 5000 Booster gel to brush with every day...it is a prescription strength fluoride toothpaste by Colgate. Your dentist can give you a prescription for it. I believe in the preventive properties of this product. I know from my years of dental experience that most cancer patients are poorly instructed on mouthcare and it is so very important for so many reasons. Also, you should not rinse with anything that has alcohol in it--which is most mouthrinses. One of the best over the counter oral care products is by Biotene. There are 4 different products--all wonderful for mouth care - especially if you are experiencing a dry mouth. They have a saliva substitute, toothpaste, mouthwash and xylitol chewing gum. All of their products help to replace the antibacterial effects that saliva naturally does for you. Many cancer patients have dry mouths and are missing out on the daily benefits of saliva. If you have other questions-please let me know. I can get a little carried away on this topic because I feel it is so important to your overall health and just feeling good every day. Plus, you want to prevent problems if you can, rather than trying to fix them. Good luck--hope this helps you.
    Dash
  • brianm
    brianm Member Posts: 16
    #5
    Thanks for advice, Brian has had some relief today from natural yogurt, tomorrow am we will phone the oncology team to see what they reccommend!We probably have not been proactive enough in this area and will give it lots of attention now! We have the Biotene saliva replacement gel and will see about getting the prescribed toothpaste Dash mentioned. Thinking of you all, feels like your all my friends already... Jackie

Discussion Boards