Mouth Sores

adamommy

I hope there is someone who can help me out there. I have only had one treatment so far with eleven more to go. I have experienced several different side effects but I thought I had escaped the mouth soreness. Well I was wrong. Seems like no matter what I put in my mouth it hurts. I have been sticking to soft foods the past two days but it seems to be getting worse. When does this start easing up and does anyone have any ideas of how I can get some relief? I am constantly brushing my teeth and using mouthwash. Am I helping or just making it worse?

Patteee

yes brushing and mouthwash
yes brushing and mouthwash can make mouth more sore.
I did this with some relief
salt and baking soda (probably like a half a teaspoon of each) in 8 ounces of warm water
then just gargle the heck out of it. It is difficult to stay on top of it, some of us more so than others. It will more than likely get worse with each treatment- tell your oncologist and have him give you some "magic mouthwash"- this will help a lot.

lisa42

L-glutamine powder
Try putting some L-glutamine powder right on the mouth sores in your mouth. L-glutamine also comes in capsule and tablet form- you want the loose powder form for this. I wasn't able to find the powder form at Walmart like I did the tablets- I had to go to a health food store to find the powder. It was worth it- it really did help! Just get your finger wet, dab it in the powder, then dab it on where needed. If you happen to have problems with your rectum/anus feeling raw from the chemo and chemo induced diarhea- the L-glutamine works for that too. You can dissolve some in warm water, then drink it- also dab it you know where!

abrub

You don't want to rinse with alcohol. I used the baking soda/salt mouth rinses 4-6 times per day, and had few problems. Note that I rinsed frequently every day during my 6 months of chemo, not just chemo days.

You'll also want to consider getting a very soft toothbrush.

Regardless, you need to let your onc know what is going on. Give the office a call, yes, on a Sunday. They expect constant questions from us.

Good luck!

RickMurtagh

Nystatin
Nystatin, pitched to be a magic mouthwash usually healed sores in less than two days and used as a quick rinse two days after each chemo prevented me from ever getting them again - well after I had managed to get sores twice, then I thought of "pre-rinsing.". I had gotten my sores on days three and five after chemo (chemo ended on Friday when my pump was disconnected) - so that would have been on a Monday and Wednesday after chemo.

Unknown

RickMurtagh said:

Nystatin
Nystatin, pitched to be a magic mouthwash usually healed sores in less than two days and used as a quick rinse two days after each chemo prevented me from ever getting them again - well after I had managed to get sores twice, then I thought of "pre-rinsing.". I had gotten my sores on days three and five after chemo (chemo ended on Friday when my pump was disconnected) - so that would have been on a Monday and Wednesday after chemo.

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Left Coaster

I had the mouth sores as well
I took a long time to ever figure out how to manage my mouth sores. I had severe mucositis along with mouth sores. I finally found some relief with biotene. They have several products for oral care in their line. The toothpaste and mouthwash are alcohol free and combined with a soft toothbrush should make brushing and rinsing a lot more tolerable without further irritating your gums and mouth sores. The products can be on the more expensive side. I got introduced to them through samples a friend had put together for me. Ask your doctor if they have any samples for you to try.

For me, avoiding acidic foods helped as well.

Nana b

Left Coaster said:

I had the mouth sores as well
I took a long time to ever figure out how to manage my mouth sores. I had severe mucositis along with mouth sores. I finally found some relief with biotene. They have several products for oral care in their line. The toothpaste and mouthwash are alcohol free and combined with a soft toothbrush should make brushing and rinsing a lot more tolerable without further irritating your gums and mouth sores. The products can be on the more expensive side. I got introduced to them through samples a friend had put together for me. Ask your doctor if they have any samples for you to try.

For me, avoiding acidic foods helped as well.

Good Morning
Ask your ONC to prescribe to you Magic Mouthwash, it's made with Benadryl, I believe matamucil, and some other ingredients. Most people only had the sores the first couple treatments then it was gone.

coloCan

Nana b said:

Good Morning
Ask your ONC to prescribe to you Magic Mouthwash, it's made with Benadryl, I believe matamucil, and some other ingredients. Most people only had the sores the first couple treatments then it was gone.

Also used the "swish and swallow" Nystatin
PS: if not using them, might consider nutrition drinks such as Ensure, Boost, CVS brand, etc (try the "Plus" version, same volume in can but 100 extra calories)to help when distasteful to eat......steve

Clearblue

coloCan said:

Also used the "swish and swallow" Nystatin
PS: if not using them, might consider nutrition drinks such as Ensure, Boost, CVS brand, etc (try the "Plus" version, same volume in can but 100 extra calories)to help when distasteful to eat......steve

L glutamine
Lots of evidence regarding l gutamine is anecdotal, but i can tell you that some have used it on the head and neck discuission boards and they swear by it. This because most there have suffered oral or other neck cancer and Rad therapy in head and neck is considered to be quite brutal at times.
Its worth a read there- just search L glutamine
THere are some amazing survivirs in that board.
Clearblue.