How Long

terryscarlett
terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
How long before everyone started to feel better after throat cancer treatments. David is post 3 weeks and a half and feels terrible today. throat still hurts, thick mucus, week. Still on feeding tube, but drinks tea and water, still on the pain meds. He wanted to know how long before things will start healing in his throat? Had 39 rads and 3 cisplatins!
Thanks for your responce.
Terry

Comments

  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #2
    Sounds like David is right on track...
    The time varies for each of us. I was warned by my doctors that it would be at least four weeks before I "turned the corner." After four weeks, I sure didn't feel like I had turned that darned corner, but a couple of weeks after that, I could see some small improvement. Count the weeks and not the days. He will get there. Every day is another step forward.

    Deb
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #3
    It depends on the person.
    At three weeks out, that's about peak. You're still kinda cooking then. It's going to take a while. Some people feel pretty good by three months out or so. For me, with my complications and other issues it took 6 months. If he is able to eat and or drink anything by mouth, then he is doing well. Biggest thing is to keep getting in the nutrients, calories and fluids he needs to heal. It will help in his recovery.

    Wishing him a fast recovery,

    Sweet
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #4
    terry
    Sorry David feels so bad. I had a similar treatment to him and I started to feel better about 6 weeks after treatment ended, but I did not notice change day-to-day. It was more that I noticed one day that I didn't feel so bad and that came at week 4. Everyone is different. The thing for David to get his head around now is his "new normal". It is likely some changes will remain and some will dissipate and the discovery of the new normal may be depressing if his expectations are that he will return to what he was.

    I am 7 months post-treatment and I still have thick mucus (not as thick, but something that I find really annoying). Tell David, from someone who knows, from someone who has been exactly where he is right now, that it will get better, I promise. He must endure the pain because he alternative is not an option.

    From a pathology perspective, it takes about 90 days for epithelial cells (the cells that line our mucosa) to *completely* heal after this type of treatment. He should have noticeable change within roughly 45 days post-treatment.

    Best,

    Mick
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #5
    Slowly
    Everyone recovers differently I have learned and most all of them recover slowly. This is when the patience is tried even more as we all expect to recover very quickly. I am fairly certain it is better for him than 2 1/2 weeks ago but pretty much unnoticable to you and David.
    Keep in mind the radiation continues to work in the body for approx. 6 weeks post treatment. For me I noticed the most change at 10-12 weeks post treatment, then two weeks later they did surgery and some of it started over again.

    Prayers being sent for fast recovery.

    John
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #6
    Rough Road
    Hi Terry,

    I can be a rough road out and into recovery. I was probably 6-8 weeks before I noticed progress. I started taking rice gruel ie rice boiled with plenty of water still in the mix and slowly worked up from there. As posted many time the L-Glutamine Powder should help things along with healing the damaged tissue. It's important to keep up the nutrition and preferably the good kind.

    I reached out at some point point further along than David and was given very good advice to start a small daily routine. Mine was to go out and walk to a nearby cafe, read the paper, a book and take in some fluids. I was doing thick shakes hen, while not that good for me it was calories and i was lacking. That little routine grew into a longer walks, and longer stays outside so it all helped to give me some light exercise and to start to find my life again.

    He will get there, just a rough road fro a while.

    Scam
  • rozaroo
    rozaroo Member Posts: 665
    #7
    Scambuster said:

    Rough Road
    Hi Terry,

    I can be a rough road out and into recovery. I was probably 6-8 weeks before I noticed progress. I started taking rice gruel ie rice boiled with plenty of water still in the mix and slowly worked up from there. As posted many time the L-Glutamine Powder should help things along with healing the damaged tissue. It's important to keep up the nutrition and preferably the good kind.

    I reached out at some point point further along than David and was given very good advice to start a small daily routine. Mine was to go out and walk to a nearby cafe, read the paper, a book and take in some fluids. I was doing thick shakes hen, while not that good for me it was calories and i was lacking. That little routine grew into a longer walks, and longer stays outside so it all helped to give me some light exercise and to start to find my life again.

    He will get there, just a rough road fro a while.

    Scam

    Hello Terry
    We are all so different when it comes to healing. I used to ask my nutritionist will it get better as I felt I had no hope. Totally got tired of feeling like crap, trying to keep my feeding's down & lack of sleep making me miserable. Food was a huge issue as I was pushing it then decided to back off & if something did not taste right then I forgot about it for a bit & tried again later.Had to change my whole attitude & take it slow. It was around the five month mark that thing's started to feel better. Eating had improved & fatigue had lifted a bit. I understand it is a slow process but it is what it is.
    Just believe it will get better that is what I had to do in order to pull through.
    Hugg's Roz
  • terryscarlett
    terryscarlett Member Posts: 143
    #8
    rozaroo said:

    Hello Terry
    We are all so different when it comes to healing. I used to ask my nutritionist will it get better as I felt I had no hope. Totally got tired of feeling like crap, trying to keep my feeding's down & lack of sleep making me miserable. Food was a huge issue as I was pushing it then decided to back off & if something did not taste right then I forgot about it for a bit & tried again later.Had to change my whole attitude & take it slow. It was around the five month mark that thing's started to feel better. Eating had improved & fatigue had lifted a bit. I understand it is a slow process but it is what it is.
    Just believe it will get better that is what I had to do in order to pull through.
    Hugg's Roz

    Thanks to all
    for your continued support and advice. Don't know what we would have done without each and every one of you. God bless you all and hope everyone is having a better day than yesterday. LOL Terry

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