New and Glad to Be Here (Considering:)

IAmStrong
IAmStrong Member Posts: 58
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hello everyone. I came here for ESH, finally! I was first dx Dec 2008 with partial glosectomy (lt) and had a recurrence in 2 lymph nodes followed with partial neck resection in Feb 2010. This was followed with cisplatin and radiation (37 txs).

I am So Thankful to be Alive!!! I became violently ill during treatment, keeping in mind I have numerous medication allergies and sensitivities which also came into play and I nearly died. But, I didn't!!!:)

Issues I am living with now are hearing loss and tinitus, kidney function of 31%, fibrosis of the face jaw neck and shoulder. I am currently treatine for the fibrosis with chiro, physical therapy and massage. This Helps and I finally have regained some hope for this as I find it completely Unacceptable to manage it only with medications that is a partial bandaid. I get trigeminal nerve pain, spasms under my jaw that take me to my knees and pain from spasms in all the area mentioned. Its been miserable. I am making some progress.

Has anyone dealt with the above issues, and any words of wisdom for me?

I do yoga, go to the gym and am working on regaining my muscle tone that I lost ALL of during treatment. I tell myself "I Am Strong, I Am Healthy!" and have found my body catches up with what I tell myself even if I was anything But that when I first started this self talk.

I will have my 2 yr anniversary and will be out of the "critical" period in June! I INTEND on being in the 65% survival rate I was given. Every Day my feet touch the floor, its a GOOD Day!

In Gratitude!

Comments

  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
    welcome
    Every day will continue to get better for a long, long time. I had those same spasms. They were absolutely miserable. Mostly under my jaw. Never could predict when they would occur but they pretty much brought everything to a halt when they happened. This was after my radiation in 1998. They eventually completely stopped. It took years, but they finally, mercifully quit.

    The changes are permanent, some of them. Others just take years to overcome. Keep doing what you're doing, and life goes on.

    Glad you're here.

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