burning sore throat

teacuplady
teacuplady Member Posts: 20
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I have been cancer free for 4 years. Last month I posted on the board that I had just started having a burning sore throat. Several helpful people suggested that it might be caused by acid reflux. I have been taking Prilosec now for about three weeks, but I still have the sore throat and now ear pain (probably transference). I don't want to take Prilosec if I don't have to because that has its own side effects. Does anyone have and idea why my throat and left ear are hurting, and are there any remedies? If I take 2 Advils, it helps. My ENT said I was cancer free and it was side effects from the radiation. Any help would surely be appreciated.

Comments

  • lornal
    lornal Member Posts: 428
    #2
    sore throat

    I get a sore throat when I am not hydrated enough.  Be sure you are drinking plenty of water.

    Also, when I complained about not hearing in my right ear- my ENT surgeon didn't see anything wrong with it. 

    I went to my ear ENT, and I had fluid and ending up with a tube.  So throat docs are not necessarily ear docs.

    Lorna

    2007 & 2014

  • wmc
    wmc Member Posts: 1,804
    #3
    Acid reflux GURD is very serious.................

    I have no idea if this can or will help. I havd GURD [Acid reflux] very bad but I don't really have heartburn. I get a burning in the back of my throat to where I can tast the acid. By the way is as strong as battery acid and with a flair up it is stronger. I tried prilosec first with talking to my doctor. Then went to Rx and had to go to a newer Rx and take it twice a day instead of once as it is prescribed normaly. My doctor said I had to take it both morrning and night whach the insurance rejected, until they talked with my doctor and got it oked. That works. Acid reflux is very serrious and can burn a hole in your esophagus and can cause throat cancer. It was a big part of mine.

    What you can do to help is do not sleep on your right side as the acid will drain down to your throat. Only sleep on your left and it won't happen. If you sleep on your back you need to prop up the bed or mattress with a wedge or the legs of the headboard, pillows don't really work. Yes the side effects from acid blockers can be severe, with osteoporosis which I already have, and it blocks the acid needed to digest and among others. What the acid can do is even worse. Always talk with your doctor if you do take acod blockers that are over the counter as they can effect other meds. My doctor is who told me to try them first because if they did work i would not need anything stronger which he hoped. Try sleeping only on your left side and see if it helps.

    The ringing in the left ear is what I had before my surgery. I have Tinintus in both due to loud noises from work over the years and there is nothing you can do to stop that. But what you describ is much different. My pain would come and go. When it came it was real bad and would bring tears to my eyes it hurt so much. I was tole to take 800mg of motron but he said it would be cheaper if I just bought it over the counter and take 3 pills, Never four. It helped some. I was told if I needed the pain pill to work faster I should crush it and it will work much faster as it is already broken up. I also would hear loud bang sounds when I would try to sleep. Sounded like a gun shot or explosion. It was only in my left ear which was on the pillow, but I never heard them in my right ear. I thought I was going kinda crazy as I knew they were not real as I was the only one in the house that did hear them, but only my left ear. I noticed a few months after my surgery they were gone and I don't hear them and more. I never had chemo or radiation so I can't compair it. But from what I have seen and learned it could be a side effect of radiation. I do hope it goes away very soon. Tininuts is hearing noise that is not there. The hair in my ear was damaged from loud sounds and it never comes back. The problem is my mind knows I should hear those sounds so the mind creates them for me. It is like a bussing from a florescent light and will never go away. Many that had radiation have some hearing loss and problems but at least the cancer is gone. It is just too bad it comes with such side effects, i'm sorry.

    Bill

  • wmc
    wmc Member Posts: 1,804
    #4
    lornal said:

    sore throat

    I get a sore throat when I am not hydrated enough.  Be sure you are drinking plenty of water.

    Also, when I complained about not hearing in my right ear- my ENT surgeon didn't see anything wrong with it. 

    I went to my ear ENT, and I had fluid and ending up with a tube.  So throat docs are not necessarily ear docs.

    Lorna

    2007 & 2014

    Lorna it is funny how some ENT don't.........

    Some ENT will only do ears and stop at the tonsils and not go down the throat. They need to have a new name other than Ear Noise and Throat. I also noticed my local ENT whos is very good does not have a scope, only uses mirrors. I used him for every other two month check up. He was told that if he ever felt there might be anything to just tell me and I would go back to Stanford and get scoped. I like the scope as they can take a photo with it. That is how my lung doctor found my tumor as he could not get passed my vocal cords, and would not do a biopsy as he felt if it started to bleed he could not stop it. He took a brushing and photos. It was cancer, but he did save me in a way. He sent me to Stanford and bypased the local ENT which would just take more time to see and he would not be doing the surgery on me.

    Bill

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