28 mos post

Darkdancer333
Darkdancer333 Member Posts: 115 Member
edited August 2020 in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I had BOT HPV a little over two years ago. 35 rads and 8 weeks chemo. 

Just wondering how long certain side effects last. 

Dry mouth and cough at night when laying in bed, throat still narrow and choke when eat certain foods., always seem to have some phlem in the back of the throat. 

when I have a big yawn i can feel tenderness in my throat. I imagine some of these side effects are permanent . 

My last scope was in March and everything looked clear and good. 

 

Just wondering how many of these are a common occurance...

 

thx

Comments

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,465 Member
    edited August 2020 #2
    Congratulations on 28 Months

    Out from treatment and clear scopes. Dry mouth is probably permanent but it still may improve. In the meantime, you will have to sip water to keep moist as needed. Try Xylimelts they are a great help for dry mouth especially overnight. If your throat is narrow and makes it difficult yet for swallowing check with your medical team about the possibility of dilations. That is where they expand your throat a little at a time I had 4 of them and it was a great help. I also get some phlegm and I think it is because of lack of or low saliva which makes it thicken and seems to end up in your throat so you just have to spit it out occasionally and drink more. As for tenderness in throat, I don't know but it could be something that will take a while yet. I know some on here have seen changes as fdar as 3-5 years out. Take Care-God Bless

  • Darkdancer333
    Darkdancer333 Member Posts: 115 Member
    edited August 2020 #3
    wbcgaruss said:

    Congratulations on 28 Months

    Out from treatment and clear scopes. Dry mouth is probably permanent but it still may improve. In the meantime, you will have to sip water to keep moist as needed. Try Xylimelts they are a great help for dry mouth especially overnight. If your throat is narrow and makes it difficult yet for swallowing check with your medical team about the possibility of dilations. That is where they expand your throat a little at a time I had 4 of them and it was a great help. I also get some phlegm and I think it is because of lack of or low saliva which makes it thicken and seems to end up in your throat so you just have to spit it out occasionally and drink more. As for tenderness in throat, I don't know but it could be something that will take a while yet. I know some on here have seen changes as fdar as 3-5 years out. Take Care-God Bless

    The dry mouth is only at

    The dry mouth is only at night when I am laying down

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,465 Member
    #4
    I Think

    You probably have it all the time I know I do but it doesn't affect me when I'm awake because when my mouth seems dry then I am sipping coffee or water. I get more noticeable dry mouth at night because I think we breathe a bit through our mouth at times. As I said previously get yourself some Xylimelts they have an adhesive side on the one half and stick to your tooth or gum when wet and stay put and dissolve slowly and keep your mouth moist while sleeping and since they stick there is no chance of you swallowing them when you fall asleep. Below is a link that tells you about Xylimelts---

    https://www.oracoat.com/products/xmdm?variant=23167506317370

  • nancytc
    nancytc Member Posts: 70 Member
    #5
    Xylimelts for me are a life

    Xylimelts for me are a life saver! I put two in when I go to bed...one on each side. If I wake up mid-night I put in another set. They last about 4 hours and are amazing. Not only do they force any working saliva glands into overdrive, but in addition they put your oral cavity in the correct PH balance which is very important to prevent tooth gumline decay. The stats I read when going through treatment was 80% chance of losing teeth due to rot from lack of saliva. So get the Xlimelts and start using them!!!

  • PipLily
    PipLily Member Posts: 127 Member
    edited August 2020 #6
    My husband also has some dry mouth.....

    he is only about 2 1/2 months post treatment. I’m encouraging him to try the Xylimelts, but so far he’s not a big fan. For those of you that use them, do you get immediate relief once you put them in? Or d you have to be consistent with using them to get relief? DarkDancer....I’ve done some research on Acupuncture for post treatment dryness, and it looks promising. Our Speech Pathologist also said that newer research is pointing towards this as a possible help. May be something that you might want to check out. Since my husband is so recently out of treatment, we are going to give it a bit more time, but it is definitely something we may look into in the future. 

    Congratulations on two years, and best wishes for continued success!!

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