Persistent throat irritation nearly 5 years out

kgasmart

Hey all - been a while since I posted here mostly because things are going pretty well, I'm nearly 5 years out from my surgery (Dec 2017) and subsequent radiation... but over the past few months I've been dealing with a mild but persistent throat irritation on the right side, same side as the HIV base of tongue tumor had been.

I've been to see my local ENT twice, she's scoped me twice and has seen nothing; went for my annual check up with the surgeon who also took a close look, scoped me and saw nothing; then last week my annual physical with my family doc who also took a look... nothing.

My local ENT thinks it could be post-nasal drip and prescribed Flonase, which does seem to help some when I use it consistently (supposed to use it right before bed, forget sometimes). She says if I want she'll order a PET scan if I want, haven't done it yet (mostly because it'll cost me $1k out of pocket)...

Wondering if anyone else has dealt with this. Frankly the surgery, the fact they took so many lymph node (more than 50), the subsequent lymphedema and everything else has permanently altered the physiology of my whole neck/ear area.

Logan51

Does water help? Or is it always that way? My irritation typically is due to being parched/dry and water helps.

$1-K might sound like a lot, but might be worth it. If negative- $1-K worth of elation. If positive- good to know so you can get something done ASAP.

kgasmart

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1697988#Comment_1697988

I'm going to get the scan done at some point, unless my consistent use of the Flonase (and drinking extra water) makes a significant difference in the next few weeks.

Water does help, a lot. Part of the problem (I think) is that, since the surgery, I probably clear my throat 100 times or more a day. Mucus tends to pool at the back of my throat, it's a swallowing thing. The extra water thins out the mucus.

The throat irritation isn't severe - half the time I can't feel it at all, the other half of the time it itches/I can feel a mild irritation. More annoying than anything, and the docs who scoped me honestly didn't seem particularly concerned. But given my history, can't just ignore it...

wbcgaruss

I think there are many odd things we go through and I don't know if it is treatment-related or what. I have had several sorenesses around the H&N area and a tooth that felt really weird and I was sure it was going bad, but it is still here and the feeling went away. I have had odd feelings in the area also and I think some of this is due to post-treatment effects and nerves in the area. Also, we tend to get more alarmed and focus on things that before we just would have dealt with and maybe even ignored before H&N treatment. I have a spot in my cheek now right where my back molars go together, and when I chew it sometimes seems to pinch or feels like it does, the area and it feels like a sore spot and there is mild pain or a feeling of soreness, or if you have ever had a mouth ulcer it is like that till they heal up. And this is on the side of my last operation. Well, I have had this for a year or more now. Of course, being a veteran of the H&N folks when it first started I was seeing my ENT every 3 months so on my next visit I told him about it and he felt and he looked and he said everything looked normal, there was no soreness or sore spot that he could see, the tissue felt normal and was of normal color so he felt everything is fine nothing out of the ordinary. His only possible take on it is because I was operated on that side for cancerous lymph node, not encapsulated and spreading to other tissue and some muscle and tissue removed to get all the cancer to their satisfaction, and mine of course also, has affected some nerves and is giving me that sensation although nothing is wrong. The cancer was also wrapped around my carotid artery which my lady surgeon said she was able to peel away from the artery safely and successfully. At my next dentist appointment, I ran this by my dentist, and after checking it all out concurs with my ENT that all is normal and he sees no problem or sore-looking areas. Also In the spring of this year, I had my regular yearly CAT scans with contrast of the H&N area and chest and I am clear of any sign of cancer and if anything was going on it would have shown up on the scan. And there have been many little aches and pains and oddities that have occurred and if I wait a few days they usually go away. So some of this I think some of this is us being hypersensitive about it since we had cancer and I firmly believe radiation and other treatment such as surgery, and chemo continues to affect us in later years in unsettling ways. Remember the old cancer treatment saying "Radiation, the gift that keeps on giving".

Wishing You the Best

Take care, God Bless-Russ

kgasmart

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1698007#Comment_1698007

Thanks Russ. Going through all this has definitely made me into a hypochondriac. At one point or another over the past 5 years I've been convinced I was developing MS, had a thyroid tumor, had A-Fib, and on and on and on. Then there was the Lhermitte's Syndrome, etc. etc.

You become almost hyper-sensitive to the signals your body sends you, but given that they slit me open ear to ear, and then the radiation, who knows the cumulative effect of all the damage.