Fluid edema after radiotherapy

ali90h7

Welcome

I finished radiation therapy 5 months ago to the left part of the neck, and the result of the last MRI examination was negative, but it showed the presence of liquid edema near the esophagus and extending to the left part of the tongue.

Doctors told me that it might disappear with time, but now it is pressing on cranial nerve 12, which controls the movement of the tongue, which sometimes causes swelling on the side of the left tongue.

I suffer from an increase in very thick saliva.

I also have difficulty swallowing soft food. I need 3 pushes to be able to swallow one bite, and most of the time the second bite gets stuck in the esophagus.

I ask you, has any of you suffered from edema after radiation therapy?

What are the ways to manage or get rid of it?

wbcgaruss

Ali, you are stating edema, liquid edema.

Commonly we head and neck people get lymphedema from radiation treatment.

If you are not sure check with your doctors but I will cover both here mostly with links to articles and or videos. If your lymphedema is severe your doctor may send you to a lymphedema therapist to get a handle on it with in-office sessions and then give you exercises to do at home. Below is a link explaining lymphedema and below that a video of an accredited massage therapist showing you the massage exercises.

Lymphedema Explained

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8353-lymphedema

Lymphatic Drainage Massage for Face, Head, & Neck Swelling or Lymphedema - By a Physical Therapist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQdLZ26r-rU

Now Edema...

Everything you need to know about edema

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159111

I hope this helps, let me know if you need more info.

Take care, God Bless

Russ

Swoosh13

Ali90h7,

My husband is 4 months post treatment and just had his PET/CT scan last week (all clear) and he has lymphedema right under his chin down the front of his neck. It doesn’t bother him nor does it look bad but the doctors noticed it at his PET appointment and asked if he wanted to go to PT therapy to help get rid of it (massage and exercises) so I will be setting up that appointment. They did say, over time, it should gradually “reabsorb” into his neck with the exercises.

I would check with your doctor(s) if you could get an appt with a therapist to treat that area(s) on your neck as it’s something they can teach you to do at home.

All the best,

Swoosh13

ali90h7

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1713611#Comment_1713611

Hello Swoosh13

It is true that I have read a lot about the subject of massage therapy and lymphatic drainage, but what is strange is that the doctor did not talk to me about doing this option in the hospital. He explained to me some massage exercises and said that it is possible to do them at home, and that edema requires time.

But the issue has become annoying for me. I wake up in the morning and find there is extreme difficulty in swallowing or spitting due to a slight swelling and deviation of the tongue. Then after a day it goes away or goes away in the middle of the day. I told the doctor about this and he said that this is the result of the edema, that it sometimes puts pressure on the nerves or There are veins in the area, but it is not dangerous now.

Thank you for the response, and I hope you are safe

ali90h7

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1713608#Comment_1713608

Hello Russ

That's right, Russ. I also read that most injuries after radiation therapy in the neck area are lymphedema, but what I heard from the doctor is fluid edema, and what the recent MRI scan showed is fluid accumulation, but I will definitely come back to confirm this thing.

Once again Russ thank you very much