Sore throat return after 8 months?

scottpetill

anyone have a “sore when swallowing” throat appear many months after recovery from radiation and oral surgery?

It coincided with a cold sore on my lip; 1st the flooor of my mouth was sore (or the sides of my tongue) as it was hard to tell. Then it moved to when swallowing only. Not sure if it’s tongue or throat.

I’m two months out from my last 3-month bloodwork and scoped throat. Sent a message to RadOnc to see if I should just hold off til my next CT in early April or come in now. It may be a flare-up of pain as the skin and nerves were through a lot and maybe I got a little infection.

Anyone have this experience?

scottpetill

oh. I had HPV related cancer in 3 neck nodes. Unknown primary (had double tonsillectomy and a few samples taken from tongue). Chemo and radiation for 6 weeks.

wbcgaruss

Hello, scottpetill, I am glad you finished treatment, and you say it is many months after recovery from radiation and oral surgery. I was just wondering exactly how long it has been since you finished treatment?

My guess is the cold sore on your lip was coincidental and is not connected to the floor of your mouth being sore (or the sides of your tongue), and you say it was hard to tell. Then it moved to when swallowing.

I see you also had surgery and radiation.

My next guess is that this is nerve-related.

I understand personally and seeing it many times on this forum, once we have had cancer, any soreness, pain, or other unusual happenings in the head and neck area lead our thoughts to cancer. I have had some of this over the years and always have to remind myself of the old adage I have seen repeated on this forum from wiser people than me, "It's not cancer till they say, it's cancer".

I have had soreness and some pain off and on over the years, and each instance went away.

I have had cancer 3 times, starting in 2012/13.

I also have had surgery and radiation.

My latest thing that comes and goes is a sore spot on the inside of my left cheek where the back molars come together. It feels like a mouth ulcer, but since having H&N cancer, I was concerned. I had my ENT check it at my regular follow-up, and he said everything feels normal and looks normal, the inside of my cheek tissue looked normal, but yet it was sore when I chewed. He said it is probably nerves sending the wrong signal or causing this feeling somehow. You see, I had lymph node surgery on that side, and to get all the cancer there, there were some nerves affected. I have paralyzed vocal cords for one thing, and my chylee valve was damaged, which caused a lot of problems.

Also, I had a dentist appointment not long after that, and told my dentist about this, and he concurred with my ENT that it looked normal and no unusual bumps or odd feeling to the touch on that cheek area.

So he was right, it went away completely, and no soreness whatsoever.

It does come back from time to time and, in fact, has done it several times, but always goes away.

I also recently had a sore neck on the same side as my cancer and operation, but that too went away, so it was either another nerve problem, a stiff sore neck from sleeping wrong, or a pulled muscle.

Believe me, when they operate, and you get radiation, it can create some false flag issues later on, and I was radiated twice.

Since you are up on all your follow-up appointments and they are keeping watch on you, I think I would just wait till your early April appointment and CT scan, since you are only out two months from your last 3-month bloodwork and scoped throat.

My opinion, but your choice, if you really think you need it sooner, that is OK.

Hopefully, your CT scan is with contrast; you may want to make sure.

It is good to be on guard and aware, though.

Because the sooner and smaller you catch a recurrence, if there is one, the easier it is to treat and avoid metastasis.

A note to everyone reading this: anytime you have a soreness or unusual instance you are concerned about, don't hesitate to reach out to your ENT and see if they feel you should come in for an office visit or get a CT scan. Always be proactive on any suspicions and always stay up to date on follow-ups with your ENT and scheduled scans, usually done yearly or sometimes more often, depending on each individual case.

Wishing You The Best

Take Care, God Bless

Russ

scottpetill

thank you Russ,

I contacted my radiation oncologist and I’m going in couple of days to get checked up. Not a scan, just an exam I believe) perhaps a throat scope.

Perhaps they’ll send me to the Onc ENT or just tell me not to worry about it. Or like you said, wait for the CT scan in April.

I agree, it makes us more concerned with about anything unusual, but it’s better to be safe. My neck is still sore in places from treatments (radiation and chemo ended in March of last year). Clean PET a month or so later.

I’ll reply back after I resolve this.

peace.

subham25

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this. After everything your body has gone through, it’s completely understandable to feel worried when new sensations pop up. Healing isn’t always a straight line — sometimes things flare up for reasons we can’t immediately see. You’re doing all the right things by reaching out to your care team and paying attention to your body. I hope you can give yourself a lot of grace during this time. You’ve been through so much, and you deserve compassion and steady reassurance. You’re not alone in this.

scottpetill

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1726464#Comment_1726464

hi all, and Russ, thank you again for the encouraging and comforting thoughts.
I did get in to see my radiation oncologists’ nurse pretty quickly after posting this. She had a look and feel of my neck and said, as Russ suspected, not to worry; likely the sensitive areas in throat reacting to high seasonal allergies.

this past week I had a clean CT w/contrast of neck and chest (my first annual). So 1-year clear. Yay!

Sending good vibes to everybody.

wbcgaruss

Scott, that is the best news ever.

Nothing like a clear scan for a cancer patient to show there is no more concern or worries.

I am extremely glad for you and celebrate with you.

I praise and thank God for the care and blessings He freely gives us.

A celebration is in order

Wishing You The Best

NEGU (Never Ever Give Up)

Take Care, God Bless

Russ