Lip and mouth sores

Hi everyone,
My dad has 17 imrt radiation treatments done and carbo/5th Chemo for tonsil lymph node cancer.
Right now his lips are cracked and have a blood blister on them and sores on the inside. Dr said try aquaphor and a&d ointment but it does not help.

Does anyone know any treatment to help this?
Also anyone heard of the transderm scop patches you put behind the ears to help with mucous?

Thanks
Michelle
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Comments

  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    Mouth Sores
    Hi Michelle,

    Have you tried the baking soda/salt gargle? I had some relatively minor problems with mouth sores during treatment. From day one, I used the baking soda/salt rinse, also L-Glutamine as a swish and swallow. I believe these helped to minimize the mouth sores for me. For the few persistent mouth sores I did have, my dentist gave me a dental paste called Solcoseryl, which helped greatly relieve the pain from the sores. The pain relief was practically instantaneous. Hope this helps your Dad. Cheers.

    Jimbo
  • michdjp
    michdjp Member Posts: 220
    Jimbo55 said:

    Mouth Sores
    Hi Michelle,

    Have you tried the baking soda/salt gargle? I had some relatively minor problems with mouth sores during treatment. From day one, I used the baking soda/salt rinse, also L-Glutamine as a swish and swallow. I believe these helped to minimize the mouth sores for me. For the few persistent mouth sores I did have, my dentist gave me a dental paste called Solcoseryl, which helped greatly relieve the pain from the sores. The pain relief was practically instantaneous. Hope this helps your Dad. Cheers.

    Jimbo

    Mouth sores and lips
    Thanks so much Jim I am going to try the solcoseryl. We did try the baking soda and salt just not that often. I will try the glutamine too. At this point I hope something works! Have you ever heard of transform scop patches for behind the ears for the mucos this too is a problem. Last night my dad laid flat for a minute and threw up and gagged on the mucous.
    Thank you for the mouth sore remedies
    Michelle
  • KTeacher
    KTeacher Member Posts: 1,103 Member
    I don't know about the
    I don't know about the products you are talking about but I do know about mouth sores. I do not receive chemo but am going through radiation for the second time. If Aquaphor is not giving relief make sure that your dad does not have thrush. Last year I had it 3 times during treatment, this year when I left the hospital after surgery I was having a sore on tongue, was told canker sore--2 days later, thrush, I tend to get it easily I am also diabetic. Does it look like cottage cheese is in the mouth? There is medicine for it. Also many have luck with the l-glutamine, check the superthread. When the mucus is bad I cannot lay flat to sleep (gag). Many pillows or I sleep on the recliner (my friend!). I also needed to have oral lidocaine, couldn't ever swallow it but I rubbed it on my lips and tongue to be able to eat. I have a mouthpiece on my mask, I need to rub lidocaine on lips and techs make sure that they put water on the mouthpiece so I can get lips over it. Good luck, talk to doctors and nurses--no need to be in pain, they have things for that.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    Michelle, all good
    Michelle, all good suggestions above, I only have one more. You may want to look into getting him a suction machine if the mucous is really bad. I believe the doctors can prescribe it, and it is usually covered by insurance.
  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member
    Michelle, my husband had
    Michelle, my husband had cankor sores on lips and tongue. Doctor prescribed a liquid called acyclovir to take 3 times per day for a week in three days they were almost completely gone and have not come back. Never heard of using the patch behind the ear for anything other than motion sickness.

    Hope this helps and hope your dad finds relief soon.

    Debbie
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    Jimbo55 said:

    Mouth Sores
    Hi Michelle,

    Have you tried the baking soda/salt gargle? I had some relatively minor problems with mouth sores during treatment. From day one, I used the baking soda/salt rinse, also L-Glutamine as a swish and swallow. I believe these helped to minimize the mouth sores for me. For the few persistent mouth sores I did have, my dentist gave me a dental paste called Solcoseryl, which helped greatly relieve the pain from the sores. The pain relief was practically instantaneous. Hope this helps your Dad. Cheers.

    Jimbo

    Hi Michelle
    Welcome to CSN, glad you were able to find us. Look for Sweetblood SuperThread there is a lot of help and information on it. For me all I did for mucus was baking soda or salt water sometimes I did put a little peroxide in the baking soda but not much. On the lips sores try aloe to me it worked better than anything else.

    Hondo
  • hawk711
    hawk711 Member Posts: 566
    jim and i said:

    Michelle, my husband had
    Michelle, my husband had cankor sores on lips and tongue. Doctor prescribed a liquid called acyclovir to take 3 times per day for a week in three days they were almost completely gone and have not come back. Never heard of using the patch behind the ear for anything other than motion sickness.

    Hope this helps and hope your dad finds relief soon.

    Debbie

    MICHELLE
    I too had sores in my mouth. It's bad for most of us....I too had the thick saliva and it made me throw up. I got a suction machine prescribed and it worked wonders in controlling the thick saliva. I strongly recommend it.
    I agree with Jim and Debbie that the liquid that you swish and spit does help somewhat, but time will really heal the sores the best...
    wishing you well,
    Steve
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    5fu
    The 5fu has really wreaked havoc on lip and mouth sores. We kind of rotate around but can't seem to find THE one that works best. Guess it's an an individual experiment.

    Magic mouthwash: seems like a lot of folks like it here. Taken about 25 minutes before trying to eat seems to be the plan.
    Baking soda/ water rinse : several times a day seems popular with others.
    MD Anderson suggests Ulcer Ease which is non-prescription.
    We also were told to put vitamin e oil on directly.
    Also had a prescription for carafate which is for mouth sores.
    He also takes valtrex which is for cold sores. It is a prescription.


    They keep having to give my husband breaks from the 5fu because his sores get so bad he can't eat . They are also reducing the dosage.
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    5fu
    The 5fu has really wreaked havoc on lip and mouth sores. We kind of rotate around but can't seem to find THE one that works best. Guess it's an an individual experiment.

    Magic mouthwash: seems like a lot of folks like it here. Taken about 25 minutes before trying to eat seems to be the plan.
    Baking soda/ water rinse : several times a day seems popular with others.
    MD Anderson suggests Ulcer Ease which is non-prescription.
    We also were told to put vitamin e oil on directly.
    Also had a prescription for carafate which is for mouth sores.
    He also takes valtrex which is for cold sores. It is a prescription.


    They keep having to give my husband breaks from the 5fu because his sores get so bad he can't eat . They are also reducing the dosage.
  • michdjp
    michdjp Member Posts: 220

    5fu
    The 5fu has really wreaked havoc on lip and mouth sores. We kind of rotate around but can't seem to find THE one that works best. Guess it's an an individual experiment.

    Magic mouthwash: seems like a lot of folks like it here. Taken about 25 minutes before trying to eat seems to be the plan.
    Baking soda/ water rinse : several times a day seems popular with others.
    MD Anderson suggests Ulcer Ease which is non-prescription.
    We also were told to put vitamin e oil on directly.
    Also had a prescription for carafate which is for mouth sores.
    He also takes valtrex which is for cold sores. It is a prescription.


    They keep having to give my husband breaks from the 5fu because his sores get so bad he can't eat . They are also reducing the dosage.

    Lip and mouth sores
    Thanks to everyone for your information. I will give them a try. Glad to hear it's all "normal" side effects (nothing seems normal!)
    Today we got the first CBC back after 5fu and thankfully it was ok and can continue Chemo. We go back on the 26. We are debating whether to do the pick line or admit to the hospital. Anyone have any pros or cons to either? Dad is not looking forward to another stay in the hospital OR another procedure (that being the pick line) he just had the feeding tube last week.

    Again. Many thanks to all
    Michelle
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    michdjp said:

    Lip and mouth sores
    Thanks to everyone for your information. I will give them a try. Glad to hear it's all "normal" side effects (nothing seems normal!)
    Today we got the first CBC back after 5fu and thankfully it was ok and can continue Chemo. We go back on the 26. We are debating whether to do the pick line or admit to the hospital. Anyone have any pros or cons to either? Dad is not looking forward to another stay in the hospital OR another procedure (that being the pick line) he just had the feeding tube last week.

    Again. Many thanks to all
    Michelle

    Port
    My husband dreaded another "procedure" but the port has been fantastic! No more IVs for treatment and no more sticks for blood draws. So worth it rather than all that bruising from needle sticks.
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006

    Port
    My husband dreaded another "procedure" but the port has been fantastic! No more IVs for treatment and no more sticks for blood draws. So worth it rather than all that bruising from needle sticks.

    Port
    I was a bit skeptical about the port, now I wouldn't change it for the world, no more sticks, easy access.
  • gibkoch
    gibkoch Member Posts: 19
    michdjp said:

    Lip and mouth sores
    Thanks to everyone for your information. I will give them a try. Glad to hear it's all "normal" side effects (nothing seems normal!)
    Today we got the first CBC back after 5fu and thankfully it was ok and can continue Chemo. We go back on the 26. We are debating whether to do the pick line or admit to the hospital. Anyone have any pros or cons to either? Dad is not looking forward to another stay in the hospital OR another procedure (that being the pick line) he just had the feeding tube last week.

    Again. Many thanks to all
    Michelle

    Pick line ...
    Michelle,

    I too was nervous about a pick line but was introduced to someone at my clinic that just so happened to have one. They convinced me to give it a whirl. It was a totally easy procedure that took all of 15-30 mins. They didn't put me under which I think they have to do for a port. The maintenance on the pick line was super easy. Just flushing it on the weekend. And of course it alleviates getting poked multiple times a day.

    I know this is a difficult time for both of you. God bless you and your Dad.

    Gib
  • 5fu
    The 5fu has really wreaked havoc on lip and mouth sores. We kind of rotate around but can't seem to find THE one that works best. Guess it's an an individual experiment.

    Magic mouthwash: seems like a lot of folks like it here. Taken about 25 minutes before trying to eat seems to be the plan.
    Baking soda/ water rinse : several times a day seems popular with others.
    MD Anderson suggests Ulcer Ease which is non-prescription.
    We also were told to put vitamin e oil on directly.
    Also had a prescription for carafate which is for mouth sores.
    He also takes valtrex which is for cold sores. It is a prescription.


    They keep having to give my husband breaks from the 5fu because his sores get so bad he can't eat . They are also reducing the dosage.

    Hello Robin,

    Thanks for your post! My Dad has had the mouth sores for 1 week now and it's painful and he has had very little improvement from using magic wash and lidocaine. 5FU treatment is on hold for the time being until the sores are gone.

    Do you feel that only time can heal these sores? I can't seem to find any meds that would help with these sores.

    Thanks!!
    May
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006

    Hello Robin,

    Thanks for your post! My Dad has had the mouth sores for 1 week now and it's painful and he has had very little improvement from using magic wash and lidocaine. 5FU treatment is on hold for the time being until the sores are gone.

    Do you feel that only time can heal these sores? I can't seem to find any meds that would help with these sores.

    Thanks!!
    May

    Caphosol
    Hi May,

    I used Caphosol, as well as the salt water/baking soda solution. I atteneded a support group meeting and one of the participants highly recommended the caphosol. I asked my rad oncologist about it and he wrote a script for me. It's not cheap however , my insurance paid all but $50, but for me it was well worth it as I didn't have any mouth sores.

    Linda
  • Ed_PortOrange
    Ed_PortOrange Member Posts: 110
    Clotrimazole-Betamethasone Creme 15GM
    Michelle,

    I also had cracked lips and especially the corners of my mouth. This stuff worked wonders for the outside stuff. It was perscribed by my cancer dentist at U of Florida, Shands.

    Hope this helps.

    Ed
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member

    Clotrimazole-Betamethasone Creme 15GM
    Michelle,

    I also had cracked lips and especially the corners of my mouth. This stuff worked wonders for the outside stuff. It was perscribed by my cancer dentist at U of Florida, Shands.

    Hope this helps.

    Ed

    should be good for about anything....
    betamethasone is a very potent steroid, and clotrimazole is a good antifungal. Wish I had some right now. Thrush is about eating my mouth up. Got great chelitis as well, cracks and bleeds when I try to open my mouth very far. Mouth isn't responding to nystatin, so presumably gor a resistant yeast. Moving on to bigger medicine today. My wife enjoys how quiet I've become:)
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    osmotar said:

    Caphosol
    Hi May,

    I used Caphosol, as well as the salt water/baking soda solution. I atteneded a support group meeting and one of the participants highly recommended the caphosol. I asked my rad oncologist about it and he wrote a script for me. It's not cheap however , my insurance paid all but $50, but for me it was well worth it as I didn't have any mouth sores.

    Linda

    May
    Also L-Glutamine can help with mouth sores. One heaping teaspoon in one cup water. Swish and swallow.


    GLUTAMINE


    ARTICLE ON BENEFITS OF GLUTAMINE

    ABOUT MAGIC MOUTH WASH or MAGIC SWIZZLE FOR MOUTH PAIN


    GLUTAMINE

    ARTICLE ABOUT GLUTAMINE AND THE PREVENTION OF MUCOUSITIS IN BMT PATIENTS
  • osmotar said:

    Caphosol
    Hi May,

    I used Caphosol, as well as the salt water/baking soda solution. I atteneded a support group meeting and one of the participants highly recommended the caphosol. I asked my rad oncologist about it and he wrote a script for me. It's not cheap however , my insurance paid all but $50, but for me it was well worth it as I didn't have any mouth sores.

    Linda

    Hi Linda,
    Thanks so much for

    Hi Linda,

    Thanks so much for recommending Caphosol. Did you get this med to treat sores or dry mouth? My dad has developed really bad sores and I'm looking for something to help heal vs. prevention.

    Thanks!!
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006

    Hi Linda,
    Thanks so much for

    Hi Linda,

    Thanks so much for recommending Caphosol. Did you get this med to treat sores or dry mouth? My dad has developed really bad sores and I'm looking for something to help heal vs. prevention.

    Thanks!!

    Your Welcome
    I got the caphosol to prevent the mouth sores, I was very fortunate during chemo and radiation/chemo not to get any mouth sores. For the dry mouth I used and still use biotene products, toothpaste and mouth wash ( most drug stores sell this product) and I also sent away for stoppers4 which is a mouth spray. Also I'm sure you already know stay hydrated my one chemo nurse recommended 2-3 qts of water a day.