Cancer of the Tongue

JDC1
JDC1 Member Posts: 1
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hello,
My mom is in remission from cancer of the tongue.. She has been thru surgery, chemo and radiation and it is gone. However it has been over a year since her last radiation treatment ( she had over 40), and her tongue is still so painful.. She seems to constantly have thrush..Is anyone experiencing this? Also she has tried all the topical gels, creams etc. and nothing seems to really work. If anyone has any great remedies to ease the pain we would love to hear? Thank you.

Comments

  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #2
    Painful tongue
    Hi JDC1

    I'm about 17 months out from end of surgery, chemo and radiation for base-of-tongue cancer. I still notice that my tongue hurts, especially if I eat something that takes a lot of chewing, or hard or crunchy foods. I also have scarring along both sides of my tongue, where the radiation burned it the worst. (This I think was a result of radiation scatter from my dental work.) I expect that the pain will always be with me, to a greater or lesser extent.

    I still lack saliva, and I'm told that will change the pH of my mouth, in a way that could harm my teeth over the long term. Maybe it's the same thing that makes us more prone to thrush. Has your mom tried the warm water/baking soda/salt rinse. I always found that helped with pain and mouth sores.

    Here's hoping your mom feels better soons.

    Deb
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #3
    Hi JDC
    Hi Thrush is normal during treatment but should go away right after if not sometime you will need your doctor to prescribe something to help clear it up. On the pain it is something I believe we all live with everyday get your doctor to prescribe a low dose pain killer. I take Tramadol HCL 50mg with Tylenol 3 times a day to keep with in my new normal; It is part of our life after treatment.

    PS: Welcome to CSN

    Wishing you & Mom well
    Hondo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #4
    Pretty much, same as Deb!
    Pretty much, same as Deb! My tongue is always in pain, it's scarred and feels like it's just been burned by scalding hot boiling coffee. I did not ever have thrush though, even through treatment, but my mouth and tongue were a trainwreck for months.

    Are there rinses or washes or any probiotics or yogurt daily than can help with the thrush?

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