Loss of voice and trouble swallowing

You are In transition
To a better time when you will be able to eat and the neck will get better and more flexible. Your voice will return as it goes through a period of frogginess to different degrees. From your past posts I know you have had a very rough time of it. Hard to offer suggestions without knowing more. Neck exercises do help but you may not be strong enough yet. At the very least do what was recommended after surgery, those very simple ones where you walk your fingers up the wall repeatedly. Just summarizing a bit for other posters, You have had IMRT standard radiation regime 30-40 sessions? Then brachythearapy? What types of chemo each time? What was the extent of the dissection, selective or radical? One or both sides? I think most importantly you must measure your current physical condition and do some minor daily activity to better your neck discomfort with exercise, massage, pain meds, and overall concentration on nutrition for stamina and strength. It's a slowwwwww climb Brad and I know it's been hard on you. One foot in front of the other.

Voice and Swallowing
Brad: I hope and pray everything will get better in time for you. I am now as of December 4 five years since being diagnosed with pharyngeal stage four cancer. After a radical neck dissection, thirty five radiation treatments, chemo once weekly my treatment ended in February, 2007. During the time of treatment I did have a feeding tube but still lost fifty pounds off a muscular body. To make a long story short I was completely messed up by the radiation and surgery. I basically never have a good day just days that are better than others. I do eat now if you call it eating and have done this since June 0f 2007. I have lost most of the social functions in my life due to the inability to eat. All food has to be specially prepared and I have not been in a restaurant now in almost five years. I only choke down the food inorder to survive. I have a thyroid that was burned up by the radiation, saliva glands that were fried, a neck has hard as rock from the surgery and radiation and multiple problesm with edema in my neck and face coming from removing all the lymph nodes that were removed. I had my surgery and radiation in a small town and not in a major hospital. You might say I fired these doctors soon after treatment was over and now go to a major teaching hospital for follow-ups. Although I have now lived for almost five years since treatment it has been five very difficult years. Please encourage any you come in contact experiencing this terrible cancer to obtain all the information about treatment and side effects. I feel like I was misinformed and possibly received treatment in such a way that this has left me with all these problems. Doctors tend to defend each other and my doctor now will not say anything about the treatment I received but just shakes her head when she sees how bad I am messed up. God Bless You and I hope and pray it gets better for you.

You will continue to recover
for the rest of your life. The changes will be so finely graded that they are imperceptible on a day to day, or week to week basis. But when you look back a few years from now, or a decade from now, it will amaze you how far you've come, one small bit a a time.

Be very patient with yourself.

Pat

Hondo said:

Hi Brad

The going get really tough right about where you are in your treatment, but just hang in there because it does get better. I too remember when I was having problems speaking because the throat being so sore, the bad thing was I had to give the Sermon that week. I prayed about it and somehow did it but it was a very short Sermon, none the less it surprised me that I was able to do it at all. I got you in prayer my friend that soon things will turn around and start to get better for you.

Take care
Hondo

Tim, You preached with dry mouth
I can't believe you were able to preach with dry mouth. I have a pastor friend who had base of tongue cancer. He is one and one half years out of treatment and he has went on disability because he cannot speak for the time it takes to lead worship. His wife is also a pastor and the most he can do is the Communion liturgy if she needs assistance. You are an amazing man of God.

Debbie

jim and i said:

Tim, You preached with dry mouth
I can't believe you were able to preach with dry mouth. I have a pastor friend who had base of tongue cancer. He is one and one half years out of treatment and he has went on disability because he cannot speak for the time it takes to lead worship. His wife is also a pastor and the most he can do is the Communion liturgy if she needs assistance. You are an amazing man of God.

Debbie

Speaking with Dry Mouth
This is difficult to do and I can personally see where it would be difficult for a Pastor. I myself teach Sunday school, lead deacons and other meetings at my church that last up to a hour where I do quite a lot of speaking. I have completely burned up saliva glands and my mouth does get very dry the more I speak. I do put a tic tac in my mouth when I am speaking and it helps some with the dryness. Water gags me when I swallow it so taking sips of water does not help. I just pray that God will get me through it any time I speak at length. The dryness sometimes causes me to slurr some words but I realize after all that has happened to me that I am Blessed that I am still alive and able to speak. I am going to press on as long as I can. It took me many years to feel comfortable to speak in front of people and as long as God gives me what voice I have now I am not going to stop.

Hurry Up and Wait
I took many steps back in the healing process when I had my mrdc, Brad. It really frustrated me, because I assumed after a few days, I'd be back to eating like I did before the operation. Instead, I failed my initial swallow tests, and couldn't pass until after doc told me they would have to put me back on a feeding tube if I didn't pass soon. Even at that, the healing process took much longer than I expected. Don't recall now how long it was before I was eating "normally". I'm still working on range of motion issues a year later, and my swallowing and talking is not as good as it was (but is very good - considering). I believe my throat is not as good as it was before my last surgery. But my throat is doing really good (considering) - really good. Hoping you start to see improvement soon, and it snowballs.