side effects

denistd
denistd Member Posts: 597
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Sometimes we get side effects, or so we believe that seem a little off track, I remember the one where there was pain between the elbow and wrist that someone posted, I too had that pain but did not think it was related. One effect I now have is that if I go to bed and am on my back for about 30 minutes, my mouth goes drastically dry, in just a second, if I am not on my back it does not happen, puzzling.

Comments

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #2
    Solution...
    Quit lying on your back....LOL.

    Just teasing, seems we each find little things that don't work the way they use to, but usually we find a solution that works...and we can live with.

    Best,
    John
  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    #3
    Gravity of the situation
    Just guessing that on our backs, the mouth would be more likely to open to a degree. Put a video camera to work.

    Hal
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #4
    Dry as the Sahara
    Denis

    My mouth goes dry no matter what position I lie in. The only thing not yet tried is to lie face down. I wonder if it would do any good?

    Deb
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #5
    D Lewis said:

    Dry as the Sahara
    Denis

    My mouth goes dry no matter what position I lie in. The only thing not yet tried is to lie face down. I wonder if it would do any good?

    Deb

    PS
    We all already know that falling asleep with a mouth full of water is not a solution that works for very long...

    Deb
  • tommyodavey
    tommyodavey Member Posts: 728 Member
    #6
    D Lewis said:

    PS
    We all already know that falling asleep with a mouth full of water is not a solution that works for very long...

    Deb

    Dry Mouth
    I have the same problem. But unfortunately I cannot sleep on either side due to surgeries on both shoulders years ago. I never had an open mouth during sleep until recently. What changed? Can't say. And even having a good humidifier only helps a little. I can live with a dry mouth because there is no pain. At least not yet. If I lose teeth because of it then so be it.

    My worst side effects now are the result of my neck dissection. Trying to work the computer mouse gives me a very sharp pain in my right shoulder blade area. Just holding my arm at a certain angle sometimes feels like a knife being stabbed into it. That too shall pass and I'll happily bid it goodbye. It's hard to be a leftie.

    And the other one is the numbness in my right jaw and neck. No matter how careful I am I bite my lip almost every time when I eat. Once it goes away I'll have lots of scar tissue there. And of course my smile is demented. I do see improvement albeit just a little.

    I won't know my new normal for probably 6-12 months. Maybe longer. Overall, it's small potatoes. Another glitch in the get along.

    Just glad to be alive. We all know it could have gone differently.

    T O'D
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #7
    tommyodavey said:

    Dry Mouth
    I have the same problem. But unfortunately I cannot sleep on either side due to surgeries on both shoulders years ago. I never had an open mouth during sleep until recently. What changed? Can't say. And even having a good humidifier only helps a little. I can live with a dry mouth because there is no pain. At least not yet. If I lose teeth because of it then so be it.

    My worst side effects now are the result of my neck dissection. Trying to work the computer mouse gives me a very sharp pain in my right shoulder blade area. Just holding my arm at a certain angle sometimes feels like a knife being stabbed into it. That too shall pass and I'll happily bid it goodbye. It's hard to be a leftie.

    And the other one is the numbness in my right jaw and neck. No matter how careful I am I bite my lip almost every time when I eat. Once it goes away I'll have lots of scar tissue there. And of course my smile is demented. I do see improvement albeit just a little.

    I won't know my new normal for probably 6-12 months. Maybe longer. Overall, it's small potatoes. Another glitch in the get along.

    Just glad to be alive. We all know it could have gone differently.

    T O'D

    I admire your attitude, Mr. Tommy
    You know, elements of recovery from my radical neck bugged me pretty good too. I had one of the traditional, old style radical neck surgeries. Not one of these new fancy-schmancy selective node dissections. A real man's surgery, designed to make you noticed in a crowded room. :)

    The deal is, the symptoms pretty much completely went away. Even the numbness. It went away, as bothersome as it first was. Heck, I remember holding the phone up to my ear the first time after that surgery, and thinking, "this is not acceptable."

    How long? About five years, I think. Little baby steps. It is unbelievable how much recovery we get, when the days are numbered in the thousands.

    Glad you're alive, too. And I'm glad I'm alive today. Worked on fencing the deer out of my garden today. What a blast.

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