Foamy mouth and heartburn from chemo

sonyk728
sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Any one get a foamy mouth or heartburn from chemo? I'm on my third, 3-week cycle of cisplatin, taxotere and then a week with a fanny pack of 5FU. When I get the pack removed (yesterday), I get terrible chest pain and took a Prilosec, which helped. Doc wasn't concerned.

Almost worse is the foamy mouth I get with chemo. I feel like a junkyard dog behind a fence with foam coming out of my mouth - yuck! Have been brushing frequently, using a tongue scraper, rinse with salt water and baking soda and do the numbing solution but the foam is still pretty persistent. It lasts for a few days. Guess I'm just complaining.

This is my second round of chemo. Have avoided nausea and most of the other side effects but man do I have mouth issues!

Comments

  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
    I've had the foamy mouth thing
    and that is exactly how I think of the sensation, though I've not heard anyone else describe it that way. I never figured out what else to do about it. I ended up just rinsing a million times with a Salt/soda solution. It didn't exactly clear the problem up.

    The heartburn is better treated before its a problem. Start the priolsec before the heartburn is expected. I ended up taking prilosec every day, but then I had heartburn almost every day anyway since my radiccal neck dissection.

    It is almost impossible to avoid some of these problems. Sounds like you're doing pretty well. I had carboplatin/taxxotere, and erbitux. The erbitux is what kicked my rear, believe it or not.

    Pat
  • sonyk728
    sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
    #3
    longtermsurvivor said:

    I've had the foamy mouth thing
    and that is exactly how I think of the sensation, though I've not heard anyone else describe it that way. I never figured out what else to do about it. I ended up just rinsing a million times with a Salt/soda solution. It didn't exactly clear the problem up.

    The heartburn is better treated before its a problem. Start the priolsec before the heartburn is expected. I ended up taking prilosec every day, but then I had heartburn almost every day anyway since my radiccal neck dissection.

    It is almost impossible to avoid some of these problems. Sounds like you're doing pretty well. I had carboplatin/taxxotere, and erbitux. The erbitux is what kicked my rear, believe it or not.

    Pat

    Thanks
    I have one more chemo to go, which he's moving up by 4 days on the 3-wk cycle (ouch!), plus throwing in a PET scan the day before. I hope the chemo worked this time and have no hot spots. Hate to think all this chemo, surgery and radiation did nothing. Not feeling well can really take a toll on you mentally.

    PS- love your name: long term survivor. I aspire to be so!!!
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #4
    sonyk728 said:

    Thanks
    I have one more chemo to go, which he's moving up by 4 days on the 3-wk cycle (ouch!), plus throwing in a PET scan the day before. I hope the chemo worked this time and have no hot spots. Hate to think all this chemo, surgery and radiation did nothing. Not feeling well can really take a toll on you mentally.

    PS- love your name: long term survivor. I aspire to be so!!!

    I hear that
    What's teh situation, if I might ask? I see you had radiation back in the summer. Are there still problems being addressed, and if so, how are they making the decisions regarding curretn/future tretment?

    Yeah, my handle. it just seemed appropriate. Some of us take awhile getting through process:)

    Best to you.

    Pat
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006
    #5
    Heartburn
    Yes..yes ..yes...only during the treatment with the 5FU pump...I got the pump on a monday, removed on a friday..and heart burn for about a week after that..nothing seemede to help, Zantac is what I used.

    Linda
  • sonyk728
    sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
    #6
    osmotar said:

    Heartburn
    Yes..yes ..yes...only during the treatment with the 5FU pump...I got the pump on a monday, removed on a friday..and heart burn for about a week after that..nothing seemede to help, Zantac is what I used.

    Linda

    Heartburn and 5FU
    Linda- good to know I'm not the only one with heartburn with the 5FU pump. Never had heart burn in my life except with 1-2 days after the pump. Painful and very scary, but glad it was just heart burn.
  • sonyk728
    sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
    #7
    longtermsurvivor said:

    I hear that
    What's teh situation, if I might ask? I see you had radiation back in the summer. Are there still problems being addressed, and if so, how are they making the decisions regarding curretn/future tretment?

    Yeah, my handle. it just seemed appropriate. Some of us take awhile getting through process:)

    Best to you.

    Pat

    Situation- not sure?
    Pat- My background:

    39 year old female diagnosed with mouth cancer Dec. 2010. Considered "aggressive" cancer
    - Removed the floor of my mouth and re-routed salivary glands Jan. 2011
    - Reoccurrance in neck with two lymph nodes affected. Neck dissection May 2011
    - Chemo (3, 3 week cycle of cisplatin) and radiation July - Aug. 2011
    - PET scan showed spot on right lung. 30% of lung removed Dec. 2011
    - Current regimen of 3, 3-week cycles of cisplatin, taxtotere and 5FU
    - PET scan scheduled for 3/14 and last (hopefully!) chemo 3/15

    I am very nervous to see what the PET scan will show. I wish I was more optimistic :)
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #8
    sonyk728 said:

    Situation- not sure?
    Pat- My background:

    39 year old female diagnosed with mouth cancer Dec. 2010. Considered "aggressive" cancer
    - Removed the floor of my mouth and re-routed salivary glands Jan. 2011
    - Reoccurrance in neck with two lymph nodes affected. Neck dissection May 2011
    - Chemo (3, 3 week cycle of cisplatin) and radiation July - Aug. 2011
    - PET scan showed spot on right lung. 30% of lung removed Dec. 2011
    - Current regimen of 3, 3-week cycles of cisplatin, taxtotere and 5FU
    - PET scan scheduled for 3/14 and last (hopefully!) chemo 3/15

    I am very nervous to see what the PET scan will show. I wish I was more optimistic :)

    Got it
    You deserve a break. Hoping for a negative PET for you. No reason to not be optimistic. That's what this is all about!

    Pat
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #9
    Same Exact Tx Plan
    I also had the very same nine weeks of chemo as you, in addion to seven weeks of concurrent after.

    Mine was for STGIII SCC Tonsils...

    Nine weeks (three week cycles) of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU for a week in the fanny pack.... You don't happen to be in Lakeland, Florida, LOL.

    I also had the thick saliva, but that was during the additional seven weeks of concurrent weekly Carboplatin and 35 daily rads...Amifostine Injections each of those days also.

    For the heartburn, they gave me Protonix which I still use also for acid reflux....and it has always worked well.

    Welcome to the site, very good people here and tons of info. One source is a link that we have compiled and it's updated frequently by another forum member Sweetblood22 (Dawn).

    SUPERTHREAD

    Again, welcome to the forum, look forward to seeing you post more.

    Best,
    John
  • sonyk728
    sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
    #10
    Skiffin16 said:

    Same Exact Tx Plan
    I also had the very same nine weeks of chemo as you, in addion to seven weeks of concurrent after.

    Mine was for STGIII SCC Tonsils...

    Nine weeks (three week cycles) of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU for a week in the fanny pack.... You don't happen to be in Lakeland, Florida, LOL.

    I also had the thick saliva, but that was during the additional seven weeks of concurrent weekly Carboplatin and 35 daily rads...Amifostine Injections each of those days also.

    For the heartburn, they gave me Protonix which I still use also for acid reflux....and it has always worked well.

    Welcome to the site, very good people here and tons of info. One source is a link that we have compiled and it's updated frequently by another forum member Sweetblood22 (Dawn).

    SUPERTHREAD

    Again, welcome to the forum, look forward to seeing you post more.

    Best,
    John

    Same tx plan - wow!
    John- interesting that we have the same treatment plan! I have one chemo to go on 3/15 and have a PET scan thrown in 3/14. No matter what they find on the results I think we'll be proceeding with the last chemo. Ugh at this point I can't imagine another 7 weeks after my 3/15 treatment. Nor any injections. Getting the Neulasta shot the day after chemo makes my stomach turn. Not that it hurts, just so sick of them pricking and prodding me. Just want to feel better and be clear and be done with this!

    PS, yeah wished I lived in Florida! Up here in NW rural MN near Fargo, ND. A snowy day today but warmest winter on record at least.

    Take care!
    - Sonja
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #11
    sonyk728 said:

    Same tx plan - wow!
    John- interesting that we have the same treatment plan! I have one chemo to go on 3/15 and have a PET scan thrown in 3/14. No matter what they find on the results I think we'll be proceeding with the last chemo. Ugh at this point I can't imagine another 7 weeks after my 3/15 treatment. Nor any injections. Getting the Neulasta shot the day after chemo makes my stomach turn. Not that it hurts, just so sick of them pricking and prodding me. Just want to feel better and be clear and be done with this!

    PS, yeah wished I lived in Florida! Up here in NW rural MN near Fargo, ND. A snowy day today but warmest winter on record at least.

    Take care!
    - Sonja

    FARGO...
    LOL, Sonja, I remember the movie....

    Well, actually I finished mine nearly three years ago...all clean and clear to date. Hopefully you''l have great success as well.

    Neulasta, I remember those injections well. I remember a few days after the first sitting doing some work. All of a sudden it felt like my back went out. All of my major bones hurt, like a sever flu.

    I understand later that was not that uncommon. But it only seemed to happen that first time.

    Best,
    John
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006
    #12
    sonyk728 said:

    Same tx plan - wow!
    John- interesting that we have the same treatment plan! I have one chemo to go on 3/15 and have a PET scan thrown in 3/14. No matter what they find on the results I think we'll be proceeding with the last chemo. Ugh at this point I can't imagine another 7 weeks after my 3/15 treatment. Nor any injections. Getting the Neulasta shot the day after chemo makes my stomach turn. Not that it hurts, just so sick of them pricking and prodding me. Just want to feel better and be clear and be done with this!

    PS, yeah wished I lived in Florida! Up here in NW rural MN near Fargo, ND. A snowy day today but warmest winter on record at least.

    Take care!
    - Sonja

    Nuelasta
    Hi Sonja,

    I had 3 neualasta injections the following monday after each of my 3 ( every 21 days) chemo infusions when they removed the 5fu pump on friday, my onco nurse told me I should take 1 aleve & 1 claritan the morning of the injection and the same the day after, never had any of the body ache flu like sysmtems that you hear about.

    Linda

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