10 weeks post tx - meeting a doctor tomorrow

VanessaSLO
VanessaSLO Member Posts: 283
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hey everybody!

My dad is having his first check-up tomorrow afternoon. It will not be PET or CT yet because it will probably be next month. Now he is 10 weeks post chemoradiation.
Tomorrow he is having an appointment with ENT and probably his onco doctor, and dietitian. I hope that everything will be ok and ENT will give us some good news. Dad will probably have only a routinge check-up (doc will probably just touch his neck on the outside and look inside his mouth.. I think).

Dad is doing ok, but still has problems with swallowing. Now he eats his meals really fast - he says that this way he finishes faster. He does not choke anymore, but is pretty nervous before each meal. He still eats everything pureed and mixed.
He says he feels like he has "an obstacle" there where the tumour was (the base of tongue) and sometimes it seems like he can't breathe - like something is blocking his throat. His tongue is still coated white.
On the outside he has swelling in the neck - in the front. I read here somewhere that it is like "turkey neck". That swelling is a bit stiff. Is it normal?
I hope we will find all those answers tomorrow at the check-up.

His weight is stabile. He sleeps a lot but he says it is not because he is so tired, but more because he still has pain when he eats and it makes him exhausted. Otherwise he would be ok, he says.

So I too need some prayers that everything will be fine tomorrow and that they will find solutions for his current problems.

V

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
    Vanessa.....it seems like we all have our individual
    "things" that hurdle our recovery. I well imagine your dad's neck is still swollen, as well as the inside of his throat and mouth. I had swollen saliva glands that itched like bee stings...they're still somewhat swollen, but at least they don't itch all day, everyday...nobody else on here ever had that :). It's such a slow healing progession, that I imagine that one day your dad is going to sit down to eat, and he's going to say "wow, whatever it was in my throat got smaller"....that's how it worked for me...things were noticable when they begain to heal (at long last).

    Sending prayers and positive thoughts for your papa's first check up. I'm sure it's going to be good, and they'll just tell him to keep on, keeping on...it's all a matter of time.

    p
  • Pumakitty
    Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
    #3
    Prayers
    I hope they can figure out what is going on and everything turns out ok.

    Kathy
  • luvofmylif
    luvofmylif Member Posts: 344
    #4
    Pumakitty said:

    Prayers
    I hope they can figure out what is going on and everything turns out ok.

    Kathy

    Prayers for you tomorrow and
    Prayers for you tomorrow and for your family. I'm sure it will all be ok and that he is just in the normal healing phase but I know your anxiety. I am already anxious about our first CT scan in January. Please let us know how it goes. I know what it's like to be in your shoes. Wish we had different circumstances...cancer sucks, plain and simple.

    Joan
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #5
    10 weeks post
    V,

    Sounds 10-week post normal to me and probably a little early for a scan. In addition to the look in his mouth he might get the scope so the ENT can see the lower tongue. The thickening of the neck is what I feel right in front (it all depends on your radiation spread). My throat feels smaller now, but what I really think it is, is a loss of flexibility down there. I never pureed my food, opting for smoothies instead. I always, always, always worked on my swallowing everyday during and after treatments (I think it helped).

    Good luck tomorrow!

    Best,

    Matt
  • VanessaSLO
    VanessaSLO Member Posts: 283
    #6
    CivilMatt said:

    10 weeks post
    V,

    Sounds 10-week post normal to me and probably a little early for a scan. In addition to the look in his mouth he might get the scope so the ENT can see the lower tongue. The thickening of the neck is what I feel right in front (it all depends on your radiation spread). My throat feels smaller now, but what I really think it is, is a loss of flexibility down there. I never pureed my food, opting for smoothies instead. I always, always, always worked on my swallowing everyday during and after treatments (I think it helped).

    Good luck tomorrow!

    Best,

    Matt

    Thanx everyone...
    Thank you all for good thoughts and advice.

    He had his check-up yesterday and all went pretty good. Dietitian was satisfied with his looks. She gave him more advice about the food and that he should gargle and rinse his mouth more often.
    Then we went to see his onc doctor. She looked inside his mouth and touched everything around his tongue and deep in the throat. She did not see anything abnormal, no tumour anymore, only white coating on the tongue. But she said it looks much better than in September when he finished his treatment. She said that tx hit him hard which is good - it shows that treatment was working. She also said that his throat is still not healed, she can see it is still wounded and white coated. She suggested he should take more pain meds - before every meal. He is now not taking many of them. He takes now only a half of prescribed quantity. She touched his neck on the outside and could not feel anything anymore.
    That swelling in the front is just consequence of the radiation and the lymph fluid is running a little diferently. But it will pass with time.
    Overall he looks good!!!! He should rinse and gargle every two hours and drink a lot of water. PH in his mouth is unbalanced due to radiation and thick saliva. It will get better a bit with time but he will just have to drink more water and rinse his mouth to make the proper moist.
    It is too soon for scans (CT) so he will have one in the middle of January!!

    So for now all looks ok! I hope it stays that way and that it will bring NED in January!


    Thanks for all the support! God bless!!!

    Vanessa
  • luvofmylif
    luvofmylif Member Posts: 344
    #7
    VanessaSLO said:

    Thanx everyone...
    Thank you all for good thoughts and advice.

    He had his check-up yesterday and all went pretty good. Dietitian was satisfied with his looks. She gave him more advice about the food and that he should gargle and rinse his mouth more often.
    Then we went to see his onc doctor. She looked inside his mouth and touched everything around his tongue and deep in the throat. She did not see anything abnormal, no tumour anymore, only white coating on the tongue. But she said it looks much better than in September when he finished his treatment. She said that tx hit him hard which is good - it shows that treatment was working. She also said that his throat is still not healed, she can see it is still wounded and white coated. She suggested he should take more pain meds - before every meal. He is now not taking many of them. He takes now only a half of prescribed quantity. She touched his neck on the outside and could not feel anything anymore.
    That swelling in the front is just consequence of the radiation and the lymph fluid is running a little diferently. But it will pass with time.
    Overall he looks good!!!! He should rinse and gargle every two hours and drink a lot of water. PH in his mouth is unbalanced due to radiation and thick saliva. It will get better a bit with time but he will just have to drink more water and rinse his mouth to make the proper moist.
    It is too soon for scans (CT) so he will have one in the middle of January!!

    So for now all looks ok! I hope it stays that way and that it will bring NED in January!


    Thanks for all the support! God bless!!!

    Vanessa

    Wow, Don't you feel much
    Wow, Don't you feel much better hearing all of that. It sounds like it's all just part of the healing process.

    We also have a our first CT scan in middle of January so until then we should just try to live as normal as possible. We see ENT for first exam in December...will be glad to get through that . I am sure he will scope his throat. I too, just want to know the cancer is gone.


    But, anyway please try to relax a little.

    Joan

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