Salivary Gland pain months after RAI

hello everyone,

thanks for bringing up this important issue!

I had swollen nodule under my left jaw a few months after RAI treatment. My ENT thought it was lymphoma or a recurrence and biopsied me twice (with no recurrence or lymphoma at the end; thank you). It is painful and almost 4.5 years after the treatment it is still there. My endo sends me to ultrasound every year specifically checking it, but finally last year she said it might be my salivary glands affected by the RAI. I have been chewing gum in the last 4 years extensively and I think one of the reasons for that is instictively it helped me with my salivary issues.

I have been reading massaging the salivary gland here, which I will investigate to see how it will help me. many thanks everyone; knowing I am not the only one going thru it (albeit it looks like I am the one with this for so long) is quite a relief.

candid

candid said:

hello everyone,
 
thanks for

hello everyone,

 

thanks for bringing up this important issue!

 

I had swollen nodule under my left jaw a few months after RAI treatment. My ENT thought it was lymphoma or a recurrence and biopsied me twice (with no recurrence or lymphoma at the end; thank you). It is painful and almost 4.5 years after the treatment it is still there. My endo sends me to ultrasound every year specifically checking it, but finally last year she said it might be my salivary glands affected by the RAI. I have been chewing gum in the last 4 years extensively and I think one of the reasons for that is instictively it helped me with my salivary issues.

I have been reading massaging the salivary gland here, which I will investigate to see how it will help me. many thanks everyone; knowing I am not the only one going thru it (albeit it looks like I am the one with this for so long) is quite a relief.

 

candid

 

I am now post 1 yr after afirst ablation, and 6 months out from second ablation (had two in one year) and I am having horrible pain. I actually have a (parotid) gland that won't stop hurting. I have been to me ENT more time than I can count. He has put me on antibiotics, steroids, put two wholes in the saliva area, which helped for a bout a day each and hurt like heck when he did it. My pain is so bad I can barely chew, I can't move my face alot, I drool alot, can't slep on that side, etc.  I have looked in to this further and what I found out is there is a higher chancer for "head/neck radiation treatment" patients to also have problems in this area not limited to perm damage but also cancer. I have an appointment in a week with my ENT to discuss having the glad taken out because seriously I am already dealing with the "possible" surgery side affects so why not do it, and at the same time have them checked out by a pathologist. Good luck to you all. 

amorriso said:

A suggestion

I remember having pain in my salivary gland a few months after RAI. It ended up being a dental problem. I needed two root canals...I would not have figured it out though had a tooth not broken.  

So just a suggestion...go see a dentist and see if perhaps the pain or problem is being caused by a bad tooth. Apparently radiation can cause problems with teeth. 

 

Hope,younfind a solution

I have recently been scheduled for surgery to have my left parotid artery taken out. Apparently there is a small chance that the gland can be perm damaged from too much RAI and when this happens it also causes problems when your salivary glands dont work so on top of that I have two teeth that need root canals and caps. I will be having surgery end of June 2014, then the dental work in July 2014. My dentist said to never stop taking my saligen, and that this problem will get worse. Since I don't have very much salivary production my teeth are bound to deteriorate more over time. Totally sucks when to take care of one problem it causes about 20 other problems, and most of them are going to be perm problems.