Head and neck radiation side effects

Hi Justin

We appear to be at similar places right now with the same questions. I have gotten some relief from the choking on excess mucous. I had to be admitted to the hospital as the mucous was interferring with breathing. I was suctioned which helped right away but also I was put on steriods to reduce swelling in salivary glands. I also take Mucinex to thin the secretions. Ask your Dr. about the steroids. I would say the improvement is about 60% which is a great releif while dealing with the pain and other symptoms. I would have probably not gotten the steriods if not for ER doc. It really seems you must ask and research for your help as I too felt my cancer doctors were not offering much help. Also it sounds like you are bolus feeding through your tube. I have a pump that puts in the nutrition over a 18 hour period, ask your doctor if they can give you that if you do not have. It is a pain to be attached to bag but the slow feed is tolerable and I do not vomit often.

is what it is really about.

It will take time to heal from the very real ordeal that is cancer treatments. 

I was diagnosed in March of 2012 with base of tongue cancer, it was staged at IV-a due to the size of the original tumor and the involvment of lymph  nodes. 

Treatment was in three phases

  Phase one was induction chemo - and it lived up to all of its stereotypes.

  Phase two was concurrent chemo and radiation, 33 rads with weekly Erbitux - fortunately the Erbitux did not have the side effects that induction had.

  Phase three was surgery to remove any remaining issues.

I had my last radiation treatement on July 5,2012 and was told by my radiation oncologist that I would continue to 'cook' for two weeks and then I would gradually start to feel better.  He was almost spot on with the 'two week' part, I woke up one morning and found that my throat was not quite so sore, and that the mucus had started to diminish.  Things gradually improved over the next several months.

I was on liquid hydrocodone for most of it and also had the 'magic mouthwash' though I found its feel to be somewhat disgusting so used it only when I absolutely had to.  When it comes to pain relief, contact your doctor and get his/her recommendation, as other meds are available to help.  I was able to tolerate the discomfort and was able to discontinue prescription meds in late August.  It was not the most pleasant of times but I got through it just fine - the bonus was that I was able to drive myself once again. 

My throat was quite sore for some three months after radiation treatments ended, though I was able to switch to over the counter meds by September and discontinue them just a few weeks later.  Pain limited what I was able to eat and swallow, very soft and wet foods, salty worked better than anything else at this point, and due to swelling in the throat, I couldn't swallow too much at any one time.

I was quite suprised to find that just a couple of weeks after I returned to work (Sept 4) that I was able to swallow somewhat larger bolus of food without real issues so I decided to try to eat a $1 fast food burger.  It took some time but I was able to do it, the bigger issue was saliva and achieving a balance of water and food.  too little and it was too hard to swallow, too much and the food was disgusting!

Eating slowing got better and I also found that as I ate more 'real' food rather than depend on my PEG tube, I felt better and better.  I was back to 'normal' in about 9 months.  I say 'normal' as it is a new normal.  I'm different when it comes to saliva and such than I was, I have to have sips of water available when I eat most foods save things like fresh fruits and vegetables and pasta with sauce.  I can do dry foods like popcorn but it is only when I have some water available.  It takes some time to perfect the delicate balance of food/water sips.

Still, the point I'm trying to make is that it takes time.  This is not like healing from stitches or even the 6-8 weeks of a broken bone.  This will be some months.  Some people progress quickly, others not so much, I was somewhere in the middle.

I'm now some 3 years and 3 months out of treatment, my check ups continue to be clear, I have no issues with any activities, I can eat just about anything except sour candies which is directly related to the lower saliva issue but I'm doing just fine and I feel you will too, you just have to let the healing happen.

Hang in there, things will get better but accept that they process is sllooooowwwwwwwwwwww.....

Peter

But you're living Justin. This is good, it will get better.  I'm 3.5 months out of treatment and I still have a mild sore throat. Salivary recovery is different for everyone .  Expect it to be awhile. My Dr perscribed Pilocarpine for it but I'm not sure it helps. I use biotene products and hang onto HOPE this will just be a memory someday. Eating is still tough . Takes a lot of water for 1 chicken nugget. You may want to talk with your Dr about a short course of steriods for the mucus. Medro dose pack. You may want to try Ginger ale or Root Beer. As fast as mucus came on for me it also went away fast. You may want to ask your dentist for a prescription strengh flouride toothpaste. Ask for a surgical soft tooth brush. Brush the top of your tongue.  Check the recipe for baking soda and salt mouthwash on the super thread on this site. Maintaing the proper mouth PH at this point is important. I can say this, yes its hard, but it will get better.