Soar Throat

Chilinily
Chilinily Member Posts: 15
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Question: How long does the soar throat last?  I was diagnosed with HPV-OPC, September 2016, and had 6.5 weeks of 5 times weekly, low-dose radiation, which finished 23 December.  No chemo or surgery.  Have endured 3 rounds of thrush/candida, which, first time, thought was radiation damage, so just kept on with the pain meds, morphine am and pm, with oxycodine every 4 hrs.  Hard to eat so lost 40 pounds between Jan and Feb.  Since then, fluconazole, used for 10 days last two times, cleared thrush/candida right up.  Off all pain meds since mid March.  My recent PET Scan came back 'cancer clear', so hopefully all this is behind me.  But what about the lingering soar throat, often irratated by eating, which takes some time to calm down?  Some of my taste is back.  Dry mouth is still a problem.  Any information from anyone with similar difficulties will be appreciated.  Thanks.

Comments

  • mapdan
    mapdan Member Posts: 33 Member
    edited April 2017 #2
    sore throat

    I had HPV tonsil cancer diagnosed Aug 2016 and had 35 rounds of radiation and 7 chemo treatements. Finished on Oct 17, 2016. My throat was sore for quite some time but it got better. Still is sore to some foods. I lost 45 lbs during this hell. Went through same things as you with medications and so on. It will get better. I suffer from very dry mouth and can't taste food yet, so I live on soups and pasta and drink boost plus to help my calorie intake. Cant seem to gain weight. Your throat will get better. Mine is pretty good now still some foods irritate it but very manageable. Brush your teeth good twice a day to keep them healthy. It seems teeth are something they dont tell you about after radiation?? My PET scan came back clear as well now to deal with all the after effects of this. Good luck on this adventure we all share on this site.

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #3
    I can still get a sore throat....

    at 4 1/2 years out.  I used to get into a little panic, but have learned to run through a list of what I ate the day before.  The weirdest things can scratch that tender throat...at 6 months out, your throat is still VERY tender.  Try an experiment....eat only soft things like soup for three days and see if your throat quits hurting. 

    Lingering thrush will also make for a nasty sore throat. 

    p

  • Chicklette
    Chicklette Member Posts: 225
    #4
    mapdan said:

    sore throat

    I had HPV tonsil cancer diagnosed Aug 2016 and had 35 rounds of radiation and 7 chemo treatements. Finished on Oct 17, 2016. My throat was sore for quite some time but it got better. Still is sore to some foods. I lost 45 lbs during this hell. Went through same things as you with medications and so on. It will get better. I suffer from very dry mouth and can't taste food yet, so I live on soups and pasta and drink boost plus to help my calorie intake. Cant seem to gain weight. Your throat will get better. Mine is pretty good now still some foods irritate it but very manageable. Brush your teeth good twice a day to keep them healthy. It seems teeth are something they dont tell you about after radiation?? My PET scan came back clear as well now to deal with all the after effects of this. Good luck on this adventure we all share on this site.

    Teeth

    My husband's doctors have been very good about talking about the importance of dental care before and following radiation treatment.  They gave my husband a letter to bring to the dentist and the dentist gave him some flouride gel samples to try along with some Xylimelt samples.  He was told to visit the dentist at least three times a year instead of two for the rest of his life.  On Monday, he has to have three teeth extracted and he is getting a crown on one of his lower molars.  This will postpone treatment by a couple of weeks, but it is worth it in the long run as it can prevent future problems.

  • rsp
    rsp Member Posts: 103 Member
    edited April 2017 #5
    Same boat

    My husband also finished his 37 radiation treatments on Dec. 23rd (and also had 5 rounds of chemo).  He is not able to eat anything but Boost, Ensure, etc. due to extreme pain in his throat.  He lost 80 pounds so far.

    The oncologist just scoped my husband's throat last week and determined he has "consequential tissue injury" which means his throat tissue hasn't healed well and didn't keep up with the radiation.  The doc said it is rare, but does happen on occasion.  My husband was prescribed TRENTAL to help heal his throat tissue.  

    The nutritionist also suggested my husband get something called JUVEN.  It comes 8 packets in a box.  You mix it with water, and it also helps wound healing.  It is expensive... $25 for a box of 8.  We got it at Giant.  You can also order it off line by the case, but my husband wanted to make sure he liked it (and that his stomach would tolerate it) before we bought a case.  He is supposed to drink two a day.

    So far, he has only been able to get one TRENTAL pill down a day (he should be taking 3) due to it making him nausious.  He has only been taking the pills for a week and drinking the Juven for 3 days.  However, I have to say, he seems to be feeling slightly better!  To me, "slightly better" is a HUGE milestone on his road to recovery.  It has been so tough with his throat hurting so bad.  I am not helping the situation very much, because I have been nagging him to try and eat... it has caused some stress between us!

    You may want to ask your dr. about "consequential tissue injury" to see if maybe you are also experiencing extended damage to your tissues.

    Best of luck to you!  Let me know if your throat starts to improve!

  • rsp
    rsp Member Posts: 103 Member
    #6
    Forgot to tell you

    I forgot to mention that my husband is still taking pain medications.  He was on oxycodone (35mls every 4 hours).  It was making him throw up, so they switched him to dilaudid.  He takes 2 pills every 3 hours as well as 9 gabapentin a day.  He takes Zofran for the nausea.

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