One week post treatment

Andrea39
Andrea39 Member Posts: 36
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi all. I have just finished 7 weeks of chemoradiation. I am hpv + tonsil cancer with nodes involved. One week has paased.

One week after i notice that nodes have shrunk in size signoficantly but they are still there and i can feel them on touching. I am worried if my rreatment is successful or not. Plz comment. What was yoir experience regarding lymph nodes after your treatment.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • dalaitom
    dalaitom Member Posts: 27 Member
    #2
    My last rad is Monday and I

    My last rad is Monday and I can still detect one of my enlarged nodes. My radiation oncologist is very pleased with the results and has stated that the cancer will continue to "dissolve."

  • Andrea39
    Andrea39 Member Posts: 36
    edited July 2018 #3
    dalaitom said:

    My last rad is Monday and I

    My last rad is Monday and I can still detect one of my enlarged nodes. My radiation oncologist is very pleased with the results and has stated that the cancer will continue to "dissolve."

    Can i ask how many of your

    Can i ask how many of your nodes were involved? Were the on the one side of the neck or both sides?

  • OKCnative
    OKCnative Member Posts: 326 Member
    #4
    My nodes didn’t shrink until

    My nodes didn’t shrink until a few weeks post treatment. One is still slightly enlarged but I was told it’s just scar tissue and that it can be removed if I want or left alone and monitored. I choose to leave it alone.

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #5
    I note that you noticed the size of your node

    Andrea39,

    I had a jugular vein dissection to remove my one large lymph node (biopsied and confirmed scc, hpv+) which was entangled in my jugular vein.  I could have chosen to leave it in situ. But I opted to have my ENT cut-it-out.

    I know, some H&N members are against surgery and want to watch the tumor disappear a little at a time.  Well, I am from the other camp where I would send in SEAL Team Six, if that is what I thought would work.

    Tell me, do those fingers of yours have built in calipers or are they standard issue and just detect size?  I would not worry a bit about the present size of the nodes (how many are you talking about?).  Are then nodes increasing in size?  Some of you questions will answer themselves.  If your doctor is concerned, you should be concerned.  If your doctor is not concerned, you should follow his (or her) lead and relax and enjoy those first few weeks post (they can be different).

    Matt

  • dalaitom
    dalaitom Member Posts: 27 Member
    #6
    Andrea39 said:

    Can i ask how many of your

    Can i ask how many of your nodes were involved? Were the on the one side of the neck or both sides?

    Two nodes both on right side.

    Two nodes both on right side. One was very large (4.2 cm).

  • Andrea39
    Andrea39 Member Posts: 36
    edited July 2018 #7
    CivilMatt said:

    I note that you noticed the size of your node

    Andrea39,

    I had a jugular vein dissection to remove my one large lymph node (biopsied and confirmed scc, hpv+) which was entangled in my jugular vein.  I could have chosen to leave it in situ. But I opted to have my ENT cut-it-out.

    I know, some H&N members are against surgery and want to watch the tumor disappear a little at a time.  Well, I am from the other camp where I would send in SEAL Team Six, if that is what I thought would work.

    Tell me, do those fingers of yours have built in calipers or are they standard issue and just detect size?  I would not worry a bit about the present size of the nodes (how many are you talking about?).  Are then nodes increasing in size?  Some of you questions will answer themselves.  If your doctor is concerned, you should be concerned.  If your doctor is not concerned, you should follow his (or her) lead and relax and enjoy those first few weeks post (they can be different).

    Matt

    Thanks Matt for your response

    Thanks Matt for your response. I guess there are two shrunk nodes that i can still feel. I think they re not growing. Before chemoradiation i was given 4 weely doses of chemotherapy. These nodes shrank after the first two doses. But then remained constant in size. When chemoradition started i hoped they will be completely gone. But radiation has had no effect on them at all. They are there of same shrunk size of about 2cm. Before treatment they were about 6cm. My dr say he cant say anything before the scheduled 3 month scans due in october.

  • Andrea39
    Andrea39 Member Posts: 36
    #8
    OKCnative said:

    My nodes didn’t shrink until

    My nodes didn’t shrink until a few weeks post treatment. One is still slightly enlarged but I was told it’s just scar tissue and that it can be removed if I want or left alone and monitored. I choose to leave it alone.

    How many of your nodes were

    How many of your nodes were affected/enlarged dear?

  • johnsonbl
    johnsonbl Member Posts: 266 Member
    #9
    Andrea39 said:

    Thanks Matt for your response

    Thanks Matt for your response. I guess there are two shrunk nodes that i can still feel. I think they re not growing. Before chemoradiation i was given 4 weely doses of chemotherapy. These nodes shrank after the first two doses. But then remained constant in size. When chemoradition started i hoped they will be completely gone. But radiation has had no effect on them at all. They are there of same shrunk size of about 2cm. Before treatment they were about 6cm. My dr say he cant say anything before the scheduled 3 month scans due in october.

    Scar tissue and such...

    If they were around 6cm they won't shrink back to nothing...  They'll whither up into scar tissue.  They'll watch them to see if they do anything...moving forward.  I believe you said you were HPV+...so good news, chemo/radiation is very effective and it sounds like it certainly did work as you know they shrunk.

    Brandon

  • Sprint Car Dude
    Sprint Car Dude Member Posts: 181
    #10
    Wait and watch.

    I still have days where I think I can feel all 3 of my nodes. Sometimes there is lymphedema, other days I have a chiseled jaw line. Who the heck knows. I would just have you team monitoring them and rememeber you are still cooking them for another month. I am confident you have got this. I am pushing 2 years post treatment at this time. Last year and a half all PET's have been NED. There will always be the scaring under your tissue you can feel.  Good Luck.

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 446 Member
    #11

    Radiation is the gift that keeps on giving, you'll keep shrinking for a while yet.

  • OKCnative
    OKCnative Member Posts: 326 Member
    #12
    Andrea39 said:

    How many of your nodes were

    How many of your nodes were affected/enlarged dear?

    I had three enlarged nodes.

    I had three enlarged nodes. One is still borderline. All were still enlarged at the end of treatment and only shrank after treatment ended.

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