sore on lower gum in rear not healing

Harleydad-53
Harleydad-53 Member Posts: 4
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi, I am 2.5 months post 1 mega dose cisplatin and 39 rads I started last week with pain in left jaw and called ent he said no worries PET scan is on May 14th and he is confident I’m doing well might be stress pain or grinding . So the last few days pain got worse I thought maybe I had a abcess called Dentist and she diagnosed me with more thrush , and the pain I’m getting is from a sore she feels isn’t healing and now I see the ENT on Thursday to rule out Cancer and to figure it out ? So I’m now a mess and wonder if anyone has had similar thing and positive outcome ? I feel good !

Comments

  • caregiver wife
    caregiver wife Member Posts: 234
    #2
    Healing after radiation

    It is not uncommon for things to take longer to heal for a while after radiation.  This is why bad teeth are removed before treatment. 

    Good luck with your appointment.

    Crystal

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,484 Member
    #3
    Not to Worry

    You've got it covered. You saw your dentist and she said Thrush and they have medication to take for it. Get the medication for it. Many of us have gone through thrush. You see your ENT on Thursday. You have a scan coming up soon. In cancer time you are really not far out of treatment. The recovery is slow-but-steady. So relax as best you can-You are taking all the right precautions and seeing all the right people and if anything is out of the ordinary they will know. When you see ENT see if he can give you meds to get rid of the Thrush. 

  • Mavish
    Mavish Member Posts: 93 Member
    #4
    Hi Harleydad

    Hi Harleydad

    I have experienced something similar you described. I completed my treatment in july 2016 and started havin ulcers in August. Drs needs todifferentiate if itis reccirence or radiation ulcers. I thinktmost ofothemtlate radiationrcomplication.hem Wai was hard. Mine turnout to be radiation complication. They eventually healed with scar tissue. I am doing good now.  I was feeling like a mess at that time. It is a painful waiting game. I wish you a strength, send your way prayers. 

  • Harleydad-53
    Harleydad-53 Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2019 #5
    Mavish said:

    Hi Harleydad

    Hi Harleydad

    I have experienced something similar you described. I completed my treatment in july 2016 and started havin ulcers in August. Drs needs todifferentiate if itis reccirence or radiation ulcers. I thinktmost ofothemtlate radiationrcomplication.hem Wai was hard. Mine turnout to be radiation complication. They eventually healed with scar tissue. I am doing good now.  I was feeling like a mess at that time. It is a painful waiting game. I wish you a strength, send your way prayers. 

    Thanks

    thank you for the reply ya it sucks being on pins and needles and I do feel confident I’m ok ! Glad your doing well too 

  • Harleydad-53
    Harleydad-53 Member Posts: 4
    #6
    wbcgaruss said:

    Not to Worry

    You've got it covered. You saw your dentist and she said Thrush and they have medication to take for it. Get the medication for it. Many of us have gone through thrush. You see your ENT on Thursday. You have a scan coming up soon. In cancer time you are really not far out of treatment. The recovery is slow-but-steady. So relax as best you can-You are taking all the right precautions and seeing all the right people and if anything is out of the ordinary they will know. When you see ENT see if he can give you meds to get rid of the Thrush. 

    Thank you

    i do feel it’s nothing and have found having thrush produces painful ulcers as well so hopefully he thinks the same ! 

  • Harleydad-53
    Harleydad-53 Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2019 #7
    caregiver wife said:

    Healing after radiation

    It is not uncommon for things to take longer to heal for a while after radiation.  This is why bad teeth are removed before treatment. 

    Good luck with your appointment.

    Crystal

    Thank you

    Thanks 

  • ERomanO
    ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
    #8
    Hyper awareness

    We H&N cancer survivors tend to get hyper aware of any and every little pain or twinge in our mouths, neck, etc.  Last year, several months post Tx I felt a soreness on my lower gum at the forward molar.  I kept looking and saw no redness, but it hurt if I pressed on it.  I thought "Oh man, what if it's an infected root?".  So I texted my dentist on a Thu night to see if he would be in the office the next day (when he's normally closed) and explained what was going on. He said to meet him there at 10 am on fri, which I did.  When he looked into it he found a strawberry seed stuck behind the gum. I felt a little dumb, but he understood, saying "You guys (H&N cancer patients) tend to be like that... a little paranoid".

    Anyway, just relax. and keep us posted.

    Eugene

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