LOOKING FOR INFO AND SUPPORT

To answer some of your questions as best as I can. First, let me say that recovery from the radiation and chemo you and many of us have had is measured in weeks and months not days and weeks. For example, years ago I had a bout of pretty serious flu. It took me 5 weeks to recover from that. In cancer recovery, weeks translate to months so be patient and take each day at a time and one day you will notice an improvement in taste. Then you will notice that you are starting to swallow a little easier. I remember being concerned that I would never get off a feeding tube but months later I had it removed. I remember going to my ENT once a month and getting scoped, putting the scope up your nose and looking at your throat, and for probably 2 or more like 3 months at least he would say everything looks good and appears as such as it should for the treatments you went through but it basically looks like a cancer treatment area. It probably wasn't till about the third month after treatment that he felt I had finally turned a corner and was doing some serious healing and recovery. Remember that it is said that after radiation treatment is done we are still cooking so to speak and I guess that is to say it takes a little while for the cumulative treatment to actually stop. I not only had trouble getting pills down also but soon it was worse than that I could not swallow anything for a number of months and slowly I could finally start getting liquids through again. What a happy day it was for me when I could start swallowing again. Also my swallowing was not the best even after recovery so I had throat dilations to open my throat more. I had 4 and they can only go a little at a time so they don't have any throat tearing or damage as your throat is not as supple and flexible after radiation. You also have dry mouth, loss of strength, and probably some other things going on. Trust me it is just a matter of doing the best you can as far as activity, eating whether it be through a feeding tube or by mouth good nutrition will help you recover and getting the meds into you that are necessary. Whatever health you were in before the treatment you should be able to pretty much be able to return to it as this is really a glitch in life albeit a pretty big one. You may have some adjustments to make along the way and you may experience after-effects of your treatment such as in my case neuropathy, dry mouth, some mild tinnitus, or maybe none of the above as some come through with very few or no side effects. You may also have some and they go away with time, here again, patience and the passing of time is the key. I also remember when I was getting ready myself to go into treatment my rad doctor's nurse had a meeting with us to explain things and see if we had any questions. One thing she said to me in relation to my treatment that I have not forgotten is "You might as well figure this as a year off your life". In other words till you go through your cancer treatment and fully recover it will be approximately a year. You have your treatment in and are now devoted to recovery. I remember reading from someone and it was probably on here that as they were going to be in cancer treatment that they said "This is my job now" meaning till you are through it, treatment and recovery you are fully devoted to it. I never liked the Biotene products much I use the Squigle toothpaste with fluoride and you will have to brush more often now as the loss of saliva, lower flow, and swallowing, and the natural contents of the saliva are natural protection for our teeth and oral health. I was told to be as meticulous as possible with my teeth and oral health.  I also use a product prescribed by my dentist called Denta 5000 plus which I brush with each night before bed and you do not rinse only spit excess out as it has a higher content of fluoride and protects your teeth overnight. Also try Xylimelts for dry mouth a very good product and I believe are used by many on here. Here is a link to a search and you can buy them online if your local pharmacies don't stock them--https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Xylimelts Trust in God and pray a lot, be patient and easy on yourself and just let it flow because recovery is a slow process but it happens and you will be through it before you know it.

I know this is an extremely long-winded response but I hope it helps you in some way-Take Care-God Bless

You are just at the beginning of recovery and have a long way to go.  The individual physical makeup that got you through treatments will also determine how long it takes you to heal. Don't expect healing to follow a prescribed timeline.  At 2 years post tx I'm still experiencing improvements.  It's an ongoing process of change and adaptation.  Make the best of your life as you go on your journey to recovery and be aware that you may have little setbacks along the way.  Don't let them get you down, just make the necessary adjustments and keep going.  You may never get back to your old self 100%, but that doesn't mean that your new self can't be even better.

TangoWhiskey said:

BOOST VHC

Thanks. I'm already doing the Boost VHC. A scoop or two of Strawberry Ice Cream in that adds calories as well as a banana. I'm also doing some Chicken Broth and Mushroom soup. So I'm slowly adding to the diet. My wife also sends her thanks for your support. It helps when she can hear from others what I'm going through. How long have you been post treatment?

Number 3. I had throat cancer in 2012-13 with lots of chemo and 35 rads. I had tongue cancer in 2018 and in 2019 September I was operated on for lymph node cancer and had an extended stay in the hospital and got home on November 4th of last year and had 30 follow up radiation treatments for that. I am feeling pretty good now with some minor issues. Click on my name under my picture and you can read my CSN Space. Also when you get a chance and would want to you can tell your story in your own CSN Space-Take Care-God Bless

It sounds like you and I had the same treatment. I am now about 10 months after finishing chemo and a year from radiation.

The taste and ability to eat come back slowly. AT 10 weeks, I seem to recall that eggs, over easy, was one of the few things I could eat.

I lost weight for about 3-4 months, and then it stopped.

Anyway - I am at the point now where some food still tastes "faded" - but there are some things that taste pretty good now. I lost 45 pounds at one point, but I'm back up about 25 of that. (I'm actually thinking I wouldn't mind dropping 5 of that.)

I feel for you, because it's tough. But, things like taste and saliva improve, and swelling fades. You WILL get back to a much more normal state!

Hang in there, buddy - I'm wishing the best for you!

mg