Mouth and throat sores after treatments

RodgerM
RodgerM Member Posts: 63 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi, one month after treatments for neck and throat cancer 35 rads and 5 chemos , I still am getting these little mouth sores around my troat that look like little blisters they come and go.  Mainly appear during eating , they are painful and resolve the next day or in several hours until I irritate the troat eating again.  Soft foods don't seem to make them appear but they still do but not as often. Other then tastebud it's really the only thing holding me back from eating anything.   They are painful during eating and majic mouth  help but helps more after I eat to numb the pain again.  One month out I am still having to use the MM to basically numb the pain after I eat more then before I eat.  Seems the MM doesn't work to numb the pain before eating, so depending on the texture of the food is how much they seems to pop out.  

I also have the bumbs on the back of my tongue that are getting a little better but still remain , I think they might be taste buds?  I ready mostly concerned about the blister like bumps that show up during eating in my throat, they are the limiting factor in regards to returning to normal foods.  anyone else experiencing these type of bumbs,blisters whatever they might be.  I've showed the docs but as usually they same the same that everything looks good. Sometimes i think they don't actually know what it is , since radations do weird things to your tissues .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  • DooDad
    DooDad Member Posts: 16 Member
    edited March 2021 #2
    Mouth and throat sores after treatments

    After my radiation treatment (30) for tonsil and neck cancer, my swallow therapist recommended using a mouthwash of 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp of salt to 1 cup of water and rinse, gargle and then spit it out.  Do this 4 times a day.  It really helped me a lot more than Magic Mouth did.  I had very large sores in my mouth.  I mixed up a large batch and put it in a large water bottle.  Just remember to shake it up before using.

    Best of luck.

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,465 Member
    edited March 2021 #3
    Very Good

    DooDad salt and baking soda to water is the old standard of rinse and care for the mouth during and after H & N cancer treatment where radiation is involved. Use it as often as needed to stop the thickening saliva and keep things under control. And RogerM it sounds like the docs don't know exactly what it is but then again they may and recognize it as associated with this kind of treatment. You are only one month out of treatment and recovery can take many months. I think your problem will resolve itself over time but keep watch on it in case it doesn't improve afterwhile-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

  • LitlCJdoll
    LitlCJdoll Member Posts: 245 Member
    #4
    Try Viscous Lidocaine

    Hi RodgerM,

    The mouth rinses are good and necessary but did your surgeon prescribe the Viscous Lidocaine, by itself for you to apply directly to the mouth sores, " blisters", lesions...?  Yes, its likely already in your Mucositis Mouthwash, however, the viscous lidocaine is a fairly good way to numb the mouth, at least for a little while so you can eat/ drink with a bit more ease.

    So, if you don't already have this prescription, please ask for it.

    Crystal

     

  • OhNoItsMe
    OhNoItsMe Member Posts: 21 Member
    #5
    Yes!

    I had these after my treatments. i haven't been on in a while, and I would expect yours to have resolved by now, as mine only lasted a month or so. They were clear blisters that popped up mainly on the roof of my mouth while eating. Some popped up under my tongue too. It just took time to go away. I tried lidocaine and magic mouthwash. Nothing seemed to help at that time. 

  • RodgerM
    RodgerM Member Posts: 63 Member
    #6
    OhNoItsMe said:

    Yes!

    I had these after my treatments. i haven't been on in a while, and I would expect yours to have resolved by now, as mine only lasted a month or so. They were clear blisters that popped up mainly on the roof of my mouth while eating. Some popped up under my tongue too. It just took time to go away. I tried lidocaine and magic mouthwash. Nothing seemed to help at that time. 

    Your the first person to

    Your the first person to report back the same little blisters, tho I still am getting them it's much reduced and I expect in time will resolve ... 

     

  • OhNoItsMe
    OhNoItsMe Member Posts: 21 Member
    edited June 2021 #7
    Radiation damage

    My oncologist told me that the saliva ducts get damaged during radiation sometimes, so when saliva tried to enter your mouth, it has to find new ways, which is where the "blisters" come up. they Would hurt while eating. then they went to a phase of just feeling them bubble up, then they just quit coming up. I'm 5 months out of Treatment. 

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,465 Member
    edited June 2021 #8
    OhNoItsMe said:

    Radiation damage

    My oncologist told me that the saliva ducts get damaged during radiation sometimes, so when saliva tried to enter your mouth, it has to find new ways, which is where the "blisters" come up. they Would hurt while eating. then they went to a phase of just feeling them bubble up, then they just quit coming up. I'm 5 months out of Treatment. 

    Congrats OhNo

    you are 5 months out and well on your way to recovery. You are past the mouth sores and probably are feeling a lot better. Take Care-God Bless-Russ

  • RodgerM
    RodgerM Member Posts: 63 Member
    edited June 2021 #9
    OhNoItsMe said:

    Radiation damage

    My oncologist told me that the saliva ducts get damaged during radiation sometimes, so when saliva tried to enter your mouth, it has to find new ways, which is where the "blisters" come up. they Would hurt while eating. then they went to a phase of just feeling them bubble up, then they just quit coming up. I'm 5 months out of Treatment. 

    Thanks, that's good to hear.

    Thanks, that's good to hear.  At 3 1/2 months and they are less frequent, seems i am on that time line , so looking forward to that 5th month. I haven't looked inside my mouth for a few weeks, so thats a sign of improvement.   I am hearing a lot of the body finds a way in this healing process.   It's been so fustrating , not being able to enjoy a meal, to the point were last month I lost 5lbs.  Seems like the discomfort is taking its tool on my appetite.  
    Things are improving all around..

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,465 Member
    #10
    RodgerM said:

    Thanks, that's good to hear.

    Thanks, that's good to hear.  At 3 1/2 months and they are less frequent, seems i am on that time line , so looking forward to that 5th month. I haven't looked inside my mouth for a few weeks, so thats a sign of improvement.   I am hearing a lot of the body finds a way in this healing process.   It's been so fustrating , not being able to enjoy a meal, to the point were last month I lost 5lbs.  Seems like the discomfort is taking its tool on my appetite.  
    Things are improving all around..

    RodgerM Be Patient

    And your taste and appetite will be making a return. I am glad you are seeing some improvements even small ones. Sorry, you lost a little more weight but when you can enjoy eating again you will easily make up for it. Take Care-God Bless-Russ

  • gar21jun
    gar21jun Member Posts: 1
    #11
    Will try Viscous Lidocaine

    My girlfriend is on 26th radiation treatment out of 33 and 4th chemo out of 6.  Having a hard time with nausea, she has to have a feeding tube now since she can hardly swallow now. She tried the magic mouthwash and baking soda mixture without success. I will tell the dr. about Cyrstal's Viscous Lidocaine. Hope it will give her some relief.  

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #12
    gar21jun said:

    Will try Viscous Lidocaine

    My girlfriend is on 26th radiation treatment out of 33 and 4th chemo out of 6.  Having a hard time with nausea, she has to have a feeding tube now since she can hardly swallow now. She tried the magic mouthwash and baking soda mixture without success. I will tell the dr. about Cyrstal's Viscous Lidocaine. Hope it will give her some relief.  

    gar,

    I'm sorry to hear about your girlfriend....

    The bad news, is that some level of swallowing difficulty is one of the side effects of this treatment. If she can keep ingesting something by mouth (even if it's just water), that will be a real positive - as I hear the esophagus can "forget" how to move food, if you don't.

    The good news, is that almost everyone reports that the effects are just temporary. For me, that meant for 3 months, almost the only thing I ate was eggs (over easy). After the 3 month period, I was slowly able to eat other things ... and now at a couple years out of treatment, I can eat pretty much anything I want.

    It's tough though - because after you finish treatment, you just want to get back to NORMAL ... and it takes a little bit of time.

    I wish both you and your girlfriend the best possible outcome. I'm glad she has you to help her through this - she will ALWAYS appreciate it - trust me on this one!

    mg

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 446 Member
    #13
    Gar

    Ginger ale, if the fiz hurts, let  it settle - Candied Ginger (Trader Joes, Amazon) settles the stomach helps the nausea. Lidocaine was wondferful, magic Mouthwash? Ugh, Ugh, Ugh, I could smell it before I could taste it. (I got a very sensitive smell reaction during and after treatment)

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