HOW LONG RAD KEEPS GOING.

luckyfl
luckyfl Member Posts: 42
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I think someone wrote about this before but i lost the comments. I have 3 more weeks to go at 70gy x5 days weekly of Rad ,i will be done by June 30th and so far the sideffect are not keeping me from working or doing the daily living activities ,plus takecare my husband .Can anyone tell me how long it take so i can start feel the taste of food again and also to heal the sores ,,so far they are not to terrible just very annoing and burn type sensation.
Iam little confused , some people talk here about blisters in the mouth ,but i only see a canker sore type . Iam rinse my mouth with salt and bicarbonate as directed ,?that i have to treat my sores now or after treatment end .
thank you,Roxie

Comments

  • SIRENAF42
    SIRENAF42 Member Posts: 202
    #2
    Rad Side Effects
    I started regaining my taste and smell about 2 months after radiation was over. The last week of radiation and the several weeks that followed were definately the worst. They say radiation continues to work in your body for about one month, and I believe it. I lost 12 pounds the first week after my treatment was over. I could not chew, swallow and my mouth was as dry as a paper bag. My doc perscribed pain pills and the pink mouth wash that coats and numbs your mouth and throat. That helped, but still I was miserable.

    I had canker sores in my mouth, but when you have 10+ of them.... the burn is mentally exhausting. The pink rinse helped but didnt get rid of, just a temporary fix. Took about 2 weeks maybe 3 for them to all go away.

    Get whatever pain medicine your doctors suggest. If you dont need it, then dont use it. They offer it for a reason.

    My taste is not the same, 7 months later, it is still muted. I cant eat any food that is acidy (tomato based, orange or fried) burns my throat and stomach. I cant drink sodas, wine or any alcholic beverage as they burn and just taste weird LOL.. I guess thats a good thing, but I sure do miss a good glass of wine every now and again.

    Take care, you are almost done with treatments..
  • luckyfl
    luckyfl Member Posts: 42
    #3
    SIRENAF42 said:

    Rad Side Effects
    I started regaining my taste and smell about 2 months after radiation was over. The last week of radiation and the several weeks that followed were definately the worst. They say radiation continues to work in your body for about one month, and I believe it. I lost 12 pounds the first week after my treatment was over. I could not chew, swallow and my mouth was as dry as a paper bag. My doc perscribed pain pills and the pink mouth wash that coats and numbs your mouth and throat. That helped, but still I was miserable.

    I had canker sores in my mouth, but when you have 10+ of them.... the burn is mentally exhausting. The pink rinse helped but didnt get rid of, just a temporary fix. Took about 2 weeks maybe 3 for them to all go away.

    Get whatever pain medicine your doctors suggest. If you dont need it, then dont use it. They offer it for a reason.

    My taste is not the same, 7 months later, it is still muted. I cant eat any food that is acidy (tomato based, orange or fried) burns my throat and stomach. I cant drink sodas, wine or any alcholic beverage as they burn and just taste weird LOL.. I guess thats a good thing, but I sure do miss a good glass of wine every now and again.

    Take care, you are almost done with treatments..

    Olmost there .
    Thanks Sirena for all the comments it help me a lot and encourage to keep going my last 3 weeks, i went to my rad doc today since he sees me every monday and he think iam doing fine even with the biggy sores in the roof of my mouth and one inside the cheek ,thats all i got for now ? he think it will get just a little more worse not mutch than what i feel now such iam ok with that. Iam losing 2 or 3 pds a week and i want to keep it like that since is a healthy way to do it, i still force myself to eat like chiken soup and i still can drink soda but definately no citrus or tomatoe bases ,it burns like crazy.
    Any suggestion to acelerate the sores healing process after my last day June 30th, I hope i feel ok for August 12th is my big trip to my home island :"Cuba" for vacation ,,do you think i will be ok considering that iam young,strong and with a good healing? and you said the taste dont return till 2 month after ? OMG !!i really need to lose weight recomemded by my reg MD but, LOL.
    Thanks and good luck.
  • SIRENAF42
    SIRENAF42 Member Posts: 202
    #4
    luckyfl said:

    Olmost there .
    Thanks Sirena for all the comments it help me a lot and encourage to keep going my last 3 weeks, i went to my rad doc today since he sees me every monday and he think iam doing fine even with the biggy sores in the roof of my mouth and one inside the cheek ,thats all i got for now ? he think it will get just a little more worse not mutch than what i feel now such iam ok with that. Iam losing 2 or 3 pds a week and i want to keep it like that since is a healthy way to do it, i still force myself to eat like chiken soup and i still can drink soda but definately no citrus or tomatoe bases ,it burns like crazy.
    Any suggestion to acelerate the sores healing process after my last day June 30th, I hope i feel ok for August 12th is my big trip to my home island :"Cuba" for vacation ,,do you think i will be ok considering that iam young,strong and with a good healing? and you said the taste dont return till 2 month after ? OMG !!i really need to lose weight recomemded by my reg MD but, LOL.
    Thanks and good luck.

    Cancer and weight loss
    I dont have any suggestions on how to acelerate the healing, it really is just one day at a time.

    Your body really needs the nutrients, cut back on the non-healthy junk food, but eat and eat healthy. Healthy recovery depends on nutrients. As someone told me on here, Cancer should not be your preferred weight loss program :)

    A vacation after radiation. LOL well... in my case I didnt even want to go to the grocery store lol. I hope you can go, I hope you have the energy and if not, I hope those tickets are refundable :) Does your dr know you are going to cube? Your immune system may be low?? May wanna get an OK from him.. just a thought :)

    I ate a lot of soup, watery oatmeal and cream of wheat and drank those icky Ensure drinks. I blended them with yogurt or icecream and freshfruit, just to make them taste better. Ensure is nasty, but it is a great way to get nutrients when you cant eat.

    Good luck and I hope you get to Cuba.
  • luckyfl
    luckyfl Member Posts: 42
    #5
    SIRENAF42 said:

    Cancer and weight loss
    I dont have any suggestions on how to acelerate the healing, it really is just one day at a time.

    Your body really needs the nutrients, cut back on the non-healthy junk food, but eat and eat healthy. Healthy recovery depends on nutrients. As someone told me on here, Cancer should not be your preferred weight loss program :)

    A vacation after radiation. LOL well... in my case I didnt even want to go to the grocery store lol. I hope you can go, I hope you have the energy and if not, I hope those tickets are refundable :) Does your dr know you are going to cube? Your immune system may be low?? May wanna get an OK from him.. just a thought :)

    I ate a lot of soup, watery oatmeal and cream of wheat and drank those icky Ensure drinks. I blended them with yogurt or icecream and freshfruit, just to make them taste better. Ensure is nasty, but it is a great way to get nutrients when you cant eat.

    Good luck and I hope you get to Cuba.

    My Trip
    Thanks Sirena and for sure i will keep myself monitoring before the trip since i still have 13 more days to go with Rad.
    I feel very good so far and no lack of energy at all ,the only thing is the sores that are unconfortable with some burnning when i eat something with dressing or sauce.Well iam definally dont using this for weigh lost of any kind but, i over eat myself before the rad more than what i should because i was scare of a Tube feeding , i went to my regular MD for my H&P and he olmost have a fit ,lol even my b/p was little high so, i told hime what i did and he told me for sure you will lose those pounds but becareful and no more than 3 a week, so far that's what happen ,iam losing 2 or 3 a week and i still eating regular food ,i cant eat soft food at all,,so far so good.\
    About my trip ,i will make sure i check all my blood and also i give myself a month a 3 weeks for recuperation time ,,my doctor knows and he said i will be ok,,maybe not much taste to eat my good food but ,i will try ,LOL.
    Good Luck.

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