Swallowing

buzz99
buzz99 Member Posts: 404
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Buzz just completed chemo/radiation for BOT cancer. He stopped eating after the second round of chemo in October and up until now, was swallowing 1 pudding cup per day to keep his swallowing mechanism intact. Since Monday, he has decreased the amount of pudding he can swallow and yesterday did not try it at all. I know this stage can be the worst part but I am wondering, how long can a person go without swallowing and still keep the swallowing ability? I guess what I am asking for is personal experiences. BTW he has a PEG.

Comments

  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #2
    I don't know.
    Hi
    I don't know if there is an answer to that question. Many folks who go through treatment don't lose their swallow at all, and it may or may not be owing to lack of practicing every day. I had the PEG, and I tried to sip lukewarm tea or water every single day, and I do know there were days I only got down a couple three sips in an entire day. I did not lose my swallow.

    The pudding may be simply too much for now. Ask him to try a sip or too of water. I had a lot of luck with green teas. I could always taste something of them, even on my worst tastebud days and I found them very soothing.

    Deb
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #3
    D Lewis said:

    I don't know.
    Hi
    I don't know if there is an answer to that question. Many folks who go through treatment don't lose their swallow at all, and it may or may not be owing to lack of practicing every day. I had the PEG, and I tried to sip lukewarm tea or water every single day, and I do know there were days I only got down a couple three sips in an entire day. I did not lose my swallow.

    The pudding may be simply too much for now. Ask him to try a sip or too of water. I had a lot of luck with green teas. I could always taste something of them, even on my worst tastebud days and I found them very soothing.

    Deb

    Swallowing
    Thanks Deb! Will offer Buzz something different to try. Milk seemed to work before...
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #4
    buzz99 said:

    Swallowing
    Thanks Deb! Will offer Buzz something different to try. Milk seemed to work before...

    Don't worry yet
    I wouldn't worry just yet. I had one week where anything that touched my right tonsil, even breathing was agony. More than likely the radiation has burned so bad that he just can't take it right now. Radiation generally burns the tonsils down to nubs. Give him at least a week or two and I'm guessing things will start to improve. Did not affect my long term ability to swallow in the least.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #5
    ratface said:

    Don't worry yet
    I wouldn't worry just yet. I had one week where anything that touched my right tonsil, even breathing was agony. More than likely the radiation has burned so bad that he just can't take it right now. Radiation generally burns the tonsils down to nubs. Give him at least a week or two and I'm guessing things will start to improve. Did not affect my long term ability to swallow in the least.

    I didn't lose my ability to
    I didn't lose my ability to swallow because I could not keep swallowing, I lost it because of severe swelling and damage from the radiation. But do try different things maybe he swallow milk or water. Or what about Scam's old advice of swallowing water with the L-Glutamine in it. He said it softened the burn and pain, I think. I know by the end my mouth was literally one big bleeding wound and I couldnt even breathe, swallow my own spit, or talk I was in so much pain despite the pain patch and the constant lip lock on the magic swizzle bottle. Which by that time I had renamed notsomagic swizzle.
  • dennis318
    dennis318 Member Posts: 349 Member
    #6
    sweetblood22 said:

    I didn't lose my ability to
    I didn't lose my ability to swallow because I could not keep swallowing, I lost it because of severe swelling and damage from the radiation. But do try different things maybe he swallow milk or water. Or what about Scam's old advice of swallowing water with the L-Glutamine in it. He said it softened the burn and pain, I think. I know by the end my mouth was literally one big bleeding wound and I couldnt even breathe, swallow my own spit, or talk I was in so much pain despite the pain patch and the constant lip lock on the magic swizzle bottle. Which by that time I had renamed notsomagic swizzle.

    same with sweet
    there at the last 2 weeks, I was in a tub of hot water, try to bend over to drink ice water, this was the only way to get past the burn, ease the coldness in the tub, an drink till i puked it all up. I know it sounds terrible, and it was, the burn, smell, and my neck breaking open from radiation, what a difference a year makes, I'm still tramatized, but far from from i was....Hang with him, get the fluids down is the biggy, I also had a great chemo crew, they new when I called they would get a chair ready to hook me up with fluids and pain meds dripped. got me threw 4-5 days of agony, they were the best!!!, Take Care All Dennis
  • ekdennie
    ekdennie Member Posts: 238 Member
    #7
    radiation
    when did he finish the radiation? I couldn't eat anything, and could barely drink water for the five days following my last treatment. it was very hard to swallow when I tried to post those five days. just keep trying...hopefully he will be able to swallow something...oh, and even if he is working on swallowing his own saliva, then he will keep his swallowing ability in tact...I was told to practice with warm water three times a day, as well as to do jaw exercises (open and close as wide as I could three times daily). best of luck! wish I could have been more help!
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #8
    Try
    Chicken broth or the broth off of chicken noodle soup. I lived on it for a couple months just to keep swallowing.

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