Side effects of half head rads

Elisec
Elisec Member Posts: 11
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

anyone just have one side of head done? My husband is scheduled for it but at age 70 he now feels he wants to do nothing and just have a better quality of life for his remains years. I'd like to be able to share others experiences. Hopefully with just one side effected the long term side effects have been tolerable.

Comments

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #2
    I just want a litttle rads, one side please.

    Elisec,

    You have to be very careful about forgoing H&N treatments.  I have been on here long enough to know that when this cancer takes off it is not a pleasant quality of life.

    Radiation sound bad and is bad, but most do recover very well and live a happy and healthy “new normal”.  Virtually no one gets all the bad side effects, just a few memorable ones.  My worst side effect was neck burn and many don’t get that at all.

    If you started rads & chemo right this minute you would be finished by July 10th and (like many) trying to make your way in your new normal by the middle of August.

    I did struggle with eating, but I was never mad or disappointed, I was just happy to drink lots of smoothies while working on the eating problems.  And it worked, and I got better.

    Matt

  • Bobby_Lee
    Bobby_Lee Member Posts: 25
    #3
    For me Radiation wasnt too

    For me Radiation wasnt too aweful bad. Dont get me wrong its not fun being strapped to a table with your head held in place by the plastic mesh mask. But my side effects were minimal.Felt like mild sunburn on my skin. Pain meds took care of most discomfort.The pain of suffering with cancer till it kills you would be definitely worse.

  • Kapital
    Kapital Member Posts: 52 Member
    edited May 2017 #4
    tx

    My husband had stage IV left tonsil cancer. He finished treatment two years ago and has an excellent quality of life. Treatment, although not easy, is certainly worthwhile. Yes, there are many possible side effects, and most patients have a few lasting effects from their cancer treatment, but I think most patients would also say it was well worth it. Most of my husband’s taste and about half of his saliva has returned. The first couple of months after treatment were somewhat uncomfortable, but he has continued to improve ever since. He feels well and looks great. He eats most foods and enjoys them. For a few months of discomfort he has regained his life. I do hope your husband opts to give himself the chance to beat this diagnosis. Best of luck. 

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #5
    Most of the time the bulk of the

    radiation is on one side or the other....I had Nasopharyngeal cancer....that's behind the top of the nose....even in that tiny area, the cancer was on the right side, with right side lymph nodes.  Anyway, to answer your question....the great majority of us had our rads on one side of the head.  I'm 66, so 70 years old seems a little premature to letting this go (unless there are other debilitation health problems, like kidney failure or something).  Another thing, he's fooling himself if he's thinking in "years"....a few months maybe....a year really maybe....of some quality time...I'm afraid at the end of this short amout of "quality" he's going to regret not doing the 6 weeks of crap.....so he could have years and years of "quality".

    Side effects of doing one side of the head, as compared to both sides....are half...LOL.  He can count on dry mouth, and losing his taste buddies for a while...skin gets burned, for some pretty bad....and some like me, not so bad.  Liquid diet for a while, if the mouth gets dicey.....BUT it has an ending, and a recovery....then life goes on. 

    I may sound hard nosed about this....but he really needs to bite the bullet, and do the treatment!!!!

    p

  • Curlyn
    Curlyn Member Posts: 189
    edited September 2017 #6
    So Phrannie, are you saying

    So Phrannie, are you saying as opposed to both sides, you had radiation only on the one? Sorry to interrupt here but I just had TORS yesterday and want radiation only on one side, surgeon concurs. One side has to easier than both though I know it exits out the other side. Elisec, I hope your husband went through with it.

  • Curlyn
    Curlyn Member Posts: 189
    edited September 2017 #7
    PS. Or is one side the norm

    PS. Or is one side the norm and still causes all the side effects?

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 427 Member
    #8
    I had both

    Don't want any nasty lil boogers escaping.

     

    Remind him of the good things - He probably wont have to shave, minimal haircuts...

     

    I lost all hair below an invisible line from ear to ear.. my normally blond hair is now growing in black... this should be interesting

  • Mavish
    Mavish Member Posts: 84 Member
    #9
    One side radiation

    I had surgery and radiation on the right side only. I was one of the unlucky ones. I have developed a very rare complication: I had big burns (ulcers) inside my mouth where the highest dose of radiation directed and it took a year to heal. As like most of the people, I had also radiation dermatitis (skin burns), mucositis and am still working on improving my limited jaw opening.  My journey was much more problematic than expected. 

    Would I agree with this type of treatment looking back? Definitely YES. I have a good quality of life and enjoy spending time with my loved ones. When I go back and think about it, it seems to me just a big bump on the road.

    Also, treatment success rates are very high in Head and neck cancer. 

     

     

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