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@kbates624

My husband was diagnosed with HPV P16 positive throat cancer. He had several tumors around his neck that had metastasized. He went has a tracheostomy and a g-tube placed prior to 35 rounds of radiation and 2 rounds of chemo. After 3 mos post treatment his PET showed cancer free- he will need another scan in about a month which will be 3 mos since the last scan. He is now experiencing excruciating pain in his neck, shoulders and clavicle area and it has been a nightmare. Radiation and chemo was a breeze compared to this. He is on 20 mg of oxycodone every 4 hours and that barely takes the edge off, he has tried acupuncture, lymphatic drainage massage (he has alot of inflammation under his chin, has tried muscle relaxers and other pain medications to no avail. He will be getting a medical dispensary card soon and we're hoping THC will do the trick. We are told that this is normal and it will be a long road ahead of recovery as much as a couple of years and that it maybe a new normal that he will have to adjust to. Has anyone had a similar experience and any suggestions for pain relief?

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Replies to "My husband was diagnosed with HPV P16 positive throat cancer. He had several tumors around his..."

Hello @kbates624 and welcome to our Head and Neck group.
Having pain from surgery and more so from radiation therapy is common but usually not to the extent you described. It looks like you are doing what you can. My only advice is to weigh each week against the previous week to gage if improvement in recovery is happening and is pain getting better to manage. If not, consult his doctors as pain is one area that medicine should be able to control.
The fight your husband is in will likely be the most trying time of his life. It is a difficult battle that must and will be won. Let’s see whom else jumps in here with an idea or two. Best of healing to him.