Pain relief during last two weeks of radiation

I was diagnosed with HPV throat cancer, November 2022 , I went through 35 sessions of proton radiation and seven sessions Cysplatin chemo , At the mayo clinic in Rochester, It was the best decision ,I ever made. I did go through some bad bouts of pain and was not able to swallow. I just drink a lot of chocolate.”High Protein Boost “ Drinks I really couldn’t do anything or eat anything or taste anything for quite a while but eventually it has come back not exactly the way it was, but I am alive and cancer free🙏 As far as dealing with the pain ,they gave me liquid oxycodone. It was a little sketchy for me because I was, a recovering addict , You just have to be vigilant about what you need to do. Listen to the doctors down in the Mayo Clinic If you are going there and deal with it one day at a time and you’ll be fine ,hang in there , Last but not least, I prayed a lot , And leaned my family, they helped me get through a lot of it. I do volunteer periodically at CATHOLIC CHARITIES down in Las Vegas at the homeless shelter, It keeps me ☺️ grateful

Hello @phyllisg. I had radiation that involved my ear area with mouth involvement, but not throat so swallowing remained for me. Pain was helped by a "Magic Mouthwash " mixture from the hospital by prescription and that was swirled and spit out. I also used a topical oral lidocaine gel liquid for pain just prior to eating. I know many patients will need a stomach tube at this point, does your husband have one? Here is a link to another discussion about swallowing dysfunction: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cricopharyngeal-dysfunction-difficulty-swallowing/

There are saliva substitutes available by prescription but I have never asked my doctors for that or had experience with it to thin the mucous. Keeping well hydrated will probably help but if he cannot swallow??? During the final weeks of radiation at UMichigan I was getting a liter of IV fluids twice a week as I just could not stay hydrated orally. That helped a lot. Will you be seeing your nurse practitioner or doctor soon to ask about his issues? If not, I would put in a call for help. That's what they are there for.
This is a very tough time with radiation therapy and I wanted to give up at this point, but was encouraged by the nurses to stick with it. It does get better. Help him to be strong and keep advocating for him.

Yes, he has a PEG tube because he has not been able to swallow since his surgery in January. He has been getting fluids for about 3 weeks and I give extra when I feed him. He gas 5 treatments left so I've upped the pain meds a bit. I know these next 3 weeks will be rough. I just hope when this is over he'll be able to relearn how to swallow.