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DiscussionHow long after radiation would you see teeth issues?
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: 4 hours ago | Replies (11)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I didn’t know that i was going to have teeth and ear problems. What next? My..."
Hey Virginia,
I was on feeding tube for nearly a year. I could barely get small sips of water down my throat.
I finally was able to get oatmeal down and made the decision to get the tube removed. I ate oatmeal 3 times a day for several months before I could get solid food down.
As for surgery: my Gastrointestinal Doctor dilated my Esophagus 3 times. It did help but he doesn’t seem to think it will help to do it again. You may want to ask your oncologist about that and if you’re over 50 I would suggest a Colonoscopy and have the Gastroenterologist take care of the Esophagus while you’re undergoing the procedure…just a thought? Oh and yes they will not use the same device for the two lol!
Now at 8 1/2 years out I still need plenty of liquid to get my food down my throat.
I am careful about what I eat when I’m alone because I choke at times.
Sometimes I forget but taking a deep breath before swallowing is a must. If food gets caught the lungs have enough air to push the food out…usually! I have had many close calls and it’s not a good feeling! One time my wife was about to help me and here came our Dutch Shepherd, he ran up and thrusted his front paws on my back and the food shot out like a bullet! Divine intervention is what I call it!
Anyway, don’t give up and don’t rush it. As for therapy; I stopped going to a speech therapist after a month because she was a waste of money and had zero understanding of my situation. She expected me to force food down and my body just wasn’t ready, my oncologist supported my decision.
Hope this helps
MOJO
Hi @vgcreel and welcome to Connect. You may or may not have teeth or ear problems. A lot depends on the radiation treatments, where exactly, and of course you in particular. Every patient is different.
Can you drink and eat eventually? I should hope so although it may be difficult and painful at first. I should suspect you are currently on a feeding tube and you have recently finished treatment?
Check out some of the discussions in the Head and Neck group from the past few years and you will get a better understanding of what can happen and what you can do to work out problems. Everyone here is here to help or seeking help from current and former patients such as myself.
I would recommend you start your own discussion with the very questions you have asked here along with additional information such as type of cancer, location, treatments, timeline, and issues. Could you do that for me please?