Throat Pain Help

Hi there, I am going through the same with my 65 yr.old husband and exactly the same time frame. On his 4th week of radiation daily and one dose of chemo. He was doing amazing up until last Friday. He lost 5 pounds total (he is only 155 lb to begin with) so I am a little concerned. Swallowing is very difficult( burns) and of course everything tastes like metal. We too are foodies and I make most everything homemade. My pharmacist made a special mouthwash for him which is also drinkable but he didn't like the feeling (numbness and not able to swallow without water...) I can't blame him.... I was thinking he may have been having an allergic reaction. coughing none stop... lozenges burn his throat too... He may have had 800 calories today... And his stubborn wont listen to me... doesn't like the Ensure drinks ... no to homemade milkshakes with protein powder...ugh I tell him he knows what the alternatives are....
I feel your pain. Stay strong

My heart goes out to both of you and your husbands. I'm sure your teams have talked to you/your husbands about a food tube. That worked wonders for me. I had minimal mouth sores. Any and all medications get crushed and fed through the tube. The surgery to place the tube was quick and healing was also quick. I know a lot of patients hate the idea of the food tube but I found it to be a great way to get the nutrition I needed to heal from my cancer while not inflaming the very body parts I was trying to heal. Plus you can easily stay well hydrated making radiation and chemo more tolerable.
Good thoughts and prayers to all of you.

Thank you for your kind words Sandy. I am hoping he will not have to go down that route but it sounds like a very good option you had. So glad you recovered. How long ago did you have this?
His coughing is extreme... he drinks a lot of water and has the hydration therapy after the chemo for 3 days.
But the coughing is awful ...especially in the middle of the night.
Does anyone have any suggestions for the coughing?
Thanks again! 🙂

My dad is going through the same thing. He just finished his last (25th) radiation treatment and his last round of chemo last week. He is having intense pain as well. I am giving him Motrin every six hours and alternating Tylenol every 6 hours, so he gets something for pain every three hours. OxyContin isn’t helping him as much as Motrin. You can use children’s liquid Motrin (not infant) and just adjust the dose. Same for Tylenol. For bad cough, I have found that Valium (he has anxiety pretty bad too) helps. Another thing that has helped us is Gatorade. It replenishes the electrolytes that the chemo has wiped out. My dad does have a gastrostomy tube which is a big plus. He had that inserted with his surgery.

Hi @daniela033 Your dad is lucky to have someone helping out with his care. He likely will continue downhill for a few more days as most of us didn’t bounce back until two or three weeks after radiation ended. With that, I probably shouldn’t say “bounce”, it’s more like a very slow rise.
Within a few weeks things should begin to get better but expect odd things to crop up occasionally. Mouth sores, nerve issues, muscle spasms and the like are all part of the recovery. Good healing and don’t hesitate to seek help on these pages.

Thank you Daniela, liquid Motrin is a good idea. I am going to try the Gatorade as well.
Seems this weekend nothing is helping... now he said he feels like he has a cold?
Warm tea with a tiny bit of honey even burns his throat. ugh...
He is not a fan of any prescription pain relief but I think he may need to go that route.
Best wishes to your Dad. 🙂

Hi William, thank you too for this information. We have no idea what to expect after the treatments are finished April 10. Can't come soon enough...
My husband has great ambitions to be on the golf course in May... Oh I hope but most unlikely...
Keeping positive!

Thank you so much for replying! My husband hates Ensure too, but he actually likes Boost, I just had found them this week online. His nutritionist recommended some high-calorie ones this week (530 cal each), and he managed to get 2 down today—so I’ll take that as a win! Hope you’re finding little victories too. Hang in there! Sending lots of hugs and positive thoughts your way!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your kind words. The feeding tube has come up, but my husband is totally really resistant to the idea. I get why it can be such a game-changer, though, and I appreciate hearing how much it can help. Staying hydrated and getting enough nutrition is such a struggle right now, so I will bring it up with him again, appreciate it!

I didn’t know that about adjusting the children’s Tylenol—thank you for sharing! I’m not sure how to do that properly, so I’m planning to ask his doctor tomorrow about dosing for both children’s Tylenol and Motrin in liquid form. I actually ordered liquid Tylenol, but it turned out to have alcohol in it, so that was a bust—I need to return it.

Thanks for the tip about Gatorade too! Staying hydrated has been such a challenge. I really appreciate you sharing what’s helped your dad. Wishing him (and you!) strength as he recovers!