Throat Pain Help

Oh I will have to try the Boost! Not too many victories yet just challenges:( He is a little discouraged too.
This change was so sudden and I don't think I was really that prepared . Neither one of us really knew what to expect and the throat area is so sensitive. I was trying to "fatten " him up before treatments and he was eating very well ! But just the sudden halt. I know things will be bad before they get better so just bracing myself.
Stay healthy and positive too! Very nice chatting with you and please keep in touch!
N

Does your husband or Dad have hydration therapy? My husband gets it 3 consecutive days after chemo. Chemo is Thursdays thank goodness... he has the weekend to recuperate. A nurse comes to our home and administers it. My husband likes ice water but I think the cold causes the extreme coughing as well? Not sure though....
Take care all!

Thank you, William. Our rad onc warned us that things will get worse for a bit. He’s already experiencing the muscle spasms, which started as severe hiccups and now progressed to pulmonary spasms. He is also experiencing nerve issues in the form of numbness, tingling, jittery feelings. I think we will try the gabapentin again for that to see how it works. His oncologist said cisplatin is well known to cause this. Ugh.
Thank you for your confidence and your kind words. It is definitely stressful.

I feel for you. It is definitely an awful experience and I’m sending you and your husband positive thoughts and prayers.
Yes, his provider should be able to tell you how many ml of Tylenol and Motrin to give. It all depends on his weight, gastric history and other meds he’s taking as well.
Good luck to you both!

I echo much of what has been said here. For what it's worth I'm a 64 year old male, eight months post treatment of 35 radiation and 6 cysplatin chemo. Doing well but it was definitely a slow go for quite some time. I started feeling a little better around 6 weeks post treatment and gradually better ever since.

One thing I would like to add is the importance of a feeding tube. My team very strongly suggested (almost insisted) I have one put in before treatment and boy was I glad I did. It was a Godsend in terms of maintaining my nutrional needs, especially when I couldn't even swallow a drop of water.

For some reason the thought of it tends to freak people out (including me) but it truly was no big deal and made a huge difference in recovery. It's long since been removed and I have nothing but a very small scar to show for it.
For those who haven't started treatment I strongly recommend the tube. If you've already started treatments I believe your doctors can pause the treatments and resume after the tube has been inserted and given some time to heal. I know of one patient who had to do that. And if you're going without, you will survive that too but just have to hang in there. It's a difficult journey for sure but one that WILL end and I and the others are living proof that there IS quality of life after this ordeal. Keep pushing forward and I wish you all the best!

You have a lot of good advice here already. I am 13 years post radiation and chemo and being free of cancer is worth all of this suffering. I wish patients were not so negative about a feeding tube, as this is a sensible way to get nutrition in before your body deteriorates further. It is temporary. Home made protein packed smoothies can taste much better than premade shakes with our irradiated taste buds. Peach with blueberries was my favorite for a while. Consider the healing properties of Manuka honey. It is thick so mixing a spoonful with warm water for swallowing is needed. I buy Bees and Trees brand online and it has a smooth taste and helps to heal anything. Don't forget about common sense things like an ice pack on the neck for numbing. I used ice packs for internal pain from chest tubes after thoracic surgery and it was one more thing that really helped. Be strong as this is not easy for either patient or caregiver. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, I did the Disney World thing with the family two months out, which was a bit of a bust. It's good to have goals but perhaps just nine holes instead of eighteen and let's see how he is doing after the sixth green. Oh by the way, that golf swing is going to sting a tad for a few months.

Hi @nancy 101,
Sue had a great suggestion in the comments here with honey. I might go a bit further and suggest Manuka honey as a stimulant for healing as well as soothing the throat. This honey is often quite thick so dilution with some warm water or tea would enable it to coat and soothe the throat from the radiation. Be aware of the healing properties of Manuka honey. It is a soothing remedy for cough that equals or surpasses some cough suppressants. The benefits likely outweigh the risks of the sugar consumed in this honey.

Lastly, back in 2008 I did research then and found in an England Journal of Medicine that honey could help soothe the throat. I did shots of real honey not the ones you find in your local grocery store which most are all synthetic and don’t have the same benefits. It definitely took some of the edge off for me. I would use Manuka honey which you can find on Amazon that scores at least UMF 10+ and MGO rating of 100+ are considered potent enough for medicinal use- the higher the rating, the more potent the benefits are, and of course, the more expensive, the honey.

In addition, I heard very good things about Red Light therapy, which uses infrared light from a wand in the throat has worked well for many. My current lymphoedema therapist where I am getting care now also is high on it including for lymphoedema which is another condition some patients will get.

Hope this helps and he will get better. Good luck on the journey.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have actually gone to our local honey hive and purchased some but he doesn't like the feel of it in his throat...thickness ? With warm tea or water...neither! Fruit smoothies No! I only a add a tsp. or so... He seems to be uber sensitive and causing me great stress! He hardly eats. Meeting with the radiologist tomorrow . We will ask about the Red Light therapy.
Funny he still likes his morning coffee with cream and I do put in a tsp. of honey unbeknownst to him! I try to tuck in extra calories wherever but its hard as he hardly eats...
Thank you for the great input... oh what a journey it is 🙁
N