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Severe pain eating 7 weeks post-RT
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: 3 hours ago | Replies (45)Comment receiving replies
One possible explanation for these painful ‘blisters’. I’m not a medical professional, nor has any doctor weighed in here, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night — just sharing what I’ve learned from the research I've done on this topic.
One possible explanation is that the tiny salivary ducts (minor salivary glands) in those areas got zapped by radiation and are still inflamed or scarred. When saliva tries to come through and the duct is narrowed or blocked, it backs up under the surface and makes a bubble—a superficial mucocele.
They usually swell, sting, and then pop or flatten within hours or a day. Things like salty or acidic food, hyper-osmolar liquids, dehydration, or talking a lot can trigger them. It doesn't seem that they are super common, on the order of < 5% or maybe less. I've combed through various message boards to get some clues (there are no real academic papers on this), and it seems it's VERY typical for these to last 4-5 months post-RT.
Just wanted to share for those who might be wondering (@metsgirl) what these are and why they happen. I'll post what my Dr. says next week on this topic as well
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@ranchroad Very interesting research! Thanks for posting. I nay run this by my doctors as well. Though I am trying not to bug them so much. My doctors did not indicate that this was typical, but rather as head and neck specialists they had encountered it in other patients and that certain foods seemed to trigger it. I, like you, have adopted the approach of avoiding triggers. But if it is going to last that long, I may need to reconsider since I was just able to start tasting some things and I hate the idea of continuing the Boost only diet I have been on. Some of my triggers have been salty or acidic, but some have also had sugar or it was a texture irritant. Thanks again!