Post tonsil cancer

Hi Paul. Welcome to the Head and Neck club. I was about 45 when I went through SSC on a tonsil as well. Eating issues took a long time, literally years. Or to be more specific, I simply got used to eating differently, dealing with acid reflux or the prevention of same. No food within three hours of bed. Begin sleeping on left side. Drink plenty of water.
It will take months to get better control of your healing health. A trip to Mexico? Are you prepared if you get sick there? How about Las Vegas instead?
I won’t make any recommendations about medications but I will side with you on getting off the pain killers as you did. Try to avoid certain foods such as lasagna because of the tomato base and yes, Mexican foods for about two years until your internal systems heal from the abuse of Chemo and radiation in particular.
Also, consider a thyroid blood test to be certain your thyroid was not damaged. That in itself will make you feel all sorts of crappy.
To close, welcome to the club. If I or anyone here can help you with thoughts or suggestions, you have come to the right place. Your 2026 should be an improvement.

Hi Paul. In time you will come to understand that what you went through was to save your life. The changes will eventually become inconveniences that you learn to live with. No one can predict what changes you will endure, or how you will recover, but one learns to adapt. I'm 20 years out from my treatment and have come to appreciate that the options were very limited at the time. Since then, I've gotten to meet my 4 grandchildren and watch them grow up. It has been a small price to pay for that privilege. Good luck!

Hello Paul, I am also a survivor of tonsil cancer (Stage 4 tumor in right tonsil - 2003). My treatment was very similar to yours sans the feeding tube. I had extreme mouth sores and loss of taste so eating was nearly impossible. Heavy mucus and thick or no saliva was and still is an issue. I survived on Carnation Instant Breakfast and Boost but lost a lot of weight. It took about a year before I could carry on a rather normal life. Things continued to get better until about 7 years out when the radiation began to do its number, jaw bone tissue started to deteriorate and I lost molars on the right side and the upper left side, so what I was able to eat definitely changed. I was told by the head* of my tumor team (team consisted of an otolaryngologist*, oncologist, radiologist, and dentist) I would continue to develop side effects which would include respiratory problems, teeth issues, and swallowing issues. And all of us who have had chemotherapy/radiation have a compromised immune system. And he wasn't kidding, he also said, "Radiation the gift that keeps on giving". Most of these 20 years have been great and I've been able to live a comfortable and full life, enjoying family, friends, and activities. The older I get the more careful I have to be and the biggest problem now is the eating issue. Dry mouth has been the culprit since day one! About 4 years ago around COVID time I started having respiratory issues and in 2 years time I had to be hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia three times. Finally in July of 2024 I had a PEG tube surgically inserted and gradually was weaned from taking anything by mouth. All of my nutrition and medication is through the tube. But!! Let me tell you it has been a God send! I have more energy and feel very normal. There are quite a number of things I can no longer do but have found other things to occupy my time. Please don't get discouraged life is for the living and you are still ALIVE! Take care, Esther