Welcome, @jeanne4igfh.

Side effects from chemo and radiation for thyroid cancer can be different for everyone. It will also depend on the chemo regimen your mom gets and what type of radiation. @tjmb @swenson @tobyscott @jpuntasecca may be able to share their experiences and tips of how to prepare and things they wished they had known before starting treatment.

Jeanne, does your mom have a symptom management nurse? What type of chemo and radiation will she be getting? How often?

Hi,
I had chemo (doxorubicin once a week for 6 weeks) and 33 days of radiation for anaplastic thyroid cancer. This was after Thyroidectomy and neck dissection during which a tracheostomy was done due to the tumor infiltrating the trachea. I could have had the trach removed prior to radiation but the doctors recommended leaving it in in case of swelling. I am very happy I left it in because the swelling from the radiation was very extensive. I think I would have had trouble breathing had it not been in there. I’m six months post treatment now and there is still some swelling. Luckily I have had no problem with swallowing other than discomfort when eating while going through treatment. I can’t predict for you whether the treatment will affect your mom’s ability to swallow but radiation definitely can cause swelling. I hope this information helps and I hope whatever treatment she receives is successful!