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Late side effects from Cobalt Radiation for Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Mar 1, 2023 | Replies (9)
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@kat63016

If it was being in a car with smoking parents, I would have had it.
My husband had welded in toxic material about a year before, in the coast guard but they aren’t sure where it came from either. He was not in any of the demographic groups either. He was a light smoker however. My husbands was stage 4 when they finally diagnosed it correctly because who would have a NSCC at 21 or like you in Your teens. What a horrible disease to have to face at such a young age and also the rest of your life. My husband also has speech impediments because he trips over his tongue. I’m so sorry you have to experience all this.

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Replies to "If it was being in a car with smoking parents, I would have had it. My..."
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Feb 4, 2023

Hi @kat63016, you've connected with just the right member @ltecato. I think you might both be interested in this related discussion @debdoc101 started about Cobalt radiation:
- Cobalt radiation induced thyroid cancer & other health issues https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cobalt-radiation-induced-thyroid-cancer/

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ltecato | @ltecato | Feb 5, 2023

The doctors first diagnosed me with Hodgkins and I can’t blame them because I think I “presented” like a typical Hodgkins or lymphoma/leukemia patient. I almost had to have a laparotomy and splenectomy to stage it but a pathologist who was visiting from MD Anderson told the Air Force doctors that my histo slides didn’t look right.

I had to have two bone marrow biopsies. They were totally unnecessary and the procedure is torture. I knew kids with leukemia who would refuse treatment as soon as they turned legal age and I always suspected that the bone marrow extractions were a big part of the reason. I doubt that it has gotten any better since I was a teenager.

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