Connect
← Return to 13 weeks post radiation and throat pain continues
Discussion
13 weeks post radiation and throat pain continues
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Jan 27 12:18pm | Replies (22)Comment receiving replies
@srm....how did things work out for you? It's been more than 2 years since your post. I hope you're back as close to normal as possible.
I'm 1 month post radiation treatment for tonsil/head and neck cancer. I feel very fortunate. While I've had some terrible pain, loss of appetite, and inability to taste almost everything, I am gradually improving. The pain/sizzling feeling I have in my mouth doesn't seem to be improving, though. It feels essentially as it did each day after I received radiation treatment...a sizzling numbness and pain inside my mouth at site of treatment. White mucositis is still clearly evident. Hoping that within the next month I start to feel improvement in that regard and the mucositis starts to fade away. Mouth is still dry with sticky saliva. Soups and nutrition drinks still the base of my diet at this point, though I did discover that I can eat lightly cooked or runny eggs with melted white American cheese. Any other type of cheese just doesn't taste right. Also discovered that I can taste cooked white fish now, but really have a difficult time trying to swallow that. Won't go down without drinking something to wash it down. Almost everything else at this point tastes nasty....but, that's actually and improvement. For the first 3 weeks after radiation I couldn't taste any type of food and attempting to really made me nauseous. I had no appetite until that phase passed. Mentioning all this for anyone new to this journey who may want to know how things progress. Everyone is different as they say, but while it may be a long road, if you pay close attention to the little improvements along the way, you can keep your hope up and anticipate that there will be an endpoint that might be back to where you can enjoy life and eating again. That's my outlook. Not to the end of the road yet, but I do notice little changes and improvements, so I'm just going day to day and can't wait to get to the end. Doctors told me that will likely be another 8 months down the road. If that's what it takes...I'm OK with that. I'll get there. Best wishes to everyone dealing with cancer. Not fun.
Replies to "@SRM....how did things work out for you? It's been more than 2 years since your post...."
I can concur with your journey post radiation. Two years out seems to be the benchmark to look back on the worst of the recovery, however even at that point nerve issues can linger for years. Ghost spiders were felt on the side of my face and neck for several years. Pain from a yawn or sneeze brought tears to my eyes for perhaps ten years. Cramps in the neck, often noted as "lock-jaw" were also quite common. And certainly any minor bump, knot, sore, you name it were considered a return of the big "C", although it was not.
It can take years before you accept that this is how it's going to be and it's not that bad considering the alternative. The medical community often only relates what they read or were told but unless they themselves have been through it, they have no real idea. An MS patient once said to me "You don't get it until you get it." You don't really understand it unless you are living through it. Our cancer journey and recovery is very much like that. Only those who have gone before really understand what this path is all about.
Take-aways from the cancer voyage can be life changing. We each have to some degree I'm sure been blessed by the experience although at this point you probably think that is crazy talk. I can only speak for myself. For example: 1) Know your limits and don't exceed them. 2) Don't give up on a difficult task for it is not impossible. 3) If a job were easy, anyone could do it. 4) That person (stranger) who is going through cancer treatments, you can without saying a word, just give them a gentle hug. The tears in your eyes assures them more than any medicine. 5) Enjoy life and help others. This perhaps is part of that "helping others".
As I've said to others in this forum, " We cannot carry you, we can only talk with you and perhaps pray for you." Hopefully we can help you find your blue sky in the years ahead. Good luck.
Connect
I’m on week one of my five week radiation and chemo treatment plan for head and neck tonsil cancer. The tonsil tumor was removed with surgery and I also had a left neck dissection. I’m just starting to feel symptoms and “sizzling” is a good way to describe it. I knew that after treatment was over there would be a long recovery so thanks for sharing your experiences so I have an idea on what to expect and to look for small improvements. Good luck in your recovery.