Are you having photon (X-ray) radiation? Or is 30 the total dosage? Reason I ask is I had proton beam therapy and it seems to be a much lower dose than 30 Gy. I had 200 cGy per dose which converts to 2 Gy for 35 sessions which was a total of 70 Gy for the entire course of treatment. This involved 5 fields, 3 on the right side of me neck and 2 on the left side. I also had 7 weekly infusions of Cisplatin. I completed treatment in early September.
I had an immediate effect of insomnia after the first chemotherapy but my understanding is the steroid (Dexamethasone) included in the infusion for anti-nausea treatment was the cause. The insomnia decreased over the seven weeks. I had no nausea so I didn’t take the oral medications prescribed to prevent it. As the treatment progressed, constipation became a bit of a problem but I did not use a laxative and it abated soon after completion of treatment.
I developed sores in my mouth and throat after about a month of treatment. These became increasingly painful and made eating difficult during and for a few months after treatment but I used ice chips and then eventually the Lidocaine gel I was prescribed to numb my mouth and I was able to maintain my weight. My taste was affected as food lost taste or tasted off. I gargled the baking soda/salt solution as directed. I kept a container of it handy and used it 6-10 times daily. Just recently my taste has begun to improve and I have more of an appetite.
The skin on my neck became increasingly burned as the treatment progressed. However by constantly applying coconut oil, shea butter or aloe gel numerous times a day, it never blistered badly. I did not use the Aquaphor lotion as my understanding is it’s a petroleum product like Vaseline which seems counterproductive but that’s just my opinion. One tip I was given was to thoroughly wash my neck with soap and water directly before treatment and then wait an hour after treatment before applying lotion to allow the residual heat to dissipate. Seemed to make sense so I did that. My skin cleared up a week or two after treatment.
I did the jaw and throat exercises I was given by the Speech Language therapist twice a day every day during radiation. I have had minimal swallowing issues not really even noticeable but revealed by the barium swallowing test before and after treatment. I also followed the recommendation to eat all through radiation. I was given info on just how to proceed with that strategy. I have some issues with lymphedema (the lymph system in my neck was damaged and doesn’t drain properly) which will apparently continue but I have been given strategies to address it. I haven’t suffered much from the dry mouth issues. I have to keep hydrated and keep water by the bedside to wet my mouth. I did have some drooling issues for a month after treatment but they disappeared. Apparently my salivation has improved according to my dentist. I have the fluoride trays I use at night. I used them nightly during treatment but have decreased that somewhat.
I have had intermittent ringing in my ears , tinnitus which continues but only lasts a short time. My hearing seems fine but I will find out whether it decreased when I have a follow up hearing test next month. I had a baseline hearing test early on.
I had a lot of fatigue during treatment and continuing until December requiring frequent daily naps. I still get tired easily but I am slowly recovering some stamina. All of this needs to be considered in light of the fact that I was told I was very fortunate to suffer so few side effects from the treatment, considered an enigma. I hope this helps. Best of luck yo you.