1. < Thyroid Cancer

Daughter, 45 anaplastic thyroid cancer. Had surgery, chemo, radiation.

Posted by swenson @swenson, Aug 12, 2022

She now has a tracheostomy and feeding tube. FT is finally going ok. But the trach causes Phlem that she has to constantly clear and spit out. It is the bane of her existance. Any one else dealt with this same thing?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Thyroid Cancer Support Group.

tjmb | @tjmb | Oct 20, 2022
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello @swenson and welcome to Connect. I am so sorry to hear of your daughter's diagnosis..." + (show)
@hopeful33250

Hello @swenson and welcome to Connect. I am so sorry to hear of your daughter's diagnosis and current post-surgery problems. It does sound like a very difficult situation for your daughter and you. As I personally, do not know much about this type of cancer, I found some information on the WebMD website. Here is the link, https://www.webmd.com/cancer/anaplastic-thyroid-cancer-overview.

On Connect we have other members who have discussed thyroid cancer. Here is a link to those discussions, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/thyroid-cancer/.

How long ago was your daughter's surgery? Have her oncologists offered any helpful ideas for dealing with problems with the trach and phlegm? Has a visiting nurse been suggested?

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My mom has anaplastic thyroid cancer had surgery took both side of thyroid out had lymph nodes taken about 30 of them. Had radiation and chemo for 6 weeks. She is done with chemo and radiation has a feeding tube in . She has so much flem and dry mouth. She can’t even swallow water without it coming out. Was wondering is there something that can help her?

REPLY
2 replies
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Oct 21, 2022
In reply to @tjmb "My mom has anaplastic thyroid cancer had surgery took both side of thyroid out had lymph..." + (show)
@tjmb

My mom has anaplastic thyroid cancer had surgery took both side of thyroid out had lymph nodes taken about 30 of them. Had radiation and chemo for 6 weeks. She is done with chemo and radiation has a feeding tube in . She has so much flem and dry mouth. She can’t even swallow water without it coming out. Was wondering is there something that can help her?

Jump to this post

Hello @tjmb and welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm so sorry to hear of your mom's extensive surgery and her post-surgery problems. It must be very difficult for her and you. How long ago was her surgery?

Is her swallowing problem the result of a closure of the esophagus? What types of therapies, if any, has her doctor suggested for the swallowing problems?

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1 reply
tjmb | @tjmb | Oct 23, 2022
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello @tjmb and welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm so sorry to hear of your mom's extensive..." + (show)
@hopeful33250

Hello @tjmb and welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm so sorry to hear of your mom's extensive surgery and her post-surgery problems. It must be very difficult for her and you. How long ago was her surgery?

Is her swallowing problem the result of a closure of the esophagus? What types of therapies, if any, has her doctor suggested for the swallowing problems?

Jump to this post

She has a feeding tube in. But she is to the point where she can’t swallow anything. I know this takes time to heal. We see her can cancer doctor this week. Hopefully he has some suggestions

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1 reply
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Oct 24, 2022
In reply to @tjmb "She has a feeding tube in. But she is to the point where she can’t swallow..." + (show)
@tjmb

She has a feeding tube in. But she is to the point where she can’t swallow anything. I know this takes time to heal. We see her can cancer doctor this week. Hopefully he has some suggestions

Jump to this post

Hello @tjmb,

I'm sorry to hear that your mom is still unable to swallow. How difficult for her! I hope that her cancer doctor can give you some answers at your next appointment.

I would appreciate hearing from you again. Will you post an update after your mom's appointment?

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 29, 2022
In reply to @tjmb "My mom has anaplastic thyroid cancer had surgery took both side of thyroid out had lymph..." + (show)
@tjmb

My mom has anaplastic thyroid cancer had surgery took both side of thyroid out had lymph nodes taken about 30 of them. Had radiation and chemo for 6 weeks. She is done with chemo and radiation has a feeding tube in . She has so much flem and dry mouth. She can’t even swallow water without it coming out. Was wondering is there something that can help her?

Jump to this post

@tjmb, you may find some tips in these related discussions in the Head& Neck Cancers group and Esophageal Cancer group.
- Saliva and dry mouth https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/saliva-and-dry-mouth/
- Phlegm and Saliva filling in the mouth after tongue sarcoma https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/phlegm-and-saliva-filling-in-the-mouth/
- Excessive Mucus with Esophageal Cancer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/excessive-mucus-with-esophageal-cancer/

While members share about different cancers than your mom, the radiation side effects have similarities. Does your mom have a symptom management nurse?

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jeanne4igfh | @jeanne4igfh | Oct 31, 2022

Hi, my mom had her thyroid removed 2011. It had cancer, she had radio active iodine treatment right after that surgery. On 2016 they found some lymph nodes and they removed all and didn’t need any treatment. Now 2022, some lymph nodes was found and had cancer in it. Doctors recommended Radiation and chemotherapy for her. Our concern is that right now she’s having a hard time swallowing when eating and drinking after her surgery couple months ago. If she starts treatment,I’m worried what the effects will be for her. She doesn’t want feeding tube either. Anyone tell me what are the side effects with this treatment? And what can we do for her not to have a hard time while going through treatment?

REPLY
2 replies
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 1, 2022
In reply to @jeanne4igfh "Hi, my mom had her thyroid removed 2011. It had cancer, she had radio active iodine..." + (show)
@jeanne4igfh

Hi, my mom had her thyroid removed 2011. It had cancer, she had radio active iodine treatment right after that surgery. On 2016 they found some lymph nodes and they removed all and didn’t need any treatment. Now 2022, some lymph nodes was found and had cancer in it. Doctors recommended Radiation and chemotherapy for her. Our concern is that right now she’s having a hard time swallowing when eating and drinking after her surgery couple months ago. If she starts treatment,I’m worried what the effects will be for her. She doesn’t want feeding tube either. Anyone tell me what are the side effects with this treatment? And what can we do for her not to have a hard time while going through treatment?

Jump to this post

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?

REPLY
1 reply
jpuntasecca | @jpuntasecca | Nov 2, 2022
In reply to @jeanne4igfh "Hi, my mom had her thyroid removed 2011. It had cancer, she had radio active iodine..." + (show)
@jeanne4igfh

Hi, my mom had her thyroid removed 2011. It had cancer, she had radio active iodine treatment right after that surgery. On 2016 they found some lymph nodes and they removed all and didn’t need any treatment. Now 2022, some lymph nodes was found and had cancer in it. Doctors recommended Radiation and chemotherapy for her. Our concern is that right now she’s having a hard time swallowing when eating and drinking after her surgery couple months ago. If she starts treatment,I’m worried what the effects will be for her. She doesn’t want feeding tube either. Anyone tell me what are the side effects with this treatment? And what can we do for her not to have a hard time while going through treatment?

Jump to this post

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!

REPLY
1 reply
jeanne4igfh | @jeanne4igfh | Nov 4, 2022
In reply to @colleenyoung "Welcome, @jeanne4igfh. Side effects from chemo and radiation for thyroid cancer can be different for everyone...." + (show)
@colleenyoung

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?

Jump to this post

Hi Colleen. Thank you for the reply. She doesn’t have a symptom nurse. I didn’t know about that. The doctor didn’t tell us yet what type of chemo and radiation she’ll be getting. They’re waiting for us to make the decision. They suggested not to wait too long. They told us radiation is 5 days a week, 30 minutes each day for 7 weeks. Chemo is once a week for 7 weeks also.

REPLY
1 reply
jeanne4igfh | @jeanne4igfh | Nov 4, 2022
In reply to @jpuntasecca "Hi, I had chemo (doxorubicin once a week for 6 weeks) and 33 days of radiation..." + (show)
@jpuntasecca

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!

Jump to this post

Hi, thank you for the information. You’re lucky you have no problem swallowing. Hopefully my mom’s swallowing problem goes away and be able to eat normally. Prayers🙏

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