Getting frustrated with throat pain post radiation

Sorry i just read this.
I have improved since Oct. 6 to the point i am eating more solids. Pain is not the issue. I have changed the way I eat however.: Small bites, chew well, chase with water or juices. I definitely do not eat as much as my throat seems to be smaller. I will ask my Dr. next checkup. Could be scar tissue or it just is smaller?
Hope you are seeing improvements.

Hello,
I’m coming up on 7 years out from stage IV treatments.
My oncologist managed my pain with narcotics and fentanyl patches which I was very hesitant to participate!
My oncologist insisted I follow the pain management protocol or pain will be unimaginable.
I followed the management regimen for several months post treatment and then weaned myself off from the pain meds.

I actually ended my pain management program much earlier than what my oncology team had expected.
My throat was still sore but I could deal with it, I was determined to NOT get dependent upon the narcotics!

Eating however, took nearly a year before I could eat any foods. I remained on a feeding tube until I could eat oatmeal and then oatmeal was my meals for a very long time!

MOJO

It is just my throat that is sore. I still am tender on the right side of my neck but not painful. I am in the same time frame as you from my last radiation. There are days that my throat is more painful than other days. I do chase most foods down with water or juice. I lived for almost 4 months on Boost 520 topped of with Carnation Instant Breakfast High Protein. I drank 4 to 5 of those a day. Still lost weight.
Today i might have 2-3/week. A good meal for me is some sort of very tender crock pot roast with lots of gravy over mashed potatoes. I eat a lot of steamed veggies like squash or broccoli covered in olive oil. For breakfast i eat oatmeal, juice or scrambled eggs. For snacks I eat peanut butter and bananas. The main thing i have noticed is a chew everything I put in my mouth a lot. I also take much smaller bites as I think my throat has shrunk some. My stomach has shrunk a lot so i eat much smaller portions as well. I'll ask my Dr. next time about that. All in all, it does get better, yet I just don't enjoy eating like I used to. Maybe that is not all bad. Hope you improve as well.

Is it just your throat that causes pain? Same things as you, but my tongue is still numb and sore on the radiation side. I can’t push anything as far as food down without a lot of liquid. I’m so frustrated! Five months since chemo and radiation and I’m down 87 pounds. Good thing I was overweight or I’d have really big problems!

@samp590, how is your mom doing? Are things improving slowly but surely?

I think you will find the normal recovery is two steps forward and one step back. Very slow and seemingly endless for a long time. Not like a broken bone or a twisted ankle which heal well because the body is healthy. You are trying to heal in an area that is sick. It will take a lot more time than the optimistic doctors will tell you.
Some of the discussions in this group lately have many good ideas to deal with throat pain and cough. Magic mouthwash (a prescription needed), certain teas, warm saltwater rinse, etc help a lot.
Sending hugs from the www as I know how difficult this all is to deal with. Tough times never last but tough people do.
Or if you want a laugh today, remember all good things have an end. A bratwurst has two.

I finished my radiation treatments two weeks ago. For several weeks, my throat pain terrible, I had a nasty cough that produced blood and fleshy chunks, and it was most difficult to eat. I also couldn’t speak.

Over the last few days, things improved quite a bit. Believe it or not, it coincides with drinking marshmallow root tea. I am not big on natural remedies and the like, but I can’t ignore the results.
If you are looking to try something out of the box, check your medical team and see if something like that is worth a try.

Hi @rsedlock1958 and welcome. That’s about par for the course, sore throat and cough. Gargle with warm salt water is usually helpful as I believe the salt is beneficial. Just try to stay in good health as it takes months to heal from radiation damage. Good healing.

I finished 28 radiation treatments for vocal cord cancer. About the middle of the second week of treatments, my esophagus became inflamed. I have been dealing with a sore throat and swallowing difficulties since. Right now, I am able to eat most soft foods, but about a half hour after eating, I get a severe cough. The good news is that the tumor is gone. The bad news it will be a while before the sore throat passes and my voice returns.

I had Squamous Cell Cancer at the base of my tongue.right side-center. I also had cancer in my lymph node, right side of neck. The treatment was 7 weeks of radiation-35 sessions and weekly chemotherapy. I know what you mean when you say pain in the neck. For a period of time it would take me an hour to get a boost down. I remember wishing for the day i could enjoy eating again.
My last treatment was May 5th- It has now been 5 months and yes i have some days of little pain and others of more. I am transitioning into a more "normal " diet yet I have discovered that certain foods agitate my throat and brings back pain. I am learning to experiment. I cannot say i enjoy eating but live in hope that one day i will. A positive of this is a am now at the weight i should be, 48 lbs lighter. My experience so far is to be patient and know that i am so much better than even a month ago. My anticipation is next month I will be even better. I hope you will be too.