Mouth Sores from chemo: When do they go away?

A little side track but, during the treatment I developed pimples on my face. Sometimes was told it's chemo rash, well, I finished treatment over a year ago and I still have pimples on my face. Good grief, 70 years old and have pimples, lol.. Best to all.

I finished the treatment over a year ago,, I used a mouth wash and gargled with warm salt water to help with the sores, Not sure how long after treatment they stopped.

Mouth sores stay awhile longer even after done with chemo several weeks

@walkingmom I’m so sorry to let you know they don’t go away until you stop treatment 🥺 A main effect of Folfiri (which helped get me to NED) is ulcers and other mouth sores, and I got them. I was lucky that salt water gargles were enough for me. I kept it up once I got on top of them the first time to stop them coming back. I was lucky. I also avoided anything spicy or citrus that would irritate them once I had them and my freezer was full of fruit (mango and banana) icy poles! Hydration and soothing in one stick 😊

Had severe mucositis mouth and nose bleeding terrible weeks - took lidocaine gel a mixture pharmacist made called magic swizzle rinse and spit plus use soft pics and soft toothbrush- lasts awhile afterwards- hooe it works for you

I ingested honey during my treatment and found it to be helpful. Manuka honey is especially powerful, but it is expensive. Try a teaspoon a day (or maybe half teaspoon twice a day) and leave it in your mouth for a bit.

Best wishes,
Cindy

I have been getting them with each treatment. They last for a week and start to get better and then come right back with next treatment. The baking soda and salt water soothes a little but not a lot. They have a numbing rinse but sounds like you are using that already. I haven’t tried it yet. I have a bad gagging reflex. I lose about 10lbs my first week following treatment and gain some back the second week after I can eat more regularly. Do you also get thrush? I get that too in my mouth so I brush constantly and keep off spicy foods.

Hello! I was diagnosed 10 years ago with endometrial cancer (Stage III) and had surgery and chemo and pelvic radiation. Three years later the cancer had metastasized to my lungs. Another round of chemo and various targeted radiations have followed. Ever since the first chemo, I have had mouth sores. Ever since trying L Glutamine I am essentially free of them, as it also works (for me) as a preventive when I begin to feel one coming. While the 'magic' solution gives some relief for a brief time, I found I did not need it with the capsules of L Glutamine, as the sores would go away overnight or by day 2, and, I learned to prevent them (only taking when I felt them coming on). I hope people will try it for themselves!

About the honey. It has been used for millennia to heal burns. Honey is high in antioxidants, the darker the honey the higher the antioxidant content. If you are currently on chemotherapy you should avoid raw honey as it can contain botulins.

From others who've used it during radiation, I read that a tablespoon before and another right after radiation helps prevent or mitigate esophagitis.

Hi @mkathryn Welcome to Connect! It sounds like you have personal experience with the dreaded mouth sores than can come about from chemo. Thank you for sharing the information about L Glutmine capsules. Wish I’d known about that a few years ago.
I’m happy you joined the forum. We have so many wonderful support groups here. To help introduce you to others who have a similar history, may I ask about your cancer diagnosis?