Mouth issues (blisters and gum swelling) years after radiation

Hi,
That's too bad about your gums! That must be very uncomfortable. I have dentures and periodically, my gums will become sore and a little red. When that happens, I rinse my mouth with Listerine, the original flavor. It helps with the pain and it kills germs. So does hot salt water.

Also you should probably see your doctor about it. It always helps too to say a prayer to God for help and ask him to cure it.
I'll say a prayer for you also.
PML

garee14, I do that when I have brushed my teeth and hit my gums with the toothbrush. Rinse with warm salt water. Also, I'm wondering if you are starting with some gum recession as that can cause this too.

Blessings & Prayers....

Thank you so much.

It almost feels like blisters just below the inside of the upper molars like when you burn your mouth when you eat something that's too hot. Thanks for the Blessings.

After 3 years from throat and neck radiation I still have blister problems in the roof of my mouth (Palate) and soreness. Still cannot swallow normally. Using stomach tube (PEG tube) for Glucerna nourishment for the past 3 years now. Also cannot produce saliva yet.

Went to talk about it with the radiation doctor. He just looked in my mouth with pen light without using a tongue depressor and said it looks like scar tissue.. He is just trying to cover his radiation machine that mostly did the damage.

I still have sores on my inside cheek and roof of my mouth after 2011 radiation. I was recently diagnosed with a left lateral lesion on my tongue described as "inflamed ulcer with bizarre and mitotically-active stromal cells suggestive of radiation therapy related atypia." This will most likely develop into cancer unless I have that part of my tongue removed. I am 75. I will not have any part of my tongue removed. If my tongue has not healed in over 14 years, any surgery would most likely end up with only further life-time sores, not to mention speech and eating issues.

I underwent hyperbaric chamber therapy after 5 years of extreme suffering and it did help a lot. Most of the sores healed, just not all of them.

Hi @pampou,

I was diagnosed with Tongue cancer on my left side of my mouth on March 1, 2024, and had a left partial glossectomy with a radical forearm free flap surgery on April 3, 2024. It also included a modified radical neck dissection. This one was not caused by HPV and was most likely from too much radiation from my first cancer which was on my left tonsil (2008) as it is literally adjacent to it.

I had hesitated with getting the neck dissection too since I had no cancer in any of my lymph nodes on my pet scan, but I went to the top two cancer clinics who specialize in the head & neck cancer in WI, and both had proposed the exact same treatment option, so I felt comfortable. It was really to make sure the lymph nodes and other sections of the neck all had clear margins thus, I avoided any radiation and chemo additional treatments especially since I had both back in 2008 with my tonsil cancer. In addition, I don't know if I would have accepted any more radiation either since it probably was the cause of my tongue cancer.

Time will tell if it was the right decision in getting the neck dissection. I definitely have some Neck Fibrosis, Lymphedema, Swallowing, Speech issues from it so far in which I have to get PT for.

Good luck on your journey and God speed.

I had neck dissection with my parotid (salivary gland) cancer, 17 lymph nodes removed. Had all clear margins. No further problems after the surgery itself. It was the Proton radiation (no chemo) that damaged my mouth and my hearing and a lot of other issues.
There is no way I would ever undergo more radiation for any part of my body. I have fits when I need a dental x-ray and avoid them whenever possible.
Wishing you all the luck in the world.