Radiation Pain

Denise,

I am in my 4th week of treatment 1 dose of cisplatin on mondays and 5 days of radiation for 7 weeks, from post surgery primary of the right tonsil and neck dissection all margins were negative ....

Ive been fortunate thus far to have very minimal effect from treatment, and seem to be following all the recommendation of the goup as well.

Oral hygiene: Biotene and few times a day and in between the use of a t-spoon of salt and baking soda to 20 oz of water. brushing several times a day

as for skin care, Ive been using Eucerin, its a water base product and I have been happy with the results thus far.

Lots of protien and glutamine and soft foods in small meals 5 to 6 times a day

Ive had a problem with metallic test in my mouth, lemon flavored water seems to help and  use of plastic utensils

I wish you and yours the best

Hi there!  My husband had SEVERE pain after the second radiation treatment.  It was so bad, it literally brought him to his knees.  I had nothing but Vicoden at home, and nothing was helping.  Turns out he had an infection, and it's cleared up now.  We were both freaking out, because it was just way too soon into treatment to be in that kind of pain.  Today is treatment number 10 of 33, and he's just now starting to complain of a 'sunburn on the inside' of his throat, and he's having a little bit of stiffness in his jaw.  My poor husband had gone from being healthy, to a biopsy, then tonsillectomy and neck disection two days later.  2 weeks after that all of his upper teeth were pulled.  So, the natural balance of bacteria in his throat was all out of whack, which allowed the infection to take over.

 Geez, I'm babbling.

 In other words.  No, it does not hurt to actually have the radiation treatment.  And should take a few weeks before you start to feel the effects.  My best advise is to read read read this entire board.  Stock up now on things you think will help (L-Glutamine, cool mist humidifyer, etc.)  Remember that everyone is different, and everyone reacts differently to these treatments. 

Hey Babzilla,

Thanks for your reply. I had read your email before about the terrible time your husband had immediately after his treatment started. His info is what spurred me to try to get a clearer picture of what others had experienced. It sounds like he was unfortunate in that he got an infection. I 'm sure he was glad there was an explanation and this was not the expected. He certainly needs a break with all that he has been through already.

My husband began radiation today and has done alright--physically he is good, but he is still very anxious. I think that will get better as he gets further along. We moved out of state to get treatment in Fla. and are staying at the American Cancer Society's Lodge. There is a wonderful support group of patients. Maybe as Larry gets to know people with similar situations he will relax a little.

Thank you again for your email. Take care of yourself and give your husband 'lots of hugs because Cancer Sucks!!!

DeniseB

On 5/5/2008 BradnOhio wrote:

Denise,

I am in my 4th week of treatment 1 dose of cisplatin on mondays and 5 days of radiation for 7 weeks, from post surgery primary of the right tonsil and neck dissection all margins were negative ....

Ive been fortunate thus far to have very minimal effect from treatment, and seem to be following all the recommendation of the goup as well.

Oral hygiene: Biotene and few times a day and in between the use of a t-spoon of salt and baking soda to 20 oz of water. brushing several times a day

as for skin care, Ive been using Eucerin, its a water base product and I have been happy with the results thus far.

Lots of protien and glutamine and soft foods in small meals 5 to 6 times a day

Ive had a problem with metallic test in my mouth, lemon flavored water seems to help and  use of plastic utensils

I wish you and yours the best

 

Thanks BradnOhio,

We appreciate the input. We'll plan on the salt and baking soda rinse and biotene. I'm checking on the use of the Glutmine use also with our oncolgist. I just heard about the plastic utensilsl use tonight from another patient so we will get those too!!!

I hope you continue to do well with your treatment!!! All of the feedback from the group is paving the way for the rest of us, so thank you for sharing!!!!!!!

DeniseB

On 5/4/2008 Girlcat36 wrote:

Hi, I am 11 months out from completing 35 rads and 3 rounds of chemo for tonsil cancer. Throughout the course of my treatment, I only used advil for throat pain management. I also was able to continue solid foods throughout TX. so there is hope! It's a little rough, but doable!

WOW--you have got to be the poster child for pain tolerance---that is awesome and you are very fortunate!! Congrats for being a survivor!! Your story certainly gives us hope.

DeniseB

On 5/6/2008 DeniseB wrote:

 

 WOW--you have got to be the poster child for pain tolerance---that is awesome and you are very fortunate!! Congrats for being a survivor!! Your story certainly gives us hope.

I don't think I have a high pain tolerance. I just did not read the horror stories before I began treatment--so I did not expect a high level of pain. I told my doctor's not to discuss side effects with me. Therefore, I was not definately anticipating being on morphine and fentanyl patches. Also, I had absolute faith that God would increase my tolerance a the pain increased. So, yes, radiation without narcotic pain relief is rare---but it can happen. The mind is very powerful.

I like to throw my story out there to balance out all the 'horror' stories.

One thing that I always did that may have had some bearing on having less pain----I religiously did neck and tongue stretching exercises. If you think about it, radiation is all about burning, scarring and strictures. If you can keep your neck and throat flexible, stretched, and moving, the better off you'll be.