Swelling After Treatment

My husband finished his rad treatment on May 2nd and his 3rd chemo of cisplatnum the week after that.  He lost about 45-50 lbs so his neck is thin now.  Yesterday, the middle of his neck where his adam's apple is was swollen.  This morning the right side is also swollen and a little bit of his lower cheek on the right side is swollen. (his original lymph node were on his left side)  He is very nervous that the cancer came back.  I think he has an infection.  We have a folow up  appointment with both oncolgist on Wednesday but I think we should go tomorrow to check out this swelling.  Has this happened to anyone?

Thanks, Carol

Carol,

          Two questions ? first, did he have a neck dissection/ resection.

Second, does he sleep at a incline of roughly 45 degrees or does he sleep normal  ( flat ) with just one pillow ?

Reason for asking is the possibility of Lymphodema, which I learned about the hard way. It wasn't discussed to me until I started swelling up in my neck area. The fluids would rest in my neck causing tightness and swelling. Any removal of Lymph nodes makes the others work harder and fluid backs up.

I was sleeping in a incline position, but my back started to hurt sleeping that way, so I sleep in the normal, one pillow position. The down side is my neck swells up and I have to massage my neck each day after waking. Gravity does help out during the day, but if I do any heavy lifting or allot of bending down, the fluid builds up. I hope this helps alittle.

          My Best to everyone here

Hi,

He did not have the neck dissection yet.  We will make an appointment with the surgeon after his onco app this week. 

He starts out sleeping at an incline but he doesn't sleep well and ends up in weird positions.  The night before he said he woke up with his arm and his head dangling off the bed, just a few inches off the floor. I never would have thought that that would be the problem but I hope maybe that's the reason. Does the radiation effect the lymph nodes even before the dissection?   Also, there are no hard lumps under the swelling that I can feel.

Thank you.

hi,

i had this same problem towards the end of my Tx

The left side of my neck started to swell and i thought that the tonsil cancer from the Rt had move over to the LEFT and i was a mess.

but it turned out to just be clogged lymph nodes on the left side, a good hot shower to that side and hot compress and the next Am it was so much better

john 

It's possible he has an infection, happened to me last month at 7 months out of treatment. My neck swelled up so much I couldnt swallow and was starting to have trouble breathing. My wife took me to the ER and I spent the weekend in the hospital with an IV of antibiotics and steroids.

It could also be lymphedema, a buildup of lymphatic fluid in the neck. I get it occasionally, I look like I have half an orange under my chin. This is because the rediation destroys the lymph passages that drain fluid back into the body. My radiation oncologist told me it would straighten itself out in a year or two, as the body readjusted itself to the damage.

Keep an eye on him, if he shows any sign of worsening or infection (a fever, say) get him to the hospital, otherwise, I would just wait till the regular appointment if he's not having any problems.

Best wishes,

Mike

On 6/29/2008 capp519 wrote:

My husband finished his rad treatment on May 2nd and his 3rd chemo of cisplatnum the week after that.  He lost about 45-50 lbs so his neck is thin now.  Yesterday, the middle of his neck where his adam's apple is was swollen.  This morning the right side is also swollen and a little bit of his lower cheek on the right side is swollen. (his original lymph node were on his left side)  He is very nervous that the cancer came back.  I think he has an infection.  We have a folow up  appointment with both oncolgist on Wednesday but I think we should go tomorrow to check out this swelling.  Has this happened to anyone?

Thanks, Carol

Hi Carol -

I was surprised to read your posting and the responses.  Surprised because the same thing happened to me shortly after treatment (rad & cisplatin) ended and no one had ever mentioned it could happen.  I had cancer of the left tonsil and it was the left side of my face and neck that was swollen.  As others have said, it does not mean the cancer has returned.  When I called my rad oncologist office, I was told to come in and be checked out because the swelling could get to the point of cutting off my swallowing and possibly my breathing.  I was put on an antibiotic which brought the swelling down.  It's better to be safe so I would call your husband's doctor and alert him to the problem. 

Thank you everyone for your responses.  I feel so much better.  Although I keep telling my husband that its probably just an infection and not the cancer, deep down I was so worried.  I will let you know what the swelling is from after we see the doctor (either tomorrow or if she thinks we can wait until Wednesday)

Thank you all, Carol

Carol,

         Just to add to the prior posts above. The Lymph node system has roughly 100 or so Lymph nodes just in the face and neck area. Once I found out what the problem was, I was directed to a Cancer Physical Therapist. I was taught a very simple massage that will stimulate the flow of the Lymph node fluids. The over worked Lymphnodes fill up and cause the swelling and tightness in the neck.

          I had roughly 30 lymph nodes removed in my neck dissection/ resection ( right side ) . The swelling can cause the throat passage to narrow and cause problems swallowing as stated above. Also the after effects of Radiation.  Once the massage is learned, a person can do it several times a day and it should help out from anywhere between 4-6 hours and may have to be repeated again.

           As I was told, gravity is our friend in this case as the fluids do want to drain towards our stomach area. The Lymph node system moves at 1/3 the speed of our blood flow. Those with leg Lymphodema have a much rougher time than we do, from what I was told by the Therapist.

          Alot depends on the persons activity each day. Bending over and having your head in a low position causes swelling as well as lifting heavy items. I'm sure your husband is uncomfortable when sleeping in the incline position, but it might help him for now if he can maintian that position for awhile longer, until his body adjusts. My swelling isn't as bad as it was 2 yrs ago. But it still happens.         

          My Best to Everyone here