On 2/1/2007 Lilsaunt wrote:
My father has cancer of the larnyx and finish chemo and radiation right before x-mas. the past week or two his neck has started to swell and its just getting worse. is this normal??
I didn't have cancer of the larnyx. My cancer was at the base of my tongue but I think some of the side effects may be the same. I had surgery on my neck to remove some cancerous lymph nodes and then sixty radiation treatments, twice a day, five days a week for six weeks along with chemo once a week for six weeks and then chemo one month later. Three weeks after my last chemo the front of my neck swelled. It looked as though I had swallowed a baseball that got stuck in my neck. Diagnosis was Lymphedema. ENT said it would eventually go away. Radiation Oncologist wanted me to have some therapy for it. I underwent mild massage therapy for four weeks (twelve one hour sessions) and was taught massage techniques to use at home. Also, I had to place a mild compress (ace wrap) on my neck at night while sleeping because this is when the swelling would get worse. Over a year later I still have some swelling and fluid in the font of my neck but not as pronounced as is was originally. You may want to inquire as to whether this is lymphedema. If it is, therapy will help to a degree.
Paul