G'day Mahootna,   Yep one certainly does go through the wringer with head and neck cancer. You seem to have had it a bit rougher than Me. I don't know if I would have coped so well as you have.   That thrush can drive you nuts, the burning and stinging you get in mouth and throat particularly after eating. I would want to hope when my treatment ends on the 13th that I do eventually get my taste back and the thrush healing this is what lead me to having an NG tube placed in today.   I was a bit wobbly after today's radiotherapy session so they sent me down to the Rad bay and had nurses check me out.   There they discovered my blood pressure was pretty low, 95 over 65 and a super cracked tongue as well as the mouth ulcers and thrush. They called one of my treating Oncoligists down and He decided I was dehydrated and not getting enough nutrition.   They put me on a drip to get fliuds into me and then placed the NG tube in via camera or with the aid of a camera. I could see the thrush all down my esophagus tube as well as more ulcers. Having the NG tube put it wasn't a pleasent exeperience either.   They asked why I wasn't eating and drinking much and I expalined to them that everything... fluids and food tatses crap and I could no longer stomach food and drink.   Had the dietician come visit me in the rad bay and She explained how to use the NG tube and cleaning it etc and to have 6 bottles of the stuff She gave me per day via the NG tube.   Back of my head is going bald too, clumps of hair falling out. Not sure if it's the radio or chemo doing that?   My Oncologist was surprised and  told me I did very well to get this far without a feeding tube. Then I surprised Him by telling Him I too am surprised I got this far without telling you to shove it!  :D   Yeah mate I know life will not be as it was before. I would like the old me back not the new Me.   I would have thought the chemo would have been far worse than the radiation. For me, I found this not be the case. I have had vitually no side effects with the chemo apart from consitpation. All the side effects seem to be from the radiation.   I can tell you one thing...I will never subject myself to radiation treatment again. When this over that's it I'm out and done.   Wishing you all the best Mahootna for now and in the future.   Maurie           ... View more

Hi April,   Very sorry for the much delayed reply, been going through a bloody nightmare!   Yes I do have good support through family friends, Sometimes though I would love to tell them to can it. I know they mean well and all but it can be a bit much to take at times.   RE Peg: No I do not have one as I have Afib so  I am on warfarin, they were reluctant to put a peg in incase it brought on bleeding. They have offered me a Naso gastric tube but I only have 10 more days to go and one chemo session left this coming Monday.   Radiotherapy ends on the 13th and at the moment I have the most aweful case of oral thrush I have ever seen, the pain is through the roof with it. I'm eating weetbix morning noon and night with baby food lol.   Lost a fair bit of weight which the Doctors are not hapy about, they have been giving me these foul tasting protien drinks loaded with calories. Ah, the mouth exercises they want me to do too as I am developing Trismus.  I'm not really drinking much fluids too due to the trush so may need to relent on the feeding tube to stay hydrated. They put me on Fluconazole to treat the thrush today so hoping that kicks in soon and clears it up.   I have been so tired of late though I am guessing that is due to large amounts of Endone I am taking.   Everything tastes utter crap no matter what I try, then there is the thick ropey mucus at night that Capt Australi mentioned. I never thought it could get so bad.   Only ten more days to go...I know I will putting up with these side effects much longer than that when treatment ends.   I did have a Pet scan on the 19th of February and that showed the cancer in tonsil or what little there was there is now gone. There was a small part of cancer on the base of the tongue which has now cleared as well.   The lymph nodes show the cancer is being wiped out.   In my opinion this type of treatment is one of the most brutal one can go through with head and neck cancer.   They do not really tell you what you will actually go through with this treatment and how you will suffer. I suspect the reason for that is most would people get up and run out of the consult office screaming.  :D   Anyways, I hope this see's you all well.         ... View more

Hi April   I'd agree with you abut the diagnoses and treatment. I have done some research into this and what I'm up against, still, reading about it is one thing, going through it is entirely different as you know.   Thank you for the advice re constipation, to be honest I'd forgotten all about prunes. I must get some and add them to my diet. I will try all as I have posted above as well.   I wasn't to thrilled about the Chemo to be honest myself. They did tell Me that the Radiation would be the main the treatment and that I could probably forego the Chemo however, Since they cannot find the primary or aren't sure where it is, they  have advised that chemo is benificial to my treatment.   I think from memory my TNM was T 0 since they can't locate primary N 2  as both lymph nodes either sides of neck affected. M O Since it has not metastasized out of the head neck area...well, not yet!   I am booked in for Pet Scan on 19th  to see how treatment is going and hopefully it's going all to plan.   Wishing you all the best   Maurie   ... View more

Hi Captain Australi   I saw my Chemo Dr. this morning after Rad sesssion. I mentioned the constipation to Her, She advised "Water" Drink plenty of water.   She told me to take two Coloxl+sena in mornings and two at night. Also Two sachets of Movicol morning night.   Since Chemo on Monday I have a new side effect, Hicupping! It can last for hours and even wake me It has been driving me insane... so today She also prescribed Largactil 10 mg take one three times a day and see how that goes.   I knew and expected side effects in my mouth  from what I have read here in this thread and elswhere but  that went down hill quick for Me. I wasn't expecting my mouth to deteriorate so quickly!   I have a burning sensation all inside mouth and throat. Dry mouth, taste is fading fast. Everything is beginning to taste like cardboard. I am now starting to get thickish mucus particularly when trying to sleep at night.   My Radiation Oncologist prescribed Mucosoothe. This, foul tasting thick pink stuff is supposed to numb your mouth and throat before you eat. It helps but does not really numb it that much. I'm still forcing myself to eat solid foods and each time I swallow it's like swallowing barbed wire. I found it helps it eat a Paddle pop before main meal lol, that numbs throat better.   Oncologist also prescribed Endone, take one three times a day. Next week He says He will give Me fentanyl Patches.   I'm also using the mouth wash they gave me at hospital rinsing 4 times a day. I'll be happy if I can get the constipation under control and get rid of these damn hiccups.   Hope this see's you doing well Mate.         ... View more

Hi Shane   Thanks for the advice, I'll look into Somac when I see doc next week. Will also give Coloxyl a go as well.   I had bloodwork done on Friday so should know results tomorrow when I go in for second round of chemo and into second week of Radiation. I do have a cold sore coming up just under my bottom lip so will mention that to them as well tomorrow. Don't know if that will affect treatment and if they will give me anything for it.   Reading what you guys have posted I am expecting things to get considerably worse in regards to side effects. I am already complaining about losing my taste lol and the mouth getting dryer.   Maurie     ... View more

Hi Everyone,   I am a reluctant member of this little club as from October last year. I noticed a swollen Cervial lymphnode on the left side of my neck mid October, I am a 54 yr old Male.   I was referred for an ultrsound of said lymphnode and biospy in November and was found to have Squamous Cell Carcinoma.   ENT believed it had started in left Tonsil and performed a partial biopsy of left Tonsil and Tongue. I then had a Petscan which showed the Tumor mass in Cervical node and effecting the node directly under it as well and Cancer starting to affect Node on right side of neck.   This is where it gets tricky, petscan only showed one tiny dot in left PalatineTonsil so now they aren't sure where it started. Tonsil biopsy showed Tonsil clear!   Anyway's started Tomo Radiotherapy last week on 29th Janaury as well as Carboplatin. I had to have two sessions of radiation on Friday as the Monday before was a public Holiday.   I will be having 35 session of radiotherapy as well as weekly carboplatin.   So a week in and my mouth is already beccoming dry. I am losing my taste, I have a slight stinging sensation in my mouth. I have had some terrible acid reflux which I rarely if ever had before  and unsure if it's the radiation or Chemo causing this?   Due to my hearing they decided carboplatin would be best. I would argue that point though my god, the carboplatin gives me chronic constipation.   Some helpful tips posted from you guys so I will be putting those to use in an effort to make things as comfortable as possible.   One week down six to go. Wishing you all the best in your continued recovery and good health.   Maurie       ... View more