I agree with the she may need more/better pain meds from above. In about week 4-7 of radiation I had to use oral lidocaine rinse before every meal (and often times between meals also). By week 7 I had to use it both before and then during the meal to be able to get a whole meal down.

Be careful though, too much pain relief and she won't be able to feel the inside of her mouth at all. That could be really bad during meals as she won't know if she is chewing up her own tongue.

Good luck with all this, it's a tough road to travel.

Tony

Tony, 69, non-smoker, aerobatics pilot, bridge player/teacher, avid dancer (ballroom, latin, swing, country)

09/13 SCC, HPV 16, tonsillectomy, T2N0.
11/13 start rads, no chemo
12/13 taste gone, dry mouth,
02/14 hair slowly returning
05/14 taste the same, dry sinuses, irrigation helps.
01/15 food taste about 60% returned, dry sinuses are worse in winter.
12/20 no more sinus problems, taste pretty good