Hi Ray,

I was in the same boat as you 4 years ago about this very time. The doctors can tell you what most people experience, but they can never tell you exactly when the symptoms will hit you because you body reacts differently.

I too had a mouthwash that had 4 meds in it two being Benedryl and a topical anesthetic to basically numb everything in the mouth. I don't remember what the other two were but it worked. I was not on any other pain killers through the whole process.

As crazy as it sounds now, I wish I had been stretching my mouth and continue to use it during the radiation. You really want to avoid trismus if you can at all costs. Talk to your doctors about it and see if they can recommend a swallowing therapist that may be able to help you through the radiation. I did my swallowing therapy afterwards which worked, but I wish I had kept my mouth moving during radiation. It would have made recovery mush easier.

Hang it there and feel free to ask me any questions on or off the forum.

Jim