My dear friend has been diagnosed with stage 3 borderline 4 tonsil cancer. I have been doing lots of research and asking doctors on advice on what he will be going through. My doctor suggested to look into an oral suction machine because he may need one later in his radiation treatment. My friend called the the cancer center he is going to asking what kind and to get more info. I guess a staff member spoke to him, who said absolutely not. She said his he mouth will be very sensitive and he can poke a hole in his cheek. All the things i have read I never came across this. Has anyone else heard or found out complications with this device?

The suction can be quite strong especially damaging to tissues that are damaged, friable, and paper thin from the treatments. Any suction device must have some means for controlling the amount of suction at the tip so it can be turned down low. I have even see these for sale on eBay, besides the local medical supply stores.

We have had posters here use them successfully, but doctors as a rule do not like them as they can sometimes, when used on delicate tissues by someone who is doing much of the job by feel, not visually, cause significant harm.

Thanks for your respose Brian but I am still confused should it be used if needed. Have you heard of any bad expiernces? or more positive ones?
Kathy

Kathy,

Just like about every side effect of this Tx, everyone can react differently. I for one, had what I considered really bad thick mucous probably for a couple of weeks but I never needed/got a suction machine. Others here felt they needed one and I don't ever remember anyone complaining about using it.

I had a suction machine, prescribed by my Dr. and provided by the same medical supply company that used to deliver feeding tubes and formula, etc. I used it with great success. It is not a lot different from what you use in the dentist's chair. At the time when I was discharging large amounts of mucous it was a real help and more comfortable to use than constantly spitting into and wiping my mouth with tissue. I kept it by my easy chair during the day and by my bedside at night and it really did the job, with no negatives.

Good luck,
Danny G.

I made it through my first cancer TX without a suction machine, but after the recurrence & surgery, the ICU had a suction machine available. I wish my ICU nurses had shared the concerns that Brian mentioned since I did not want to suck out my stitches or disturb the flap but when I asked the nurses to do it, they refused & just said I had to learn to do it myself so I asked my wife to do it when she visited that day so I could learn where to safely put it. since I could not swallow, I would have drowned in saliva without the suction and I used a home machine up until last month. It was a godsend for the really thick mucous. My ENT surgeon ordered it for me along with the feeding bags and it was delivered to my door. There was an initial fee but the rental charge was only $6 a month after insurance. I had ZERO bad experiences with it (unless you count the icky chore of washing & cleaning the suction tubes with its slimy mucous residue)

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, I will pass it on to my friend.
Kathy