Hey there as someone else may have told you - have your TSH level checked... Bloodwork right after will not hold the answers for you if your thyroid is on its way out then it will likely be more noticeable an few months from now.

Mike,

Reading whatyou have written is like reading about myself. Age the same, treatment the same, peg, after effects the same etc for the most part. I hope to be reading that everything is going very well for you.

Mr. Mike,

Welcome to OCF and congratulations on finishing your treatment! The OCF forum is a great place to find information and support, and for more information check out the OCF website. You�ve received a lot of good advice and it seems you were already on top of things.

Some folks had to have their teeth removed prior to RT. If you still have your teeth make sure you take extra care with them. A lot of us were told to continue to use the �fluoride trays� daily even after finishing radiation. Another suggestion is to use a water pik (lowest setting) to clean your mouth and teeth, and for dry mouth try Biotene products (toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.).

Yes, current research has shown that being HPV+ is a good thing!!

Best wishes and keep us posted! If you have any questions, just ask!

I contacted my radiologist about a month after last treatment and he seemed unconcerned about the swallowing, but he did make me another appointment. My instincts tell me I should be working on this swallowing before now but this is all new to me. I dunno what to do. Do they recommend "dry swallowing? just to exercise the muscles?

On hair loss: Beard (fairly heavy) mostly gone. Some left high on cheek and sideburns. Hair on nape of neck is gone. Thinned out on top of my head. None of this is an issue for me.

Had a few unrelated skin cancers removed last week. Basel cell and Squamous cell. More cutting to clear margins. Had Stage III melanoma in 1994 which I some how survived so the anxiety level rises with these skin cancers.

The tingling is in my back and the back of my arms not in the extremities where most others report. It's uncomfortable but for now tolerable.

Thick mucous still persists but is decreasing. I get a foamy mouth whenever i talk a lot. Otherwise mouth is becoming more dry.

Thanks again for comments. I will be following discussions closely.

Mr Mike

Mike

You do not have to wait for your doctor to start some swallowing exercises. Here is a link to the exact exercises that two SLPs had me doing and they are standard. Swallowing exercises
Any doctor of yours can write a prescription for you to see a therapist to help you with these exercises. You will want a SLP (speech language pathologist). Here is a link to a general overview of how they can help you
slp info

Okay: beard loss: I no longer have to shave my neck. It took a couple of years before the beard actually came back, and even now I can skip a day without shaving whereas before, one day and I had more of a beard than those patchy things young people sport. I now have a luxurious and full handlebar mustache.

Keep the faith
charm

There is a free iPad, iPhone Apps and iTunes called iSwallow, which has 15 swallowing exercise videos on them. It is supposed to be used under the direction of a clinical swallowing therapist, to assist patients with their swallowing program, but you need a password to access the full site, which has to be requested from the the University running it, but the exercise videos still show under "Instructions" to anyone who downloaded it to give an idea how they are done, but suggest you speak with a professional before attempting any.

If you do see a Speech and Swallow therapist, you may want to inquire about accessing the full site, which has a log, an alarm reminder to exercise, and a few others.

Good luck.

I am pretty sure my Dr will set up an appointment with a Speech therapist. I did not attempt to swallow of a long period as the pain was excrucitating. In fact I began loosing weight well before I started treatment because it took me for ever to eat. The PEG helped greatly with nutrition. My pain is much alleviated now but sure feels like there is a big lump in my throat. I am sure he will stick that scope of his down there next Tuesday and make sure things are OK.

For general interest my radiologist offered me a clinical trial where they gave full dosage (50 grey)to the primary site (base of tongue) and a lesser amount of radiation to the lymph nodes. I declined as I wanted the cancer gone! The trial was to see if the lesser dose was as effective as the full dose in the infected nodes but with fewer side effects.

Mr Mike

Met with the radiologist yesterday. He scoped me and did a full examination. He said the swallowing is often more of a problam with base of tongue cancers and mine was pretty big. He scheduled me for both swallow tests that will also be observed by a speech therapist so I am hoping that they will put me on a program that will return my swallowing function.

Also I am a singer (not professionally)and my voice is much lower than before. I cannot hit the higher notes without squeaking, but I think with practice that may improve. In fact I have practivced a little each day and notice some capability returning but it is now where near where I used to be....probably a third of my previous range.
Mr Mike

In time you will improve. Keep up the practice and you will get better.

Kevin's voice is much deeper now. He couldn't sing too well after tx, but now he sounds great again. Not the tenor he used to be though. Just a nice base!!
Kathy