We have two more Rad Tx's to go (Almost done -yeah!) and L is suffering now from the "thick secretions" in the back of his throat so many have talked about here. He says they're way in the back of his throat and I don't think they'd lend themselves to suction (he says they're too far down to "grab" with a kleenex, which someone suggested here).

I did a search here this morning for solutions and went out and bought the following while L was sleeping today:
1) humidifier
2) small bottles club soda (expensive!)
3) Guaifenesin (how much to use and how often?)

He threw up twice this morning because of this stuff (just when I thought we'd finally begun to win the war with nausea, here's a new reason!)

He's got a PEG tube but is still able to swallow, taking about half his calories by mouth. Does this get better over time? Any solutions I didn't think of yet?

Headed now to plug in the humidifier...
Thanks,
Deb

Yeah, I had that stuff way in the back of my throat too and teh vomiting from it. I just did a lot of gargling and spitting of water with a little salt and baking soda until that gunk went away. I also did take Guafenisin (in "Tussin" syrup form via the PEG--don't try syrup via mouth it would hurt) and that helped a little too. It is *really* great he's still swallowing half his calories by mouth when you are almost done with treatment. Maybe he can take the "Mucinex" guafenesin pills--they are really big, can't be ground up and put through the PEG and I couldn't get them down.

For me it took a wjhile for the gunk to go away altogether but it started getting to be somewhat less about 4 weeks out from radiation.

Nelie

Dear Debra, sometimes when John gets the thick slime in the back of his throat, he just uses a very warm water rinse to help it soften so he can spit it out. He has taught himself to get the suction tube pretty far back without gagging and that helps clean it out too.I hope this goes away for L soon, because it is really a yucky thing to deal with. Amy

Hi, Deb! Tom has this issue too. He asked his RO about it. RO explained that it is from the radiation burns in his throat "oozing." They will continue to do so until they heal.

Since it's not mucus, I can't see how guafenisin or mucinex would be of help. That being said, we are in the peak of fall allergy season "up North," and for a few days, Tom took benedryl and he said it helped a little, but what may have helped was the sedative effect that helped him sleep.

The stuff makes him gag--and so does the thought of suction. So he hacks it up and out (because it hurts him too much swallow now) and it makes him vomit every now and then. Even though L is still able to swallow, I would think the best thing is to spit it out since swallowing it might upset his stomach.

To try to keep the stuff loose, Tom uses the baking soda and salt water rinse regularly (1 t of each in 32 oz water). I'll be curious to hear if the humidifier helps.

Hang in there! I'll be thinking of you two on Wednesday and listening for the sound of the bell

Joyce

Debra,
It does get better. Just about the time that the thick mucous goes away and quits waking you up at night, the dry mouth begins waking you up. Actually I found the Yankauer suction machine very helpful. I did not use it to pull the stuff out of my throat, but to have someplace to discharge it other than into a tissue. I kept it by my easy chair during the day and bedside at night. It was amazing how much of that stuff I could discharge in a night.

Best of luck,
Danny G.

DannyG,
I read your post to Tom and he agreed to try the suction. We got the machine today and he has given it two thumbs up (because it hurts to talk). Thanks for reminding us that you can suction without "going fishing" for the goo when it's in the throat.

Joyce

Debra,

Maybe it is all in my head, but I found that when I took the Roxicet for the pain, a lot of my thick mucus also went away. I know that sounds strange, but it seems to help it. I just say this in case he also needs a pain medication it seemed to do both for me.

Sarah

Our radiation oncologist says the thick stuff/mucous is primarily from three sources:

1) sublingual saliva which is thick, sticky and ropy, comes to dominates salivary production (such as it is) when radiation shuts down the thin serous saliva from the parotid glands (the usual major source of mouth moisture)

2) mucous produced by damaged cells in throat.

3) phlegm from post-nasal secretions (also an effect of radiation)

He is a believer in guafenesin to help with (3) at least -- also using humidifier and sleeping with head somewhat elevated. Some patients are given suction machines as these can really help if the problem is severe.

As to the guafenesin, the point is to take the correct dosage of syrup -- it can be diluted to a considerable extent in water, just so the intake contains the appropriate dose. My husband did this so it did not burn, whereas "straight" from the bottle it was very irritating to his raw throat. We then discovered Mucinex and he was just able to get the tablet down, which (as Nelie said) cannot be broken or ground up as it's timed-release. It is good for 12 hours.

Our dental oncologist also said to use salt/soda rinses -- as many times a day as you can -- to heal the tissues.

It does get better, in fact, sometimes rather suddenly...

Gail

Gail-

1) What dosage of guafenesin did you use? (Robitussin says 2-4 tsps <10-20cc>)
2) And does it do any good at all to put it in through the PEG tube? Or is it only useful if you take it by mouth (diluting it as you mention to diminish the burn?

Thanks,
Deb