#58844 08-24-2006 01:14 PM | Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 167 Gold Member (100+ posts) | OP Gold Member (100+ posts) Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 167 | Hi,
My Dad's voice; sore throat and coughing phlegm seemed to clear up a few weeks after treatment finished. Then he got a sore throat (think it was the AC); a froggy voice and a bit of phlegm again. Well the sore throat cleared up; but he stil has the froggy voice and doing the throat clearing all the time again. It's been 12 weeks since treatment finished.
Anyone have this too? The froggy voice?
Thanks
My Dad (Sam) at age 69 dx SCC Base of Tongue T1N2C Well-Diff - March 2006.
35 IMRT rads & 3 Cisplatin chemos - Apr-June/06. Nodes shrunk 50% Dr's suggest ND. Negative PET - he declined ND.
March/07 Had Bilateral ND. No Cancer!! Doing Well!
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#58845 08-24-2006 06:06 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Lisa, most of us actually lost our voice for a week or more post Tx. A humidifier might help. I still use one to this day. AC will strip the moisture out of the air faster than turning the heat on.
Gary Allsebrook *********************************** Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2 Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy) ________________________________________________________ "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#58846 08-25-2006 04:41 AM | Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 167 Gold Member (100+ posts) | OP Gold Member (100+ posts) Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 167 | Hi Gary;
yes he used a humidifier during treatment and it sure helped.
That's good to know about the AC. He pretty much keeps it off; but we had a heat wave so they had to put it back on for a bit (boy was their house hot ha).
His voice was bad during and after treatment; 'then it cleared up'. Now it's back to being froggy and has been like that for a month. Anyone else have this? your voice cleared up then went back to being hoarse raspy froggy ?
My Dad (Sam) at age 69 dx SCC Base of Tongue T1N2C Well-Diff - March 2006.
35 IMRT rads & 3 Cisplatin chemos - Apr-June/06. Nodes shrunk 50% Dr's suggest ND. Negative PET - he declined ND.
March/07 Had Bilateral ND. No Cancer!! Doing Well!
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#58847 08-25-2006 08:25 AM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 207 Platinum Member (200+ posts) | Platinum Member (200+ posts) Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 207 | Hi Lisa,
I'm two years out. Still can't sing and voice changes constantly. Deep to hoarse. Sometimes it's better, someetimes worse. I think in time it may level out, but I don't worry about it. I guess you could call my voice "froggy". The radiation gets bvery close to the vocal cords. It takes them a long time to heal. i'm not sure mine will ever get back to the way they were, but I don't really carfe as long as I remain in remission.
Steve
SCC, base of tongue, 2 lymph nodes, stage 3/4. 35 X's IMRT radiation, chemo: Cisplatin x 2, 5FU x2, & Taxol x2. Hooray, after 3 years I'm in still in remission.
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#58848 08-25-2006 02:10 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 541 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 541 | Hi Lisa, I don't know how "froggy" your Daddy's voice is. As said by others, the voice of most oral cancer patients is adversely affected after treatment, at different degrees. I lost my voice during the latter half of treatment and lasted for a month. After that it was back but not the same old voice I once had. I could take up teaching again and students had no difficulty in understanding me. I am now almost 5 years in remission, the voice is still raspy and it changes without apparent reasons. There are times when my voice is very clear but other times people think that I am suffering from a heavy cold. For friends who know me well, I need not explain to them and for those people who are not my friends, I just tell them I am having a cold. Time helps me overcome this voice problem and as long as it doesn't block my communication with others, I feel pleased. A small price we need to pay in exchange for our precious life.
Karen
Karen stage 4B (T3N3M0)tonsil cancer diagnosed in 9/2001.Concurrent chemo-radiation treatment ( XRT x 48 /Cisplatin x 4) ended in 12/01. Have been in remission ever since.
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#58849 08-25-2006 02:19 PM | Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 837 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 837 | Lisa,
I went for a long time after radiation having "froggy" spells with my voice. It was mostly due to dry mouth problems (I described it to people back then as feeling like I had been chewing on sawdust). If I couldn't stay hydrated enough, it would turn raspy very quickly. With more time, more healing, and the help of medication and Biotene products, I have fewer problems with it. For the past 14 years, I've been able to go back to singing in choirs on a regular basis, which has been a real plus.
Cathy
Tongue SCC (T2M0N0), poorly differentiated, diagnosed 3/89, partial glossectomy and neck dissection 4/89, radiation from early June to late August 1989
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