Went to the radiologist today with my dad. He has stage T-IV. We were told it is a very rapid growing cancer. Dad will receive 7 weeks of radiation 5x a week a with chemo once a week. Goes for masking tomorrow and brain and chest scans. On Thursday he will get the PEG tube put in. He will start treatment next week . The doctor told us about some of the side effects he will be experiencing including tissue breaking away,fatigue,thrush, and possible the skin on his neck opening up and draining. Can anyone help me with any info. on the side effects especially the thrush?

Thank You,
Mare
P.S. I am a only child and any support and advice you could give me is greatly appreciated.

The Candida (thrush) will not really be a factor for awhile, though as his immune system becomes weak from the radiation later in treatment, it will likely appear. Most of the complications related to treatment are discussed in the dental section of the main web site, or you can use this link http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/dental-complications.htm to get there. Candida is specifically discussed here: http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/candida.htm

I would also search the message board, (all forums), for the words thrush and Candida, as it has been discussed many times. The search engine for the message board is located at the top of the first page next to "my profile". The search engine for the main web site is located on each page which has a navigation bar at the bottom of the navigation links. If you still have questions after checking this out please ask them here. Many of us have awakened with the infamous "white tongue" and can help you further.

Hello, Mare. It looks like things are moving quickly for your dad, and that is very good. I had the same radiation and chemo schedule. Although my mouth got very sore, I did not get thrush or candida, so it is not inevitable. The fatigue hits everyone and comes on gradually. He will do a lot more sleeping by the fourth week, and that is normal. It is very good that he will have the PEG, as I did, because sometimes I was just too tired to eat, and my husband could get the food into me while I slept. I have no idea what "tissue breaking away" means and did not experience anything like that. As far as "neck opening up and draining" I think that means burns, which I didn't experience until the last week, but they oozed, as burns do. I think this sounds a lot more terrible than it is. Just take it one day at a time, and it is very doable. Good luck to you both! Let us know how you are doing, and come back with any questions. There are lots of people here who have been there and done that.
Joanna

Mare,
The doctor is required to disclose to you all possible side effects. I too had similar radiation and chemo treatment. I got a PEG after a few weeks due to difficulty swallowing. However, other than fatigue I did not experience any of the side effects that you speak of. My skin got red, but never broke, and I don't even know what thrush and candida are. The main problems that I had related to mucositis.
Let's hope that you guys never get to the worst case scenarios.

Danny G.

dig is right.... It is an issue of legal "informed consent" that doctors are obligated to tell us everything that MIGHT happen to us. That doesn't mean they are going to happen for sure. Let's optimistically hope that a minimum of side effects are involved in the treatment process.

Mare,

I am going through the same thing with my Dad. He has stage III-IV oral cancer. He has a tumor in the cheek of his mouth (his second tumor, the first was removed in Feb.) and he has some diseased tissue in his neck and one lymphnode on the oppisite side is diseased. He started chemo last tues. and it is rough. When he had the first tumor, he took radiation and he had several of the side effects you described. His face did bust open and drain. He also had and still has pieces of tissue that comes loose on the inside of his mouth. His biggest problem now is being very anxious and nervous. Also it takes him so long to eat such a small amount that he stays hungry all the time. It is very hard for him to chew and swallow. He is going in the morning to check on a feeding tube. I don't know about you but sometimes I feel very hopeful and positive but at other times I feel hopeless! I just keep thinking that he has only had one chemo treatment and he has a long way to go! This forum makes me feel alot better and more positive!

Good Luck!!
Kacy

Mare,

I also wanted to tell you that my Dad has had thrush several times. In fact he was just treated today for thrush that started over the weekend.

Kacy

Hi Mare,
I just finished 2 Cisplatin chemo and 33 radiation treatments and my skin reacted much like a sunburn - it peeled and was the first thing to heal. I spend a lot of my time in bed and sleep a lot. My energy level has improved a little since treatment was over. I have had thrush twice (late during treatment) and I just take Diflucan, right a way, for a week and it goes away. The mouth sores (radiation burns) on my tongue cause me the worst problems. I still have tissue sloughing off in the back of my throat. He'll have some passable days and a few very bad days but it sure beats the alternative. Just take it one day at a time. It does help to have the meds ready before you need them. Pain management, antiemetics, laxatives, Diflucan, etc.

Hello Mare,
When reading these posts Keep in mind they may sound bad and scary but we all made it ok. The side effects of the treatments are tough and your dad will be facing challenges. Rember that he can get through. Most of the side effects happen graduly so that you can prepare as they happen, the radiation treatments themselves are quick and painless while they happen. The fitting for the mask was the worst part of the treatment process for me and that dosn't hurt either.

It will be hard for him to get enough nutrition and you can help alot with that. Start that right away, convince him to work at it. Get help with that if you need it. The fatigue that will likely happen is something you kind of have to plod through. pace yourselves and try to come up with little distractions to brighten the day, use humor if you can. try to eliminate as much other stress in both your lives as you can. don't wait to ask for help.
Keep us posted.

Hi, I had cancer of the tonsil. You have been at it for a couple of months and I just got here so I guess the routine is getting pretty tiring. I became very attached to the folks in the treatment room, patients and technicians. I am a tough former Marine and we cried when I 'graduated' from radiation. I 'tried' to eat through the whole thing but my taste buds left and food taste terrible without flavor. I lived on my own version of a milkshake: recipe
Sprite,vanila icecream,breakfast drink all mixed. Don't try carbonated drinks straight.