With an HPV+ tumor, Stage 4, what has been your advice on alcohol consumption from this point forward. I've never been a heavy drinker but do like a drink on occasion. ENT surgical oncologist okay'd drinks on occasion; radiation oncologist laughed and walked out. Thoughts?

only one - you've just had the most harrowing year of your life and you are questioning whether or not you should enjoy an occasional drink?

But seriously, there are studies out there that suggest that heavy drinking in tandem with smoking is a very very bad idea. I have also read a review (sorry can't find it now) that suggests that heavy drinking (daily consumption of 4 standard drinks or more) is independently associated with oral cancer. I haven't read anything that suggests an occasional drink does anything other than make you feel good.

My RO was OK with me having a drink or 2 on occasion post Tx, just not excessive. I didn't want anything to do with beer until maybe a year post Tx but now a cold beer tastes just as good as it did pre Tx.

I think the one thing that I did stop that we seldom talk about here that may have set my mouth up for cellular changes is I stopped using the alcohol based Listerine. Man pre Tx I used to put a mouthfull of that stuff in my mouth after each brushing and walk around for 10 minutes or so before spitting it out and afterwards my mouth would have a burning feeling to it which I thought was good, you know like the inside of my mouth had just been pressure washed. JMO

David,

I too have rediscovered beer and have enjoyed about 3 or 4 of them since last summer. They really do taste just as good as before treatment!

- Margaret

Kevin

If you still have your PEG, there is no issue at all with alcohol. For oral consumption, my MO and RO both said a couple of beers or glasses of wine a night were fine but no hard liquor. They treated my question with respect and based their answer on having treated hundreds of oral cancer patients and following them up. Note that I also had Stage IV tumor, HPV+
Definitely ditch any alcohol mouthwash, OCF turned me onto Biotene which works very well and is specially formulated to add enzymes we used to get with our old saliva to combat plaque.

My first thought is that your RO is so very lucky that he does not have me as a patient. Laughing at a question and walking out would have triggered a very stern rebuke from me Absent an apology, formal complaints. Perhaps he watches too much "House". But then I made my living by being more trouble than I was worth.
Charm

My ENT also said that an occassional beer wouldn't be a problem. My mouth is still pretty sensitive, however, and even communion wine sort of burned. On New Years' Eve I did have a coffee w/a shot of Kalhua (sp?) and some cream, and that didn't bother me at all. I used to like having a margarita when I went to a Mexican restaurant, but don't think that I would even attempt that right now.