Question everybody. My mom has been doing great all check ups clean etc. Now this morning she woke up and the right side of her face is swollen and feels really tight. Is this a normal after effect of radiation? Or is this something she should be concerned about? Its been almost 3 months since she completed radiation is it normal for something like this to come up now?

Thanks in advance for any input.......

Dani

Dani,

Anything noticeable that is different today than yesterday deserves a call to the doctor. I hope it is nothing to worry about but the medical professionals would better know.

Ed

Ed,
She left a message for her ENT and has an appointment with him next Wednesday. I'm really scared. I told her it is probably nothing to worry about but after reading a few of the posts about swelling I'm kind of freaking out. I'm going to get in touch with her and see what the doctor said. She just went back to work on Tuesday. I'll let you guys know what happens.

Dani

Dani, I hope I can calm some of your fears. It is certainly prudent for your mom to see her doc, but I had swelling off and on after radiation for several months. Not huge, but I could see the difference in the mirror. In my case, this amounted to nothing, and I hope it is the same for your mom.

Thank you Joanna,

That means so much. I am still waiting for her doctor to call me back. He must be having a late night because its already almost 8pm and I know he schedules sugeries all day fridays and won't be able to call tommorrow. My mom forgot to mention to me that she had been poking around in the hole in her mouth where she had the skin graph that didn't really take and food always gets stuck in there. She also used the water pik a couple times yesterday so in my head I'm thinking that's what is causing the swelling. Its only a slight swelling in the jawline and not really noticeable to anybody unless she points it out. So hopefully its just irratated. I'll post when we find out what it is.

Dani

Hi Dani,

I have no experiece with the problem you mention. I have read some older posts that suggest it may be lymnatic fluid that can't drain off. Gentle massage may cause the swelling to clear. Look up some of the older post's as I'm sure I've read about this in the past.
Problem with a radiated head my memory is less than what it was. Hoping for excellant results.

Dan

Hi Dani

Your mom's doing the smart thing making the appointment for the doc. If it's more of a general type of swelling, could very well by lymphodema (sp?) caused because the fluid can't dain down the lymph passages like they used to. Pretty common to have it for several months after surgery and radiation. Looked like a chipmunk for a few months, felt like one for a couple months more. I'm a year out and still have a slight case of it now and then. Comes and goes. But, get it checked out to make sure.

Bob

Dani,

I'm hoping your mother's swelling will turn out to be nothing serious. The site where the food got stuck probably is still very sensitive and could be reacting. Like Bob, I had quite a bit of swelling for many months afterward -- it looked like a case of mumps that wouldn't go away.

Cathy

Dani, I am almost two years out from surgery and radiation, still have swelling on the left side of my face, therapist is treating it as lymphedema with light massage, etc. and it has helped a bit. But I am thinking it might always be this way. God Bless you and your Mom! Take Care, Carol

Thank you all for your replies you have helped to ease my mind a great deal. It seems like every week my life gets a little more normal and then these stupid bumps in the road appear and they totally throw me off. Her doctor has not yet called me back and that really bothers me as well (usually I get a call within hours of my messages)but I will be up at my mom's house tommorrow so I can see first hand what she is talking about. She said her face on the right side has always been a bit swollen from the radiation but it just seems more swollen now so I will have to see what she is talking about.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Dani

Dani - did you ever get a response about your mom's swelling? My sister is still going through her radiation treatment and her face is swollen - in fact she told me she thinks she looks like L'il Lulu - remember that cartoon? The rad techs told her she will be surprised at how quickly it goes down after treatment stops but for the time being it is annoying to say the least.

Dani,
I noticed that my dad's face swelled up after his treatment last week. I was told that it probably had something to do with the steroids that they've given him as part of his treatment. I don't know if your mom is getting steroids, but perhaps that may be a culprit. Sorry that she's experiencing this. Best wishes.
D

Her swelling went down quite a bit but now there appears to be an area in her mouth where the skin graph was that has some bone exposed this is causing her severe pain and probably has to do with the swelling. Her dentist gave her antibiotics to bring the swelling down because when he realized the bone was exposed it seems to be somewhat infected. She just had a PET/CT scan on friday so we will get the results on Wednesday. I'm a little overwhelmed at this point and I'm praying that everything is ok. This is the most horrible and frightening diesese. Its like a being on the road with a bunch of roadblocks and it seems like once we get through one another pops up. I'm praying for good news with the scan. I will keep you all posted. Thank you for you responses.

Dani

Dani,

I'm praying for good results today from your mom's PET/CT scans. Keep us posted. I hope your mom has some good pain drugs for the pain she's experiencing in her mouth right now. The swelling should subside with time. Your mom is lucky to have you by her side during this difficult process. Hang tough.

Hugs, Nancy