Hi, my name is Lee and I live in a town called Manchester in the United Kingdom.

I was diagnosed in June 2006 with primary Right tonsil cancer that had spread to 5 of my right neck lymph nodes. I underwent neck resection, 20 radiotherapy sessions and two 24 hour courses of chemo. I am well on the way to recovery, but like most, I am still struggling with a dry mouth. I remain on morphine patches albeit on a very low dose. It has been a real struggle for me and my family, but hopefully I have now beat this awful disease. It is very encouraging to read the threads and to discover other peoples experiences. I am awaiting the results later in the week of a recent MRI scan, so keeping my fingers crossed. Regards

Hello Lee,

Welcome to OCF. Here you will find many answers to questions you may have.

I am guessing you are waiting for a 6 month MRI scan. I hope all will turn out OK for you. We are always a little nervous for the first few scans.

Oh yes the dreaded Dry Mouth. We all share in that one. I use a product called Oral Balance it is by Biotene. I have it in a gel and a liquid. It helps with the dry mouth. I am 1 year out from treatment and still have problems with dry mouth. I do have some saliva, but wish I had more. I keep waiting for more changes every month.

Hope all will continue to improve for you, it is a long journey for us all.

Take care,
Diane

Biotene has a whole line of dry mouth products, toothpaste, sugarless saliva gum, mouth gel, "persistent" mouthwash that lasts a bit longer at night...

Hi Lee,

Nice to hear from someone on the same side of the Atlantic! I am irish but I live in Luxembourg. I have a sister who lives near Manchester though, in Wilmslow.

I hope the MRI result goes well, let us know what happens.

Redser

Welcome Lee,

Sorry to see you are here but glad you made it to our board. I hope your scans are all negative.

Thanks Everyone. I will report back tomorrow after the scan, hopefully with good news.

I have been using the biotene gel for the last few weeks. Working really well, especially at night.

Lee

Good News from the Hospital today. Everything looks well and no sign of any recurrence.

Still on monthly check ups, but I can now start to get my life back on track, starting with a phased return to work in the next few weeks. Already joined a gym and doing some swimming. The swimming is giving me an appetite, which really helps.

Thanks for your words of support.

Lee

Congratulations, Lee. I know the feeling of being able to stop holding your breath. Now you can focus on getting your life back. I like the Lance Armstrong motto: LiveStrong....Take your life back, and don't let this monster take more from you than it already has!!

I'm happy for you.

griz,

Congrats....when did you finish Tx?

So glad to hear the good news!! Thanks for sharing with all of us. Such a relief when they say everything looks good. Have a great day

Great to hear your good news, I'm happy for you!

Thanks Everyone.

I finished my Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy in October 2006. I had a feeding tube for several months, but now its just the biotene and morphine patches. I have already reduced the strength of my patch, and hope to come off it altogether in the next few weeks.

Will I have any problems coming off the morphine? I have been on it since about June 06.

Just remember to back off slowly not to "quit cold turkey" for example if you are on a 100mcg patch then put on a 75mcg then 50 then 25 then 0. That's waht my Dr recommended and what I read here and it went well for me.

Good luck

Back out verrrry slowly, as if you were a human who stumbled into a bear cave -- If you turn and run, the bear will quickly give chase and catch you! <grinz>

Good Luck with the process!

Make sure that you recognize the symptoms of withdrawl sickness. Your doctor should explain this to you in detail. It took me about 10 weeks to wean off of a years use of morphine. I would reduce dosage, stay at that level for a week, and then the next week reduce a small amount again, and so on till I finally was free of the drug. If I went too fast, (eager to be free of the constipation, sleepyness etc.), chillls, shakes, and other issues came if I did it too fast.

Thanks again. I am currently on a 25 mcgpatch. I will speak to my GP this week about withdrawal symptoms and the best way to cope with them.