Good evening!
My dad has stage IV squamous cell carcinoma, rt. tonsil primary. He had a neck dissection last week and will begin radiation soon. I've been trying to read up on radiation and ANYTHING out there to alleviate the side effects-- even if it just helps a little. I have heard that there are only certain lotions he can use during this time. Also, are there any products that anyone has used for sores in the mouth, dry patches, etc...? I have heard that these are the worst side effects of this type of radiation, and I'd like to help my dad as much as possible. Thanks so much for any advice that you may be able to offer.

Cheryl,
My husband had radiation and chemo. The mouth was very sore but he was able to get through it. They should tell you to use a mouth rinse made up of quart of water 1 teaspoon baking sode and 1 teaspoon salt. This will help with the mouth sores. You can make this up yourself. It is expensive to have the pharmacy make it up. They told us to rinse at least four times a day and then increase it as the weeks go by. My husband would use it every time he spit and in between spitting. He probably went through at least two quarts a day. He also used it during the night if he had to spit.

I wish your father well. He can get through this.

Hey Cheryl,
We received a receipe from the rad oncologist to make the mouthwash. Ask them for it. I believe it contained water, salt, Bendryl and Lidocaine. Dan used it constantly during rad/chemo treatments and it helped. It's a long haul, but God and many very good friends helped us thru. It sounds like your dad has good family already helping. The rad team also gave us a certain type of lotion for Dan to use after rad everyday. He should have no lotions or anything on before going into his rad treatment everyday.

Take care and God bless,
Debbie

Cheryl
For mouth sores we used Gelclair, it is an expensive medication but insurance covered it . Also the good old Magic Mouthwash.
The radiation cream is Biafine, our radiation clinic prescribed that . We then went on to a Steroid cream when things got really rough, I also had the in home care team bring the bandages they use on burn victims which I applied along with steroid cream. The combination seemed to work really well.
You are a great daughter to be so involved, bless you.
Marica

I would suggest you ask the doctor and your nurse for things that can help you. They should have a very good handle on what works and what is questionable. I used Eucerin cream that is specially made for radiation to help the dryness. Also apply only after the treatments, not before since it is an oil and can act like frying oil on the skin if used before radiation. The mouth wash recomended above also helped control infections. Also ask you doctor for a prescription for a mouthwash from Linocane to reduce the paing when eating. Good luck.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your information. I know that the doctors and nurses will have ideas, but I like to be armed with as much information as possible-- just for the "what if's". Thanks, again!

External:
Be VERY careful that the neck area is free of any ointments or lotions while being radiated. They can act as a "bolus" and exacerbate the effects. Apply them immediately AFTER radiation each day. I used some stuff they gave me called "Radiacare" which was specifically made for radiated skin (it was mainly aloe vera and vitamin E as I recall). Everybody differs in their response to treatment. I had a mild sunburn effect -others get significant burns. I also had IMRT which limited the exposure areas a bit.

Be careful to never scratch the area. When it got itchy (right after treatment ended they gave me a steroid cream and that worked just fine - I only needed a few applications.

Internal:
NOT recommended: Acidic, spicey or salty items as well as tobacco and/or alcohol (including mouthwashes that include alcohol).

I know some here have recommended a salt containing rinse. I tried a 1% solution (standard saline solution) as recommended and my pain threshold went through the roof - so use caution. We have all heard the saying about "pouring salt on an open wound", well that's exactly what you doing if rinsing with a salt solution with mouth sores and blisters.

Recommended things:
Soft textured foods, moisten solid foods with cheese cause or gravy.

Pain Meds: Always take pain meds prior to eating. If the pain gets really bad when eating ask them to compound some "pink magic" swish & spit (Morphine, lidocaine & some optional ingredients) which will numb the mouth. Don't swallow it.

Thanks, Gary! I will pass that along to my dad. The specifics will help tremendously!