Hi everyone...My name is Tracy. My father is in his third fight with oral cancer. He was first diagnosed back in 1989. He had part of his tongue and some jaw bone taken out..the Dr's rebuilt his tongue with muscle from his back and put a plate in his jaw. He didn't have radiation or chemo, then in 1999 it came back. The dr's took part of the tongue and this time used fatty tissue from his cheek to rebuid the tongue...again, no RAD or chemo. Now, here we are again, he had surgery back in March. He had a radical neck dissection. He also a large portion of his jawbone taken out, and now is undergoing radiation. He has has been going for about 5 weeks and still has 2 more weeks left. He takes two treatments a day. Three months after the RAD is over, the Dr. will take a rib and rebuild his jawbone. The RAD is really hard on him. He has a feeding tube and is unable to take anything via his mouth. I was wondering how long after RAD ended would the side effects start going away...I have been a lurker at this website for a month or so and everyone is really helpful with all your info...I never realized how many people have gone through this horrible disease.

Everyone responds so differently to radiation. Some people have said they didn't even miss work during treatment and were only mildly uncomfortable. However from others I have talked to, ending up with a feeding tube is much more common than the doctors admitted to me. I had one of the extreme reactions and was unable to take anything other than ice chips by mouth for over 3 months. Very slowly I learned to swallow again and now, almost a year later, I can eat soft bland foods. Even after the treatment is over it will be a while before he starts to feel better. The effects of the radiation are cumulative and continue for a time even after the treatment ends. He may have some permanent side effects such as mouth dryness, burning, difficulty opening his mouth etc. How severe these are also depends on the individual. He should keep the doctors informed as to how he is feeling. Some problems can be mitigated by early intervention of speech and physical therapists. It is a long road and he still has more surgery ahead which will make the recovery longer. I also had a reoccurance after many years. I had tongue cancer in 87, had part of my tongue removed and a neck dissection but no radiation. In 2000/2001 I ended up with more tongue surgery, another neck dissection, and radiation. No one seems to know why it came back after so long but your father and I don't seem to be alone in that experience. There is so much the doctors don't understand. I have found this site to be so helpful to be able to talk to others about their experiences. I hope all will go well for your father. This is a very hard time for the patient and the support/care givers as well.
ilene