Well, it's been another busy few days. The throat pain, long anticipated and long dreaded started up intensely over the weekend. Swallowing has become a real chore and the inside of my mouth is so sensitive to acid that the only things I can eat must be warm, soft and salty. My vaunted blender is useless because smoothies burn the inside of my mouth and throat terribly.

I'm down to eating one "solid" meal a day, but still drinking liquids throughout to at least keep the throat in as much working order as I can. Man it hurts, though, and I',m not quite halfway through. The inside of my mouth is swollen up, which is kind of annoying.. I rinse continuously throughout the day, and I brush my teeth and the inside of my mouth 5-6 times daily, but given the internal swelling, I may be being too rough and think I will ease up a tiny bit on that. I'm still going to do it, but maybe I won't brush the skin as vigorously. That said, it doesn't appear I've developed any horrible bleeding ulcers yet, so that's good!

Question if anyone knows, though. You know those pouches on the inside of your cheeks, way in the back where your wisdom teeth are? They are swollen on both sides so badly that I can't close my teeth together because they are in the way. Does anyone have any magic remedies for shrinking those down a bit? Any advice would be appreciated.

Meanwhile, Monday is Cisplatin 2, delayed 4 days for my chemo oncologist's schedule, but happening nonetheless! As I told you all already, I know going in that that bastard is going to beat me down, so I think I'll come here and cry behind the screen of anonymity again.

I hope that everyone's journeys are progressing, and I appreciate so much those of you that continually take the time to respond to me and pick me up when I stumble, and remind me that this is but a moment, and a moment that I will survive and, in a weird way, appreciate. I see that this process really does change us a bit, and, so long as we hold dear the satisfaction of fighting the good fight, I think in a lot of ways this will change me for the better. Not the cancer, nor the treatment, but the outlook and experience -- I'm already different since diagnosis and I think I will be different still ere I next taste food properly!

Cheers,

The Hellion

Benedryl helps with inflammation. But be careful cuz at the same time it also dries out your mouth. As with any changes, let your nurse and doctor know whats going on. You may need something stronger like a steroid to help with swelling.

If you dont already have one, get a water pik and use it on its lowest setting. Mix some mouthwash with warm water and get in between all your teeth easily. Use a baby toothbrush, its softer and easier to get in there.

Hang in there. It might be a rough week. But you are also one week closer to being well again.

Look into Boost VHC (Very High Calories) which has 560 cals in a small 8 oz can. I lived on those things totally throughout my Tx and a part of my recovery when I couldn't swallow worth a crap. You don't need a prescrip but you can't find it on retail shelves so you either have to get it through the pharm dept of say Walgreens or Walmart, etc or you can order thru the OCF's Amazon connection.

You MUST maintain appx 2500 cals and 48 ozs of water EACH and EVERY DAY from now until at least the 1st year post Tx.

Hellion, are you making smoothies with bananas? Bananas are acidic and can really hurt. Have you tried making smoothies with avocado? It is very good and also nutritious.

I agree with Gloria. Bananas and rads don't mix. I was off bananas for at least 6 months.

Hellion I was experiencing throat pain too, and switched to softer foods. The dietitian and oncologist both said that it was too early to be doing that, and said i should concentrate on better pain relief otherwise the later weeks will be really difficult food wise.

The doc said to take paracetamol every 6 hours whether I have pain or not, to provide a base level of pain relief. An hour before meals, take an Endone. I'm back to normal food, as long as it has no spices (mayo tastes like battery acid!). Plus I have to be extremely vigilant flossing the back teeth (on the side that still has back teeth) otherwise I quickly get swelling there. I'm not sure if that is what you're experiencing.

The stomach is still unsettled, and leading into round 2 Cisplatin on Monday I'm still having to manage that with Pramin but the doc gave me some Stematol today to see if that works. Stay strong brother I am right there with you and we are 3 weeks down! Only 4 to go.

Hellion,
I located a SpongeBob Squarepants child's toothbrush that was soft and small enough for my husband to use. I believe the other choice was Sleeping Beauty. Bob's smiling yellow face added a bit of cheer to the bathroom. I believe that he also used some actual sponge mouth cleaners as things got more problematic. Please don't rip up your mouth cleaning it overly enthusiastically.

Don't be shy about discussing all / any issues with your RO / ENT or their nurses.

I am glad that you are getting the second Cisplatin in. Staying as close to schedule as possible with the rads and chemo increases your chances for a cure.

All my best to you and others in treatment!
Maria

Hellion, we followed CherylD's advice and bought a Waterpik. Use the tongue scraper attachment on low with lukewarm water and a bit of the magic mouthwash. My husband did it several times a day. He actually remarked that it was the best thing we could have got for helping him through treatment. It loosened the gunk and left his mouth feeling fresh. My daughter who is a dentist also advises wrapping some gauze around your finger and clean your teeth with it if a toothbrush proves to be too tough on the gums.

Quick update. Some of the intense burning may be the result of thrush. I remember when our daughter had this years ago and couldn't eat or drink for a couple of days (she was an infant and couldn't suck but for the pain). So, I got another prescription that will hopefully clear that up and maybe ease up on some of the intensity.

Thanks to all for the advice as always. I'm working to incorporate a couple of new things into my routine.

Cheers!

The Hellion

Sorry to here you got thrush, unfortunately, it is all to common with this treatment. I had it four times. Diflucan works but it does take time. For me 3-4 days. The last time my ENT wrote a scrip for doxy/nystat/HC/qdrl. It a swish and spit stuff. I found it very effective and quicker than diflucan. He gave me three refills and said I could self medicate when I felt the first signs, which was burning tongue.