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Ah, if HPV -, then the question was there a history of heavy drink/smoking. There is pretty common agreement that this combo can be pretty unkind to some. If that were the case then I would not imbibe except for special occasions.


Don
Male, 57 - Great health except C
Dec '12
DX: BOT SCC T2N2bMx, Stage 4a, HPV+, multiple nodes
1 tooth out
Jan '13
2nd tooth out
Tumor Board -induction TPF (3 cycles), seq CRT
4-6/2013
CRT 70gr 2x35, weekly carbo150
ended 5/29,6/4
All the details, join at http://beatdown.cognacom.com
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I am a year out and also a beer lover. I do indulge every now and then (two beers max). I drink the NA stuff when I want a cold one on a hot day or after work. They have quality NA brews that are very tasty. I enjoy the fact I won't pay for the five na beers I drink the next day. I say drink sparingly and find an alternative if your really wanting to hit the bars with friends.

Cheers,

Fish


SCC front left lateral tongue T2N0M0 After neck dissection. partial glossectomy 12/26/13. Perinueral Invasion. IMRT 60gy 30 treatments beginning 2/5/14 through 3/19/14.
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As a long-time beer lover, I continued to enjoy my beer after I was declared cancer-free the first time. Except for a bout of lung cancer along the way, I remained cancer free for many years until my next occurrence and was a regular drinker during that time. Then a weird thing happened.

Before my biopsy last January, the ENT told me I'd have a sore throat for a few days afterward. Sure enough, he was right and for several days I ate a rather bland diet, no hot or spicy foods and no alcohol. As I recall, I was drinking mostly milk. The following Sunday was the Super Bowl and I was enjoying the game. My throat was feeling better and I thought a good beer sure would taste good right now. I had one sip and it was the worst taste I ever had in my mouth. So I spit it out and opened another beer. Same result. These beers were from the same six-pack I had been drinking from four or five days earlier.

That was the last time I had any beer and right now I have no plans to drink any more. So I've been on both sides of the fence, both drinking and not drinking after OC. As far as I'm concerned, it's a personal choice each person should make after considering all the facts and circumstances related to their situation.

If you decide to drink, then please drink responsibly and enjoy yourself. If you decide not to drink, I hope you also enjoy yourself.

As Fish said, Cheers!


Andrew
4x survivor
1998 - SCC of larynx
...laryngectomy, tracheotomy, radiation, caries, HBO, teeth extr, TEP
2002 - lung cancer, wedge resection
2014 - SCC of BOT, pharynx, oropharynx, HPV-, stage IV, T2N0MX, invasive, poorly differentiated
...chemo (carboplatin, taxol), dc'd due to neuropathy
2015 - SCC of palate
...Feb-April IMRT (46 x 70 Gy)
...Jan 2015 - May 2016 cetuximab 500 mg q week x 55wks
2016 - metastases to mediastinum, lungs, spleen, pancreas
...Aug-? pembrolizumab q 3 wks
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After my treatment ended 9 years ago, I was told not to drink alcohol. I have since been told that moderate beer and wine is ok. My RA told me that he hasn't seen moderate drinking leading to re-occurrences in his practice.
Rob


6-05, Left Tonsil-T1N2bM0 stageIVA, chemo(Cisplatin), radiation(6660cGy), neck disection, no PEG. HPV negative. (Doc suspects posit)
3-9-09 last of 30 HBO treatments.
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I enjoyed a few N/A's every now and then after my first bout. When I experienced recurrence in late '06 I gave it all up and never looked back. Not sure there is any correlation but I just decided it was the right thing for me. Of course after my second fight and having radiation and chemo I couldn't handle anything with any type of carbonation or odd flavors/tastes, so not sure how beer would even work for me(And I still can't handle anything but coffee and water very well). Not to say a cold beer every now and then still doesn't sound good. Best wishes to those that do, and Enjoy!


SCC right side BOT/FOM; DX 1-25-06; Neck dissection/25% of tongue removed 2-17-06. Stage 2 Recurrence 7-06: IMRTX35 & 3X Cisplatin ended 10-18-06. Tumor found 03/18/13; Partial Glossectomy 03/28/13 left lateral tongue. Nov. 2014; headaches,lump on left side of throat. Radical Neck Dissection 12-17-14; Tumor into nerves/jugular; Surgery successful, IMRTX30 & 7X Erbotux. Scan 06-03-15; NED! 06-02-16; Mets to left Humerus bone and lesion on lungs-here We go again! Never, Ever Give Up!

**** PASSED AWAY 10/8/16 ****

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Thank you all for your personal opinions, and that of your doctors as well. The definition of a 'moderate drinker' is 3-4 cups a day and no more than 12-14 drinks per week. Any drinking over that one week duration is considered alcoholic. Hmm I wonder if this doesn't pertain to OC patients. Anyways My ENT told me drinking 3-4 times a month is just right where he would cut it if he were in my position, and he said to drink every other day on vacation. He said it doesn't matter the amount that I intake on those days, but I'm planning on around 2-3 cups a night and maybe a couple brews during the day.

The 7 weddings I go to this year (2 of which are my siblings') will all be drinking nights and maybe a drinking night every other week with friends. All your opinions were appreciated and my final judgement is to enjoy life and let the good times roll with a little cheers, while leaving the rest to the man upstairs!



Male, 23 year old�Dx 6/17/14 with SCC R Lateral tongue
CT scan clear lymph nodes 6/20/14
HPV-, form-smoker, casual drinker
Right Hemiglossectomy Surgery 6/24/14
(Not reccurrence but went to NCCC instead)
Right neck diss., trach, radial free flap, right tongue diss. surg 8/11/14
PT1N2B..3 positive lymph nodes out of 13
Extranodal extension present
9-15-14 IMRT (35x) and Cisplatin (2x) begun
10-21-14 peg in. 11-4-14 IMRT rx comp. 1-9-15 peg out
3-27-15 Recurrent tumor in lymph node, Left neck diss.
10-29-15 passed away
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It's a slippery slope... wink

Last edited by Cheryld; 03-03-2015 08:48 AM.

Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
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[quote=Cheryld]It's a slippery slope... wink [/quote]

Agreed, Cheryl. That's why I thought it safer to quit entirely. I haven't regretted the decision even one minute. (still hoping the OP will re-consider)


David 2
SCC of occult origin 1/09 (age 55)| Stage III TXN1M0 | HPV 16+, non-smoker, moderate drinker | Modified radical neck dissection 3/09 | 31 days IMRT finished 6/09 | Hit 14 years all clear in 6/23 | Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome kicked in a few years after treatment and has been progressing since | Prostate cancer diagnosis 10/18
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I know I am coming into this conversation a little late, but I wanted to comment on your second question, if it is too late to be useful for you it may be useful for someone else. Since your treatments are done I know that I have found using medical cannibis to be helpful when I lived where it was legal. If in treatments (and even out) I would definitely speak with your doctor before using it. Without the government allowing any medical testing of it, there is not a ton of data on the safety of it and the available data is sometimes questionable (look at who is funding the research to make your own opinion). One study shows CBD (the non-THC component in cannibis) has been shown to stop tumor growth. CBD is also a great pain reliever without intoxicating you. You can get strains that have high CBD levels or a CBD extract/oil.

I think the biggest issue with medical cannibis is that there isn't a lot of regulation as to how it is grown. A lot of grower's tend to use harmful chemicals, which pretty much goes against it being a healthy alternative. Even some organic products are worse than the inorganic ones so just buying organically grown varieties isn't always the best option. I lived where I was able to grow and so I preferred to grow my own. This let me be fully organic and research each product I used to make sure it didn't have any heavy metals in it and to see how it was derived. Also I knew of any problems with my plants (at dispensaries you may end up with a plant that had mold on it, which is not healthy to injest or smoke - they can treat it and make it unnoticeable but traces are still there). So in my opinion in general medical cannibis is a good option and I had great results with no known side effects. However, poor regulations (just like with our other groceries and medicines) and the lack of inspections of growing operations means that you aren't always sure of what you are getting unless you can do it yourself, so there is always the chance of unknown side effects. We buy medicines and foods made in known to be clean environments, but if the cannibis is grown by individual grower's who sell to the dispensary, then we don't know what the conditions were like or what products they used. I have seen some pretty bad operations that just weren't very clean. I have to say I am in support of medical cannibis, but the system needs an overhaul to protect the consumers.

I prefer non-smoking methods such as edibles, ointments, tinctures, and oils. If you are having trouble sleeping then an indica would be helpful. If you are having trouble with appetite then sativa's help. You can alternate using these so that you are taking them when you need to sleep or eat - and mixing them together can also have a middle of the road effect. The tenders at the dispensary are very helpful and can help you pick out the strains/products that match your needs, this can be best as sometimes your preferred strains aren't available and new ones are. If you aren't smoking then figuring out the dosage can be trickier, just be wary of the level of each "dose" as what the dispensary claims is one dose may be too strong for you so start off small. I was simply wanting to medicate and not be completely out of it so I found making my own edibles to be the best option. That way I had full control over the dosage amount and you can make them into any type of food that requires butter or oil so you aren't just limited to junk food. Another option is to make non-alcohol tinctures.

As for your first question, even though I am HPV positive I prefer to not take a chance with drinking anymore. I've sipped my husbands wine and liquor and they don't even taste good to me anymore. I have a career where most of us are good drinkers and so it can be a pain at conferences and all, but I have a great excuse and still have a great time hanging out with everyone. I've also gotten creative at how to order non-alcoholic drinks so I can at least look like I am joining in.

These are just my opinions and I felt compelled to share since I gather that most people on the forum don't have as much firsthand experience with your second question. Hope this helps and best to you!


Female, Age 38, healthy non-smoker, rarely drank, regularly workout
May 2014 noticed irritation on tongue
6/18 saw doctor
6/25 saw ENT specialist got biopsy
6/30 Dx HPV P16+ ve SCC tongue cancer
7/9 CT scans, no visible spread
8/20 partial glossectomy with radial forearm flap, neck dissection 26 nodes sampled - results T2 N0 with mild dysplasia
4/2015 start to have ear pain
5/2015 recurrence
6/4/2015 surgery 29 nodes samples pN 2c
7/13/2015 7 wks of Chemo & Radiation start

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Posts: 595
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My ENT has stated NO Drinking any alcohol period, he states that to all his patients no matter the cause. I was a lite drinker before this WAR and have not had a drop in 9 years. I believe that it is better to be safe thrn sorry!!! Just my advice. Semper-Fi Bob


Bob age 57, non smoker,non drinker, ended treatment on 11 Nov 2007 and started back to work on 29 Nov 2007. Veterans Day 2012 the Battle was lowered, folded, Taps was played and the Flag buried as I am know a 5 year survivor. Semper-FI !!!
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