My throat just never feels better and now my voice comes and goes. Did anybody have this? The Onco says its a "residual" side effect of the radiation. So does that mean I can look forward to having it for life? I am wondering if that mouthwash etc. for dry mouth would help any.
What say you?
Blessings,
Blue~

I am 11 months out of treatment. During treatment I couldn't speak for two to three weeks. After, my throat was dry and I was of and on hoarse. I still have some good and some worse days as far as my voice goes. I have not had a sore throat though. How long since. We all respond differently. With time, things seem to improve gradually. With the emphais on SLOW.

Steve

Barb
Have you tried Salivert?
It is a spray that moistens..actually I just remembered Brian posted about a product that had a banana flavour he was particularly fond of!
Check the product section of the board.
Marica

The spray Brian mentioned is part of the Biotene line -- if you haven't already tried it (or the mouthwash, gel, or toothpaste), I'd definitely recommend it. I've been getting some help from Salagen over the years, but the Biotene products I've used in the past year or so have made a real difference over and above that. I noticed that the plaque wasn't building up so fast on my teeth (so I've been able to stretch out my hygienist visits a bit). Also, I sing regularly in a choir and have been doing 1 1/2 to 2 hours of singing at a time without a water bottle.

Cathy

Thanks all. My throat has never stopped hurting since the first surgery in May. Now to add to it I have a bronchial infection again which makes the third time since all this started. I am beginning to think maybe I just never had a chance to get my strength back since I got so sick in Feb.
I am going to try the products and see how it goes. I am back for another scope at the ENTs Dec.6 th. so maybe he can give me some ideas also.

Barb,
The speech pathologist I went to about my swallowing gave me some tips for helping my voice since I've noticed when I talk for any length of time, aside from drymouth issues, I get hoarse and this does NOT bode well for a return to a few hours every day in the classroom in a couple of months(though, thank goodness, I don't so straight lecture-only classes usually). I've never had problems with hoarseness before in teaching--always had a good voice (and a good singing voice too which I'm scared to even try now ebcause I'm sure I've lost it and it breaks my heart).

The speech pathplogust said part of the hoarseness may be because I clear my throat alot more now, which is true, I have to do it all the time when I am trying to eat/swallow liquids, not to mention that I still get gobs of phlegm back there several times a day that I need to get out. He said that the normal way we do a throat clear is hard on the vocal cords--it kind of snaps them open and closed and can cause you to get hoarse. But there is a "soft clear" that he showed me how to do (it takes work to rememebr to do it so its a matter of slowly building up the habit) that is less hard on the vocal cords. I don't think I can explain verbally how the "soft clear" differs from a regular clear except to say it's less like a partial cough and more like a little growl you make in your throat. Wish I had the technology to add a sound file. But maybe this will help.

Nelie

Barb, voice hoarseness is still my major source of frustration even I have been in remission for 4 years. Like Nelie, I used to have a very clear voice before my illness and was a school teacher. After my treatment, I lost my voice for a couple of weeks and it gradually recovered. Due to dryness, my voice is never the same as before but not too bad as I can still pronounce every word accurately. Sometimes it is very clear but sometimes it is so hoarse that I am down. There is no particular reason why at this moment my voice is so clear but at another, it is so raspy. Even my doctor cannot give me a reason. People around learn to accept my changing voice and seldom feel astonished now when I talk to them in a hoarse voice. I feel better because they used to stare at me when my voice suddenly changed hoarse thinking that the cancer was attacking me again. Just some sharing but I must admit that I didn't have much problem with my throat so far.

Karen