I am 5 weeks out of radiation treatment and my mouth is burning and very dry.I have tried salivart and it makes me nauseous and just recently bought stoppers 4 and biotene and they do not work.I can't eat,but I have the peg tube.I can sip small amounts of water.Does anyone have any suggestions? stage 2/3 tonsil cancer-6 weeks IMRT and taxoland carboplatin x2.

Roxs, Your condition is familiar. There are many ways to re-hydrate and comfort your mouth. Your rad-onc may have a mouth rinse with some lidocaine (sp?) that will quiet your nerves a bit. There are also some over the counter throat sprays that have some of that same ability - the relief is short lived but very welcome. Keep your water bottle near by at all times and hound your doc till s/he finds the right saliva aid for you. It gets worse for a while, then it gets better - lots better. Use your peg tube and keep forcing the calories in - your body needs the fuel. The first few months AFTER treatment were the worst of it for me. It DOES get better. You can do it. Be strong. Fight hard. Keep us informed of your progress. Tom

Thank you for your reply.I have the lidocaine which I use for the mouth sores but this dry mouth is very difficult to deal with. I received Ethyol for 2 weeks but had a severe reaction to it. It destroyed my mouth and I ending up in the hospital for 9 days which interrupted treatment. Guess I have to be patient But when does the dry mouth get better? Roxs

Roxs - That dry mouth issue is likely different in every single one of us. Your body is recovering from a very major trauma (treatment) and it will do so at its own pace. Put your energy into healthy diet, bits of exercise (walking?) and resting as much as you can. Find meds / habits / foods / beverages that give comfort while you heal. Get yourself stronger and your mouth will follow.

The healing can be really slow. Many of us worried that we weren't healing 'fast enough'. Some folks here have posted that they needed a month of healing for every week they were in treatment. I think my recovery may have been even longer. I am 27 months out of tx and I am still healing/improving a bit each day. Be deliberate in regaining your strength. A year from now you will be amazed at how much you have recovered. Be strong. Tom

My rad/chemo treatment lasted 7 weeks. 7 months past it will be the beginning of January. I am still fighting severe drymouth, painful tongue and mpith, problems swallowing. I truly hope I keep healing after that! Nelie

Hi roxs,with IMRT, your dry mouth problem shouldn't be too serious as I have heard from members here that most of the salivary glands won't be permanently affected. In my case, it is already 4 years post treatment and the mouth dryness remains a problem with me but it is tolerable. At least, even though I need to carry a bottle of water with me whenever I go out, I seldom have to drink the whole bottle to moisten my mouth. Chewing gums and candies help me a great deal. Swallowing dry food isn't difficult with small sips of water. Be patient and I am sure things will improve gradually.
Karen

Dear Roxs- this is fight time for you-my husband is almost 6 mo.out of IMRT and is having one heck of a time with mouth problems.[it is my opinion that he had his peg removed too soon] Our oncologist says "only time will heal". And that is what I have read from most of the people here. I guess you just have to be as strong as you can be and look forward. Wishing you strength.
Amy

Hello, Roxs. Karen is absolutely correct when she says those of us who had IMRT, including you, now, regained a good deal of salivary function. At 5 weeks I wasn't eating anything by mouth because it was still so burned and sore. The saliva will return very slowly. I remember very clearly the first time I licked an envelope! At one year you will probably not need a water bottle, and maybe sooner as we are all different. At any rate, you are on a normal track and it will only get better. Once treatment is finished, patience is in short supply, but it really is downhill from here on out. Hang on!

The general rule of thumb is one month of recovery for every week of radiation. It takes a LOT of patience.

Hi Roxs - My husband is three months out from tx and battles severe dry mouth constantly. Other than the salivart, you mentioned you are using biotene. Are you also using biotene toothpaste? I have personally started using biotene (dry mouth from medications) and was really pleased with the results. However, on a recent trip I used 'regular' toothpaste from my travel kit and was shocked at how much it dried my mouth out. The toothpaste plus the mouthwash does work. Biotene also has a gum. Ask your pharmacist (it's over the counter here in Arkansas).

One other suggestion you might try, we have a cool mist vaporizor next to Ken's bed (near his head). With the heat on now, the humidity in the house is very low and the vaporizor helps some. Keep drinking as much water as you can - small sips add up.

Don't give up. Just take things one day at a time.