hello everyone,

i'm here to introduce myself. my mother (age 60) was recently diagnosed with base of the tongue cancer (in october), here in south korea. she is stage 2 localized, with no spreading to the lymph nodes.

she's getting 6 weeks of radiotherapy (tomotherapy), and today was radiation day 9. starting yesterday, she noticed that her mouth is getting slightly dry -- dry enough so that eating bread felt uncomfortable. otherwise, no side effects yet... she's still eating a lot, and her throat or mouth hasn't started hurting yet.

one thing i am very concerned about right now, is her dental care. the national cancer center here is renown for its curative treatment, particularly it's radiation department. but they are not providing her with fluoride trays.

not only did her radiation oncologist not send her to a cancer dentist, but he didn't even mention dental care (and side effects) until i voiced my concern about her teeth last week. even after asking about fluoride trays, and requesting them, he was nonchalant, merely saying that "once her mouth starts getting sore, she won't be able to use them anyway, but if she wants to, she's free to start them anytime she wants." i assume he left it to us, to find a cancer experienced dentist.

i was under the impression that ALL head and neck radiation cancer patients should be fitted with fluoride trays before treatment starts, and use them daily, to protect against dry mouth tooth decay. has anyone been exempt from using them? is it necessary for all radiation patients? it is ok to start using them after radiation treatment? will the damage already be done if she doesn't start using them now?

i'm really worried that my mom isn't getting the overall care she needs, besides the radiotherapy itself. no one is checking her bloodcount. no one is telling her about the possibility of trismus. no one is mentioning any jaw or shoulder exercises, or planning physical therapy afterwards. no one is discussing pain medication, which will probably be necessary in the near future. i had to do all the research myself, most of my information coming from this amazing site, and the amazing people here on this forum.

and the fluoride trays are the last straw... shouldn't there be something done about preventative treatment for radiation side effects?

please help, i am so worried for my mom, and frustrated from what feels like the hospital's neglect.

soo.