If his medical team is not able to get to the bottom of his headaches, your brother should see someone that can help him. I suggest asking for a referral to someone who specializes in those types of things. I dont know if there is a specific type of specialist who helps patients who have chronic headaches. Im guessing a neurologist may be who he needs to see. I dont know if different specialists handle different types of headaches. For example a patient may need a different specialist for migraines than they would for another type of headache.

After I wrote to you this morning, I was thinking more about the info you gave us. Some patients who have been thru rads have problems with their blood pressure going from very very low to very high within seconds. Usually the low to high swings in blood pressure are when a patient stands up. It hasnt affected me but I have read and talked to a few people who have been dealing with it for months, maybe years. I also considered his vision could be off which can cause headaches. One side effect of OC treatments that still bothers me almost 11 years after I first got sick is chronic sinus congestion. Anytime someone is very congested they can also have other problems like post nasal drip, a scratchy throat, swelling/puffiness around their eyes and that could cause headaches too. Maybe I watch too much tv as now Im thinking of all those allergy medicine ads touting relief for sinus headaches. I also thought if your brother is taking medications, check them for headaches being a side effect. Anxiety or a patient who is experiencing alot of stress can cause headaches too. I did a quick search to see any posts or threads where headaches were discussed. Looks like there are quite a few but it didnt seem to have a definitive answer. Seems to me like this may fall into the "everybody's different" category. If you would like to do a search, type your keyword/s in the white box near the upper right of any page. We have many thousands of topics and hundreds of thousands of posts here so you may have to sort thru the posts to find something related.

The formula for feeding tubes usually is only around 250-375 calories per can/cardboard box. With it being so low he would need 6 - 9 cans a day to get his intake up to 2500 calories a day. Thats ALOT of liquid!!! Is he able to eat anything at all (yogurt, applesauce, soup broth) or can he drink things or take sips of water? Ive had a few friends who were not able to eat anything, not even a sip of water. One other thing about depending on a feeding tube for his intake, he is getting lots of fluid that will help to meet his daily minimums. Formula counts in calculating his water intake. I still suggest taking in a little extra water, he can flush his feeding tube extra thoroughly by doing 2 full syringes of water after feedings (2 syringes 120cc = 4 oz).

I completely understand how difficult rads can be!!! I had a heck of a time of it myself. Losing 30 pounds could be considered a huge amount if your brother is on the slim side. If he was slightly bigger than an average adult or considered overweight then it wouldnt be so much of a problem. But... (you know there always must be a but!) along with dropping 30 pounds, he also dropped muscle as well. This can be a big problem! Im a little too familiar with this myself. Especially when the patient is only a few months post rads. Rebuilding muscle is NOT easy, even more difficult during recovery. If your brother isnt taking any vitamins, that might help. Centrum makes a multivitamin in liquid for adults. Ive been using it for 6+ months and find it does help me to feel better, stronger. Your brother may benefit from adding high protein whey powder to his feeding formula. Protein helps to speed healing. Make sure when you tell your brother about this so he knows to first check with his doctor before adding anything new. Some nutrients arent good for some patients who have certain health conditions.

Hope this info helps your brother.

PS... The Oral Cancer Foundation is not only the biggest but also the very best online support group for oral cancer patients and their caregivers. OCF is heavily monitored to ensure only correct, up to date, and scientifically proven medical techniques are discussed. Unproven treatments, medicines, etc that could cause a patient to delay seeking conventional treatments is not tolerated on our site. Social media and other public forum sites for OC arent monitored to avoid unproven and false cures that can harm patients to remain posted on their sites. We do not allow advertising and have no behind the scenes affiliations which keeps admin and monitors completely neutral. OCF takes pride in being one of the few medical support themed websites that are qualified by Health on the Net which ensures only reliable medical info is given. Our public forum gets thousands of views each day by people from all over the world.