Hi Barry,

I saw in one of the posts below yours that someone brings a CD into radiation. That’s a really good idea and the radiation technician will allow you to do that.

Please do make sure that you have cream (Lubriderm is fine) to put on your neck you when you come out of radiation, but NOT BEFORE. If you think of a fried egg in hot oil, you’ll see what will happen to your skin if you put cream on your neck before radiation. It is, however, very very helpful that you put cream on your skin when you come out of radiation. It keeps the skin moist and there’s less chance of sores developing. Do pay particular attention to the folds in the skin, don’t miss those spots.

We also did saline soaks several times a day. It’s simple to do. Put saline (store bought) on a j-cloth and put it on the areas which are red after radiation for maybe 5-10 minutes. Then dab the area dry, put Lubriderm on and cover the area with a non-stick dressing. The non-stick dressing is available from the pharmacy at the hospital. If not, you can try Shoppers Home Health (I noticed the other day that the one near my house is now re-named Wellness, same thing).

Do keep on doing your swallowing exercises. You want to work your swallowing muscles as much as you can. Our RO suggests even dry swallows will be helpful.

I’m here to help, so if you have any questions, please ask or you can send me a pm.