Hi,

This website has been so helpful, I wish I had known about it when my sister was first diagnosed. The care and concern people, complete strangers show for each other is heartwarming. Hopefully someone will have some info to share about post treatment pain.

My sister, Connie is 3 weeks out after completing 35 IMRT's and 7 cisplatin for a scc tumor in the neck surrounding the carotid artery. She had rad surgery in July of 06 (4th surgery, tongue the primary, just kept spreading after each surgery, declined recommended radiation after each surgery). The 2 cm neck tumor was considered inoperable because of size and location. Wondering if anyone has experienced tightness in the neck where scar tissue is located and also numbness and swelling sensation of tongue, and at times a burning feeling of tongue post treatment. She has been taking morphine for the pain, and it tends to be very acute at night. Connie is also on a low dosage fentanyl patch for pain. Before beginning treatment she would have ear pain that would reach a 10 level in 5 to 15 minutes, then often go into a seizure (syncope).
She has just regained the ability to swallow this week, sips of water at this point. We are very encouraged by this, as she has had a peg tube since middle of January, 3 weeks before she started treatment.

Just want to know if what she is experiencing is "normal" for the post treatment period. The doctors sometimes aren't real informative, getting better info from the rest of you.

Nancy