Hi Bill, Jack still has some mouth discomfort and he's 3 months post radiation. It's much better but still there and it's just taking time to heal. Directing your food to the non stinging side helps. He also found he needs to avoid spicy foods as that makes it worse. It's a lot of trial and error in eating but you may want to stick to bland and soft right now, and cut your food into small pieces to minimize the chewing.

Have you tried baking soda and salt rinses several times per day? You can make it up in advance and carry it in a small bottle. I think Jack also had lidocaine gel that he applied to the area for the first 2 months and that helped him. He had magic mouthwash but it didn't do much for him. He carries a small bottle of biotene mouthwash and uses it after he eats because food gets stuck against his gums due to the dry mouth.

It's still early and radiation keeps on "cooking" so side effects continue to develop. We've been told it will take several months to heal after the radiation/chemo combo and we can already see that's true. Jack was frustrated because he just wanted it all over but cancer has a mind of its own and he's learning to be patient - sort of.

My family lives north of Atlanta in Kennesaw, Alpharetta and Roswell. It's real pretty down there.

For NJCONTR - don't panic, but call your head and neck surgeon and let them know about the white spot. There are non cancerous things that develop in your mouth - Jack's got one now - but they all need to be checked out by your doctor. Our surgeon told us don't wait for your next appointment, call when you see anything and let me diagnose it.

Regards JoAnne