Brian and John

I am constantly amazed at both the accuracy and brevity of the OCF web expositions. My prose tends to the florid and your product makes the extremely hard work of editing look easy.

My experience with mucositis was horrid. Even my seasoned RO and MO would wince with each oral exam during RT and Chemo, and ask solicitously if I needed more pain control. I was reluctant to go to the Fentanyl patch but glad I listened to them. So your closing remarks are excellent in their emphasis. Laxatives however never helped with the concurrent constipation, and I was headed towards impaction when my MO suggested plain cheap glycerin suppositories which true to their label worked within 15 minutes to an hour. This was an non-trivial advantage in timing far preferable to the cable company like time frame of a block of hours with oral laxatives, especially with the need to travel and wait for radiation treatments.

Recent postings from Liz in the UK bolster my positive experience with using plain cheap Seltzer water in lieu of mouthwashes. The fizz was akin to the "scrubbing bubbles" of the TV commercials for cleansers. The large one liter plastic bottles did not work, only the single metal cans in the 12 fl oz (355 ml)proved efficacious. I am somewhat evangelical about Seltzer since despite two different formulations, the Magic Mouthwash triggered nausea and vomiting and it literally "saved me"

Keep up the good work guys