My father was diagnosed with Stage III squamous cell on the tongue, and the throat and has gone into one lymph node. He has been in treatment(chemo and radiation) since August. It has been really hard watching him go through this. He only weighed about 145 lbs to start with now he weighs 124 lbs. He constantly has sores in his mouth and complains of not being able to taste. Does anyone know if his taste will return after treatments? A few weeks ago it looked to me like my father was dying right before my eyes it was devestating, he was dehydrated, tired, weak. So i called his doctors and they stopped treatment for 2 weeks he has since started treatment agian. Anyone that can give me any insight on this matter i would love to hear from you. Im hoping to see light at the end of this tunnel. By the way my father is 51

First of all is your Dad on a feeding tube? If he isn`t he should be........he doesn`t need to lose weight like this.............a geeding tube would be a great help....................Packer

No he is not on a feeding tube, the doctors threatened him with it if he did get something in him, since then he has been able to get some liquids and soups in him. He has 20 radiation treatments left. He goes twice a day 5 days a week and the chemo once a week. he is so worried he will never taste food agian.

Kelly,

Welcome to OCF...you will find many answers to your questions here, and the answers will vary by person. I am not a technical person or in the medical profession, but I can talk to you from my experiemce and things I've read.

I finished radiation on January 25th and I find my taste has been returning ever since I finished. Although I have lost some taste (such as chocolate) most all is back. It has changed and some things I didn't care for I like now and vise versa.

I would believe a lot depends on the area radiated, mine was for tonsil cancer...had throat, jaws, and chest radiated.

Some people lose more than just one taste - such as sweet or salty. Some return, some don't. I guess what I'm saying is that everyone is different, and the process takes different lengths of time for different people. There are people here two years out still gaining taste back.

Look at the positive side and believe that as soon as his radiation is over he will start healing as we all have. It is slow, but it does happen. The first couple of weeks after radiation are tough, but then things will start to turn around.

Right now you need to concentrate on him getting the nutrients he needs, from what I've read he should be having at least 8 cans of Ensure or the equivalent a day to stay as healthy as possible.
This is a must if he is going to get through this and heal.

Take care,
Dinah

Thanks for the response. This whole ordeal has been very rough for my father and for me as well. I have been his only support thru out this whole thing. I encourage my father daily about keeping positive and that things will get better. He says he has lost complete taste to everything, he said it wouldn't be so bad if he couldn't smell things but he can. I've encouraged the ensure from day one. He told me told he is finished with chemo treatments. When he was first diagnosed the doctor gave him an option of radiation/chemo or to remove his tongue, lower jaw and dissect the right lymph node. That was a devestating thought. I could really go on and on about this whole thing. I have learned so much on this subject. You see my father does not have insurance nor does he work so it was tough getting him the help he needed, needless to say, i worked day and night working to find someone to help. I found a website called cancer fund of america. They send him free stuff on a monthly basis. Anyone who has cancer should really check out that website.

take care

Funny how many times people write here of someone being " threatened " with a feeding tube or of looking at a PEG as a consolation prize. It is a lifesaver! I weighed 170 when I started...with the PEG I have been able to stabilize my weight at 155, which is skinny for me but not all that bad. My doctor buddies tell me that before the PEG was invented, people like us had to just make do with whatever they could swallow, and consequently, shrivel to 90 pounds.
I absolutely could not eat when I was in the last 3 weeks of radiation, and now, 3 months after treatment is over, I can only eat broth.
I'll say it again....The PEG is your friend. I don't see how M.D.'s could let some poor guy waste away without putting him on the tube.

Danny G.

I felt the same way and wanted him to have one but you see my father is very stubborn. When we finally got him help his cancer had spread so the doctor immediately put him in the hospital for 8 days on chemotherapy 24 hours a day. The day I went to his house 2 weeks ago and he couldn't move or talk because he lost his voice, he was so dehydrated I completely lost myself and called the doctors, which they all told me that if in the next 24 hours he didn't get something in him they were going to put him on the feeding tube. I think that scared him. They also stopped all treatment because of his weight, not to mention his mouth was covered in sores.

Kelly, while I appreciate the situation you find yourself in, your father needs to get his priorities straight. Not wanting a feeding tube and becoming so weak that treatments (which may save his life) have to be stopped, is irrational. You need to try to move him in the direction of the PEG. At most treating facilities it is not a patients choice to have it or not. If you lose 10% of your body weight you get put on the tube. He is way past that point. He will not heal properly without good nutrition and plenty of it. He will continue to get dehydrated. It is clear that he isn't going to be able to get down enough calories without it. With the tube taste is a non-issue, and that will eventually come back when he gets through all this anyway. When his treatments pick up again the mucositis sores in his mouth are only going to get worse until several weeks after the end of treatment, so his ability to swallow and tolerate eating in a conventional sense is going to be even more limited. If you cannot convince him, you should speak directly to his doctors and voice your concerns...they will dictate that he gets one put in. Stopping treatments is not the right path.

I understand very well how your father feels because I felt the same during my treatment a year ago. I was so weak after 30 rounds of radiation and 4 chemo (total dose was 48 radiation)that I was admitted to hospital for a drip and blood transfusion because my white blood cells count dropped to an intorable level. I was too threatened to get tube feeding if I could not eat. Drinking water was like a knife cutting your throat. Well you have no choice. Stopping treatment is a very unwise act because its effect on the tumour will be adversely affected. I lost over ten pounds but managed to take very soft food like cereal, congee and ice cream to maintain the nutrition to get the treatment through. So I didn't have a tube fixed for eating because I was simply too scared.So try to convince your father that either he exercises his strongest will power to eat or he gets a feeding tube. Skipping the treatment is not an option.

Hi Kelly,

I am new here in this forum - but like you, I also have a loved one with stage III squamous cell carcinoma at the base of the tongue which went to the lymph nodes of the neck. My husband is the one afflicted with this, and I know firsthand how difficult it is to see someone go throught the rigorous treatments that are given. My husband was diagnosed in August and since mid September, has gone through 2 weeks of Chemo and continued out-patient radiation therapy. He just stopped the therapy a week ago - but the side effects are lingering. There's constant mouth sores, a lot of phlegm, and pain in the tongue and throat. Eating is difficult and is on pretty much a "liquid diet" - but even that is difficult for him. My husband is a pretty big guy - he started off at 360 lbs. but is now down to 290. I know that's still a significant amount of weight, but a great deal of weight was lost already. I too am wondering how long these side effects will last, and although this is a new experience for me - I wish to offer you my support and encouragement to both your dad and you. Tell him to be strong and not to give up!! Things have got to get better - so keep the faith and all the best to you and your loved ones.