| Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 8 Member | OP Member Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 8 | Hi my name is Mark Cohen and I had lymph and and base of tongue cancer surgery at UCLA last week. Clear margins they said! I am 1 week out of surgery and outside writing this post! I will not know the pathology until this Thursday. Hope it is HPV? My question to my friends out there is HOW to eat after this surgery? I am struggling with most food! I am determined not to give in to this cancer! Cold and hot seem to affect the foods as well? I imagine I have lost 12 pounds! I'm basically living on cocunut water for electrolytes. Aside from the eating, I got tongue Candida and still "need" to finish 2 more days of "prophylactic" Keflex; do I really need to push the 2 days of Keflex? Thank you Angels!
Mark Cohen
| | | | Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Jul 2012 Posts: 3,267 Likes: 4 | Sorry you had to join this site, but welcome. I did not have surgery for BOT, only in the cervical neck, but like with most treatments, recovery varies with everyone, due to many factors, such as extent of the tumor removed, prior treatments, age, health, and any underlying medical conditions delaying healing, swallowing. The neck dissection usually does not effect your eating, except for the effects of anesthesia for a few days, maybe pain meds. There is a link here with helpful hints for soft foods to eat, if you look down the menu selection post or I'll post later since I can't with my tablet. You may want to try foods at room temperature, so not to irritate the mouth, and not acidic, spicy. Thrush also effects taste, swallowing, pain, so treating that will help. Keflex is to treat bacterial infections,which can cause thrush too, and thrush is a fungal infections, and usually treated with anti-fungal's like diflucan ( flucomizole), clotrimizole, and other zole medications, but maybe it's new treatment for it? Thrush also feeds on sugar, fruits, yeast, alcohol, processed foods. There are mouth rinses to help, but check with your doctor due to the surgery you had.
Read again, and saw you are probably not taking Keflex for thrush, but you still need to finish it for the antibiotics to work or ask the doctor.
Good luck with the pathology report.
Last edited by PaulB; 02-18-2013 04:58 PM. Reason: Read again
10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil 11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp 01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks 06/11 30 HBO 08/11 RND PNI 06/12 SND PNI LVI 08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy 10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux 10/13 SND 10/13 TBO/Angiograph 10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI 12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo 11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO 03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN 09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy 04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site 06/17 Heart Attack Stent 02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs
| | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Welcome to OCF, Mark! Glad you have found the forum to help you with correct medical info and support. Here is a list of foods which are easier to eat. They have a smoother texture and are on the bland side. Years ago I started this list to help patients who were going thru radiation or just relearning how to eat after treatment. The foods work equally well for patients who are recovering from surgery and have a very sensitive mouth. Easy to Eat Foods As far as the medication for the trush goes, YES you must finish it. Thrush can be a pain to treat and if you dont get rid of it completely it will return and could cause some more serious medical problems if not completely treated. Thrush also loves sugar so try your best to avoid it for the next few days. Best wishes with your recovery and pathology results. ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive | | | | Joined: Aug 2012 Posts: 214 Likes: 1 Gold Member (200+ posts) | Gold Member (200+ posts) Joined: Aug 2012 Posts: 214 Likes: 1 | Sorry your here. But this sight has been a life savior for me. I know it will help you thru this. If this is a pain problem you may need some liquid lydocain.(Sp?) Numbs everything for 20 min or so.
Simple method is Boost and/or Ensure. Buy open, drink, repeat. But, corn syrup, veggie oil, and artificial chocolate flavor is really nasty stuff, but better than nothing. Better is to make your own. Great recipes can be found on this site.
Hockey Dad 43, No smoke, Small BOT HPV+16 8/30/12 Biopsy found SCC in Lymph node (removed) 9/19 DX 4a T1N2aM0 10/1 TX 2x Cisplatin 35 IMRT 70 gry (Done 11/15) PEG tube in 11/7. Out 1/4, Back at work 2/4/13 PET 2/13 Clear, 10/16 all Scopes Clear, 4/14 Chest X-ray Clear, 5/14 Abdominal ultrasound Clear, 8 yrs clean!!!
| | | | Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,409 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,409 Likes: 1 | Hi Mark, and welcome. I pretty much lived on the nutritional drinks for 6 months after my treatment, but that was because I had radiation. You didn't mention anything about any follow up treatment so I'm assuming they told you it wasn't needed (?).
I'm also here in LA and one of my docs was associated with UCLA, two others did their training there. Great place. Please send me an IM if you'd like to ask any specific questions. That I can answer of course!
Sorry you're here, but this is a great place for info and support. You're part of the family now. Congrats on the clear margins.
David 2 SCC of occult origin 1/09 (age 55)| Stage III TXN1M0 | HPV 16+, non-smoker, moderate drinker | Modified radical neck dissection 3/09 | 31 days IMRT finished 6/09 | Hit 15 years all clear in 6/24 | Radiation Fibrosis Syndrome kicked in a few years after treatment and has been progressing since | Prostate cancer diagnosis 10/18
| | | | Joined: Oct 2011 Posts: 805 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) Joined: Oct 2011 Posts: 805 | Hi Mark, Have you asked your doc about Diflucan? This will cover any yeast infection in the mouth. Often the Keflex can cause an overgrowth of yeast. It's worth asking at least. Yes, HPV+ would be better. Kevin lost a total of 56 pounds throughout tx. After his BOT surgery it only took a few days to get to the point where he could eat again. He lost maybe 23 pounds during induction chemo and the rest toward the end of radiation and the weeks after. When you know exactly what you are dealing with let us know. We're here for you!! Kathy
Kathy wife/caregiver to: Kevin age:53 Dx 7/15/11 HPV16+ SCC Stage IV BOT/R Non smoker, casual drinker 7/27/11 Cistplatin, taxotere,5FU 2/3week sessions, followed by IMRT 125cgy x 60 (2x daily) w/Erbitux weekly. Last rad 10/26/11. Last Erbitux 10/27/11 PEG placed 9/1/11 Removed 11/8/11 Clear PET 10/12 and 10/13 and ct in 6/14 | | |
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