Hello everyone,

I have recently hit my 2 year mark from finishing treatment, and so far so good! However, I have recently began having a couple of new radiation side effects that I was hoping someone could help me with - my doctors don't seem too concerned.
The first issue, which started about 6 months ago, is constant fever blisters/cracking in the corners of my mouth. It's painful, drives me crazy, and makes it very difficult to stretch my jaw or open my mouth wide.
Second, I have recently been getting bad muscle spasms in my jaw that causes my jaw to feel like it is wired shut. The spasms started out pretty mild and infrequent; however, recently they have been lasting much longer (around 1 minute) and becoming more severe. They are painless and don't cause me too much discomfort; however, I worry I am going to get one at work or when I am talking to people one day, and not be able to talk to explain what is going on (during the spasms I can't open my mouth at all).

Does anyone else experience these side effects, and if so, does anyone have any advice on how I can help them?

Thank you all!
Emily

The blistering, cracking on the lips, side of mouth can be an indication of an infection, fungal, bacterial, viral or combination. Other factors may predispose one to them also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_cheilitis

So here is a solution and perhaps a funny story. Most angular chelitis is fungal in nature, and in oral cancer patients that cause outweighs others by a mile. So after recently having the flu for weeks, I developed pneumonia which had to be treated with antibiotics of course. Those in turn always cause me to develop candida blooms (fungal infection) in my mouth and requires Diflucan to get rid of. The angular chelitis is all part of that process for me. So it's a weekend, and while the corners of my mouth usually heal up in a couple weeks on their own, this time they did not. I couldn't stand the irritation of it any longer.

So I ask my wife to go to the drug store for me and buy me a tube of "jock itch" ointment, and then a tube of anti-itch creme for insect bites, and lots of other things. I told her to pick one that didn't have benadryl in it, but that has 1% hydrocortisone. She thinks I have lost what little is left of my mind.

Most crotch itch is fungal, so now I have a topical fungicide, and cortisone helps with healing and closing up fissures and the like. Mix the two together and rub it into the corners of our mouth and you have a home made remedy for about 5 dollars. Don't put it in your mouth please, just rub it in the corner. Works like a champ.

you have a home made remedy for about 5 dollars[b][/b]
Hey Brian,
I guess since a member posted this treatment it can stay posted according to the rules?

There are likely many other therapies not branded by a big pharma logo that can offer benefits for various conditions. But it is so very hard to sort out those that really might help and have some level of track record from those just marketed by shady characters.

donfoo - I'm not sure of your intent. I offered advice as a patient/survivor personal experience, of something that worked for me when I could not get into seeing the doctor in a reasonable amount of time. I'm not selling anything, and I have no agenda to promote a specific brand of anything. Have we all not been doing this for over a decade here? I am not a company sales person posting about my company's products which is not allowed.

There exists a Rx version of what I discussed, (though a different anti-fungal, and stronger cortisone at 2.5%). So I feel comfortable that my suggestion will not hurt anyone. Is there some other criteria that you think I should have met in offering this help? Or are we not over the deletion of a sales reps posting yet?

Thanks for the suggestion Brian, I will certainly give it a try!

I tried to convince my boys to use Beaudreau's Butt Paste but they just couldn't get beyond butt paste on their face. It probably won't help with the thrush part but it works for 'roids and rash real well. Chapped lip products are your constant companion just like water.

The jaw problems, Emilyp, are more likely "spasticity" or permanent contraction of muscles. It is vitally important to keep stretching your mouth open and try some exaggerated motions while talking like opening the mouth real wide and exaggerated pronunciations. Not doing exercises regularly and often could result in your mouth not being able to open. Gently massage the areas that hurt,too, to encourage blood flow. Please be diligent with this.

Butt paste works GREAT for chapped chins and faces. Put it in something else and don't tell them the name!!

I'm sorry people, in all my life I never heard of Butt Paste lol. Whatever it's used for, I sure won't ask for it in a gym locker room, especially at the YMCA.

For those with a farm background, there is also Bag Balm. I'll leave you to figure out what this stuff is used for, but it does wonders for other issues. (This thread is really spiraling out of control now).