Lbpbbp,

I had problems with ulcers and healing similar to your husband. My tongue was swollen for months, and I would get ulcers on tongue and all areas in my mouth that was exposed to radiation. I required pain medication to be able to eat and was on a liquid diet for a long time. Certain foods would guarantee an ulcer. I was on prednisone and all kinds of topical medication for a long time. My RO said I had the worst reaction to RT he ever saw.

He referred me to the head of infectious diseases at the hospital for further testing to see if there was another cause of my healing difficulty (didn't find any). He recommended hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) which helps with non-healing wounds, but first he put me on a different medication therapy - trental (pentoxifylline) + vitamin E. I finished RT in April 2006, was on the trental therapy from 10/2006 to 6/2008. It helped, but didn't fix my issues. I then went for 45 HBOT "dives" in 2008 - finally got some relief.

My mouth is still very sensitive, I did develop ulcers from time to time, but not in the past few years. I hope this info helps. Wishing you and your husband the best!