My husband finished radiation three weeks ago. He is still having tremendous pain in his mouth, from the sores caused by radiation. He is just so frustrated and sick of being sick. I see him losing more and more weight. He wantst to know when it might get better. When does the hurting stop? He also seems to have an extraordinary amount of phlem in his nasal area that is causing him to spit ALL THE TIME. Has anyone been through this and can you give us some idea of when things might get better? Thank you.

Hi!Jen, Iam so sorry to hear that your husband is feeling so bad. All I can tell you is that all of us who have gone through radiation have suffered through pretty much the same thing. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.Hang in there things will get better,I know it seems like it goes on and on but he will see little by little it gets better.I would be so down about one issue and two weeks later I would all of a sudden realize it wasn't there anymore. Things resolve themselves in their own time.Take care my prayers are with you both. Gwen

What he is going through including the emotional frustration with it all, is completely normal and on schedule. As far as recovery goes, the rule of thumb from many who have been through it, is one month of recovery for every week of radiation. The 6 months after treatment were the most difficult for me both physically and emotionally. There was always something happening, and the mucous, the sores, the raw exterior of my neck, while they got better, it happened SLOWLY. Nothing happened overnight. The body is beat up; its resources are at all time lows from the treatments. It takes time, good nutrition and rest. There is no fast track through this stage. This subject has been discussed a lot here. Take a look at some of the related posts from a year ago that we have left up on the board. If he reads these, he will gain some perspective that may help him with seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, even though that little light spot seems far away right now. Nutritional resources right now are important as they are the only thing that he can do to help speed up the process. But even they are not going to make all this go away in a few weeks

Hello, Jen. It has been slightly more than a year since I was in your husband's spot, but I remember the spitting. The thickened saliva flow can last for a couple of weeks or even a bit longer. I figured out two things that helped me. First, Puffs brand tissues are the softest for wiping out one's sore mouth, and secondly, roll up some gauze loosely, and put one roll in each "gutter" of his mouth. This will sop up the saliva for a few hours so he can sleep, or go out in public, or just get a break from the spitting and wiping. For some folks, this just tapers off, but for me, one morning I woke up and it was gone, happy day! The important thing to remember is that it WILL end! Try to never lose sight of the fact that each day done is one day closer to getting back to Real Life.

Thank you to everyone who replied. JoAnna your message was very uplifting for him. I know he knows it will get better, its just that its been so long, I think part of him stopped believing it will get better. Thanks again!