Am now 6 months post Rad and Chemo (no surgery) and things have been going well except for my mouth. I just can't seem to clear my mouth of the painful sores. This has prevented me from making real progress with eating, weight gain etc. I am still using the PEG and eating what I can by mouth. My Doc's have tried various mouthwash products, thrush medication and antibiotics. A biopsy was completed on the most severe area which showed nothing unusual (thank God!) other than cysts with some bacterial infection. At his point nothing seems to help.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone that has or had this problem. Is it unusual to be going this long? Any solutions or suggestions? Thanks.


Tongue cancer (SCC), diag. 10/03, Stage III, Rad 7weeks 2X daily, Chemo 5 weeks.

Hi, Len, mouth sores are definitely a side effect that applies to nearly all if not all oral cancer patients. I had to take pain medicine and mouthwash products prescribed by my doctor to relieve the pain. I didn't have antibiotics because the sore was not an infection in my case. The gargle I took could numb my mouth for a short while so that I could eat my meal without much dfficulty. The mouth sores could last for quite some time but I can't remember for how long but I could eat most of the food about 4 months post treatment. I never had a PEG tube. By the way, there is still some minor sore along the sides of my tongue even today but it doesn't affect my speech and eating. Hang in there, the sores will fade away gradually but may take a longer time. Everyone has a different healing schedule.

Karen.

Hi Len,
My mom is in the same boat. Lidocaine offers some very temporary relief, but that's about it. I'm taking her for accupuncture next week to see if that helps. She's 9 months post treatment and still has incredible pain in her mouth caused by new sores. She developed some sores on her tongue that have been there for at least two months. They are as painful as hell too. The doctor did a brush biopsy and thankfully that came back negative, but they are still there and have mad it such that she is still on the PEG and so medicated that she virtually sleeps the days away. I've been told that it's just a matter of time. Admittedly I'm getting a tired of hearing that and would like a better answer, but evidently everyone heals differently. Hang in there. If I learn anything that may be useful, I'll post or email you. I hope you're feeling better soon. Take care.

Len,

I had the same problem and quit eating anything citrus or any type of hard candies or throat lozenges. I also started scraping my tongue twice a day and it has returned to a lovely rose color.

You can get the tongue scrapers from your dentist. They are flexible plastic and have a regular side and a soft side. There is a gel you can apply first with your finger (if you can get past the gag reflex) and then you scrape your tongue. Be sure and start with the soft side. It gets all the crud off and eventually the bacterial sores are gone forever (or at least gone often with longer intervals between). The maker is Breathrx. I can send you one if you can't find them locally.

Ed

Len,

I can't swear to it working, but I speak with many people that have mouth sores and two things keep coming up.

1) rinse with a salt/baking soda/water combo.
2) rinse (and swallow if you want)with Pure Aloe Vera juice. Available a health food grocery stores.

Hope it helps.
Dinah

Don't forget to think about other vitamin helpers like vitamen E and others. Don't go with large doses unless you speak with your doctor first.

I was put on 220mg Zinc sulfate, 400iu Vitamin E 2x day, 500mg vitamin C 2X a day, and a multivitiamin like Centrum to promote healing. I did not have terrible mouth sores, but I did have a rampant case of thrush that took forever to get rid of, plus problems with gums healing. Still taking the stuff and haven't had a cold since, not that I got a lot of them before. Anyway, check with your doctor before doing this. I think the zinc really helps.

Take care,
Eileen