#60183 01-26-2007 02:51 PM | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 Member | OP Member Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 | Question- how long do people stay on meds after TX? I am 8 months out after radiation and I have 2 main issues: dry mouth and pain in the area that they did by boost.
So I have been on Lortab for about 7 months (I was on morphine during radiation-no chemo) and I wonder how long is too long? Or what is normal?
Female, 36 yrs. old. Stage 1 tongue cancer; no lymph nodes; surgery & radiation
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#60184 01-26-2007 03:34 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 53 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 53 | I don't personally think there is a too long. Pain management is a quality of life issue, and you need to be on the meds until you don't need them... then eventually reducing the dosages over a period of perhaps a month to get off them altogether. Leaving them too soon sets up its own set of problems. I was on pain meds for a year, so without knowing other
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. | | |
#60185 01-27-2007 02:23 AM | Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 95 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | Supporting Member (50+ posts) Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 95 | I almost wrote in yesterday with a similar question for my husband, but he has been out of treatment a lot less long - radiation ended 12/5/06. He had been doing better for a couple weeks. He had been up and about and out of the house and back doing his camera thing on eBay.
He had a great CT scan on Tuesday 1/23/06 which perked us both up. But this week he has felt pretty miserable again - really can
Barbara S C/G to Michael age 64, stage 1 base of tongue SC cancer and a stage one for a couple lymph nodes, diagnosed 09/12/06, IMRT radiation 10/24/06 to 12/05/06 , last PET / CT scan 11/7/11 - still cancer free!!!
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#60186 01-28-2007 12:14 PM | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | All of the Docs I have talked to have said the trick with pain meds is to stay ahead of the pain; what you can do if you feel you've had enough is to cut back just a little and see what happens in a week (some meds build up in your system and take a while to reduce; the reverse is also true which is why one has to stay ahead of the pain). If that's OK, then reduce again and wait.
Patience is a virtue here, and I would advise marking the dates/dosage on a calendar because it's easy to lose track when you are on these kinds of meds.
Age 67 1/2 Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05 Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08 Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08 Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06 Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08) Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08) On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
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#60187 01-29-2007 06:56 PM | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 Member | OP Member Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 | Thanks everyone for the feedback. It was very helpful. My ENT wants to get me off the Lortab and although my dosage has decreased since treatment ended I still have to take it for pain in my mouth and right side of my jaw. Motrin, even 800mg, is just not enough. I know everyone heals differently but it is good to know that I am not crazy or unusual to experience pain at this point in time.
Female, 36 yrs. old. Stage 1 tongue cancer; no lymph nodes; surgery & radiation
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