#67954 01-20-2008 07:17 AM | Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 4 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 4 | My mom just finished the first two weeks of radiation for oral cancer (four more to go). She is starting to experience discomfort, trouble swollowing and irritation from the radiation. What is miracle mouthwash? What is Trismus and guaflensin? I have read about these medicines on this website. What can be applied to her skin to decrease the burning? Any suggestions would be appreciated. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 939 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 939 | Virginia,
Your mom's RO should be well versed in pain management for her throat discomfort. The miracle mouthwash refers to several concoctions (depending on the pharmacist)that you swish and swallow, but the main ingrediant is lidocaine to give a brief local anesthetic to the mouth and throat to allow you to eat and drink.
Mom will need increasing amounts of pain meds as her treatment progresses up to and including morphine..either liquid or patches that can be worn.
Trismus is not a medicine but a condition where the jaw has limited mobility, i.e., won't open very far....a result of damage from radiation.
Guafenisen (sp??) is a medicine to help with phlegm production.
The RO can also give you meds for her burns (Aquaphor) but Bill did just as well with aloevera gel and it is way less greasy and goopy.
Keep reading and doing searches on this website...lots of good information.
Deb
Deb..caregiver to husband, age 63 at diagnosis, former smoker who quit in 1997.
DIAGNOSIS: 6/26/07 SCC right tonsil/BOT T4N0M0
TREATMENT START: 8/9/07 cisplatin/taxol X 7..IMRT twice daily X 31.5.
TREATMENT END: 10/1/07
PEG OUT: 1/08
PORT OUT: 4/09
FOLLOWUP: Now only annual exams. ALL CLEAR!
Passed away 1/7/17 RIP Bill
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 82 Senior Member (75+ posts) | | Senior Member (75+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 82 | Virginia,
I went weeks with a bogus mouthwash that was nothing like my
RO had prescribed... maybe a miscommunication through my family drugstore or something. I accidentally discovered a formula through my father... it is called 'Miles 480 Magic Mouthwash,' or 'Dukes' as well... some kind of dispute between Duke University and the mouthwash creator, Miles (?). It is very simply equal parts of Maalox, Lidocaine, Benadryl and Nystatin... and it works wonders! The Maalox holds it all together, lidocaine numbs the inside of the mouth, the benadryl does whatever benadryl does and the nystatin is an antifungal... mention this to, or ask, your pharmacist about it. It really is a Godsend and does work.
John - Proud to be here...
Hemiglossectomy 08/02/07, 4 lower molars extracted prior to 6 weeks IMRT 09/10/07-10/19/07, SCC w/met to L neck lymph nodes, rad only, no ND. PEG 10/26/07-02/05/08.
"We're all in the same boat in a stormy sea, therefore we owe one another a terrible loyalty."
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,676 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,676 | Hi, Virginia, Please forgive me if I have missed information about your Mom, but I don't know if she has a peg tube or is going to try to get all her nutrition by mouth during radiation. You can research trismus on this website- it can be a serious side effect of radiation and can lead to severe consequenses if not dealt with. As to the pain management during radiaton and the other side effects of rad., your Mom and her immediate caregivers should be on top of this daily. IE: you may need to be VERY vocal about what she is experiencing [don't wait weeks to tell someone] and insist on another approach to the problem. Be proactive at all times because it will help everyone down the road. Amy in the Ozarks
CGtoJohn:SCC Flr of Mouth.Dx 3\05. Surg.4\05.T3NOMO.IMRTx30. Recur Dx 1\06.Surg 2\06. Chemo: 4 Cycles of Carbo\Taxol:on Erbitux for 7 mo. Lost our battle 2-23-07- But not the will to fight this disease
:
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Virginia,
It's quite common for your mom to be experiencing those side effects going into week 3. That said, she needs to stay on top of the pain mgmt; she needs to be very vocal with her docs and nurses and she needs to pour down around 2000 calories and 48 ozs of water each and every day. The side effects of the rad are one thing but the side effects of not keeping up with the cals and hydration are totally separate and can even be life threatening when combined with the Tx she is undergoing.
Tell us more by editing your Signature Line in your Profile like most of us have done. It really helps us post better responses to your posts and it will save you time each time you post as well.
You have found a very valuable site that will be of great benefit to you and your Mom.There are a few doctors on this site but most of us are either survivors or caregivers that have gone through pretty much what lies ahead for you and your Mom. So keep the questions, concerns and comments coming and we'll help as much as possible.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 |
Virginia:
Welcome! Your mom has gone thru 2 weeks and unfortunately the next few will be hard. Ask her oncologist about getting a prescription for Magic Mouthwash. It will help her by numbing her mouth so its not so sore. Also ask for pain patches. Fentanyal is what I used. It is changed every 72 hours and will provide her with constant releif from pain. She needs to keep her calories and water intake up or she will have a hard time of it. She should be using ensure, boost or one of the carnation high calorie drinks to help keep the calories high. If she has a PEG tube, it makes things easier and then she should be using some prescription hi calorie liquid.
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | | | | | Joined: May 2002 Posts: 2,152 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 2,152 | I used Biafine on the burns on my skin. It worked much better than the Aquaphor which didn't seem to work as well as my Aloe Relief cream. Biafine is also supposed to help prevent the skin from burning if started before rad, but I wasn't given a prescription for it until my last week of radiation so cannot attest to that. Remember, you only apply these after your daily treatment. Nothing at all on the body when you go in for treatment and bathe with Dove or Olay soap.
Take care,
Eileen
----------------------
Aug 1997 unknown primary, Stage III
mets to 1 lymph node in neck; rt ND, 36 XRT rad
Aug 2001 tiny tumor on larynx, Stage I total laryngectomy; left ND
June 5, 2010 dx early stage breast cancer
June 9, 2011 SCC 1.5 cm hypo pharynx, 70% P-16 positive, no mets, Stage I
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,357 Likes: 5 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,357 Likes: 5 | Just to throw a wrench into the Magic Mouthwash debate, I was prescribed a combination (I don't know the exact formulation) of:
benadryl, tetracycline, lelix and nystatin
They bill it as "Dr. Bob's Magic Mouthwash" and has to be put together by my local pharmacist.
Make sure that your mom is on the proper pain medication. If her throat is sore she will not want to eat and drink properly which will only lead to huge complication in the next several weeks.
Remember radiation is a "cululative" treatment - each treatment adds to the previous ones so it will definitely get worse before it gets better. Pain medication in your family's ticket through this.
My radiation oncologist and technicians prefer that you don't use any lotions, hair conditioners, mouse, hair spray, etc during the treatment period on or near the treatment area. Maybe elimination of some of those items will help keep the burn to a minimum.
Good luck.
Donna
Donna,69, SCC L Tongue T2N1MO Stg IV 4/04 w/partial gloss;32 radtx; T2N2M0 Stg IV; R tongue-2nd partial gloss w/graft 10/07; 30 radtx/2 cispl 2/08. 3rd Oral Cancer surgery 1/22 - Stage 1. 2022 surgery eliminated swallowing and bottom left jaw. Now a “Tubie for Life”.no food envy - Thank God! Surviving isn't easy!!!! .Proudly Canadian - YES, UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IS WONDERFUL! (Not perfect but definitely WONDERFUL)
| | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 666 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 666 | The concoction that I had burned like hell. So I ended up looking at the bottle once in a while. Even several months post radiation it still burned and then I threw it away.
The "moral" of the story is... not all Magic Mouthwash are created the same. Also do not wait that long to get something that works for YOU.
M
Partial glossectomy (25%) anterior tongue. 4/6/07/. IMRT start @5/24/07 (3x) Erbitux start/end@ 5/24/07. IMRT wider field (30x) start 6/5/07. Weekly cisplatin (2x30mg/m2), then weekly carbo- (5x180mg/m2). End of Tx 19 July 07.
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 | The hydrocodone - loratb- i take works good and the biotene seems to it's job as well. Just have to watch how much lortab I take or it's happy time Especially if taken close tt the percocet. It makes Jim a happy guy and I don't like to be that happy. LOL
Since posting this. UPMC, Pittsburgh, Oct 2011 until Jan. I averaged about 2 to 3 surgeries a week there. w Can't have jaw made as bone is deteroriating steaily that is left in jaw. Mersa is to blame. Feeding tube . Had trach for 4mos. Got it out April.
--- Passed away 5/14/14, will be greatly missed by everyone here
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