Deb,
On the dental exam;

Once I was referred to the Cancer Center a dental group on campus was part of their multidisciplinary team that I had to go to for my exam, panoramic x-rays and fluoride trays.

Although I have Dental Insurance, It was covered by my Medical Insurance.

I didn't need any dental work and this is the first I have heard about getting rid of the metal filling ... I do have a few, so I guess if they can't zap around them I will get extra tongue burn

Hi Deb,

Welcome to OCF. As you will have already found there are many people on this site who have been through, or are going through the same procedures as you.

I had a left selective neck dissection on the 12th May and had 39 nodes removed. Although I have had no shoulder problems, or pain around the collar bone area I did have a rock hard, bumpy neck afterwards. I had (and still have) areas of numbness and other spots that were hypersensitive (the hypersensitivity has now gone). I still have oedema under my chin.

I finished a six week course of radiation and chemotherapy on Friday (25th July) and, although I could never tell anyone it was easy, it is doable. I think that you need to go into it with a positive frame of mind and a 'take each day as it comes' kind of attitude. I was fastidious about my nutrition and hydration and I think that staying on top of these things helped me deal with it and hopefully will give me a speedy recovery.

My radiotherapy sessions lasted, at most, 15 minutes and of that time I was only being zapped for about 5 minutes. I found that the time spent in the mask went quickly especially if they had good music playing. I would sort of go into a bit of a meditative trance while it was happening. As for side effects -I have had some but not all! I have a severely ulcerated mouth (this started from week 2) and my skin was fine for the first 5 weeks but started peeling and splitting in the final week. Hopefully these things will resolve themselves in the next two weeks.

My mouth is somewhat dry but I do have some saliva and will have to keep my fingers crossed as to the long term effects. My taste buds have been affected - everything I eat has a chemical taste - but I'm not sure if this is because of the chemo or the radiotherapy. I hope that this goes SOON! Also watch out for constipation - believe it, or not, this caused me the single most amount of grief of any other side effect.

There are probably lots of other things that I could tell you and if you have any specific questions I am happy to answer them. I did not have to have a PEG or naso-gastric tube, but I did have to numb my mouth frequently so that I could eat and drink.

My teeth were checked by a dental oncologist before I started my treatment and he didn't make any recommendation to have my amalgam fillings changed. I think that I had two or three in the radiated area.

You can do this!

Sue

Deb,
Insurance did not pay for my dental work but my dentist did agree to work with me to bill my health insurance. My health care provider (Blue Cross) declined payment and then my dentist split the bill 50% out of the goodness of her heart.

Also, for skin care, every day after treatment and at bed time I applied a prescription lotion called Biafine and I think it really helped my skin.

Something that really helped my husband as he is very fair complected is Mary Kay Soothing Gel. I slathered this on him every day - it is designed to put on your skin after you've been out in the sun. Jim never got any type of blisters or peeled on his neck. I hate the smell of it now, but when we were using it, it had a nice clean smell. He claims that it also helped with him moving his neck so that it wouldn't get stiff. You can do this, Deb...we are all here for you so ask away!

Good Luck!
Paula

I have been blessed so far with the responses from this website. Thanks to all of you for your comments.

Deb:

Its understandable to be afraid of the side effects of radiation. You dont want to risk a recurrance. To be honest, the side effects can be pretty brutal, but you can do it. Its a good thing that you have found this site so you can be an informed patient. People here will help you thru with moral support and answer your questions.

Im 10 months post radiation and my saliva is almost normal as is my taste for food. Everbody heals and reacts differently to treatments. Going into radiation you want to eat everything you crave and get the best nutrition possible. Just eat like crazy! Dont worry about gaining weight, you will probably lose some from treatments.

Deb..we tried really hard to get our insurance to pick up dental but they flat refused BC/BS but that was 5 years ago ..maybe yours will help.
I know you are scared but have faith in your Doctors, this is not a death sentance. You can beat it.
Marica

I have not yet been thru it but have been grabbing info as I can on surgery and radiation etc. as it sounds like radiation will follow my surgery next week - but I read about something called RADIOPROTECTORS which protect salivary glands during radiation. Does anyone know if these work as reported? This may be something you wish to discuss with your doctor prior to starting treatment so if they can help you can benefit from them. Best wishes.

Hi Deb, Most likely your health insurance will not cover any dental cost. You need to call and found out. Make sure you see your dentist ASAP before you have radiation. There is a lot of dental issues concerned with radiation and the dentist will explain this to you. Has your doctor spoke to you about a peg tube. Due to the radiation you will get sores in the mouth and throat thank god I had a peg tube for feeding, water and most of all pain medication. I had my surgery Oct 07 ended radiation in Jan 08 and Chemo Feb 08 and my neck is still numb but I have been able to move it more as time goes on. This is a great site with a lot of support. You will get through this !!!!!

I got fitted for my mask yesterday, along with tons of papers regarding what to expect. I am just so frightened. I seriously don't know if I have the fortitude to follow through with this. I had surgery on July 11th and there is still a lot of swelling and hardness in my neck. I was told yesterday, the radiation will cause more swelling which will never go away. I don't know that I can bear to be disfigured like this. I'm not superficial by no means. I've never been attractive, and now this is going to be even worse. I'm so sad and cry all the time. I know I have to do this because the consequences of not doing are far worse than the effects of the radiation. Six months ago I was healthy and today I'm faced with terror.