It is almost two weeks since the end of my RT and today I noticed my tongue is peeling.

Is this normal?

I hope it is and if so that it is re-growing a few taste buds.

I never had that issue. I only had to deal with a thick non painful coating on my tongue.

My flap peeled after treatment ended. My doctor told me that was normal. The real part of my tongue did not peel though, so I'm not sure about that?

I didn't have tongue peeling during radiation (at least, I don't recall having any -- Some things are fuzzy from back then).

However, my new free flap tongue has peeled.

I saw my ENT Thursday and he said the tongue peel was to be expected. He said not knowing if my OC was nasopharynx or oropharynx or where the primary might be or have been that both areas were blasted to the max.

He also told me they are currently collaborating with MD Anderson - Houston and Sydney Kimmel Cancer Research Center - San Diego to gear up their Pathology department to tumor test oropharynx OC for HPV. So, my nodes might still get tested.

I had my first follow-up with a RO at the Cancer Center last Friday. It was exactly a month since ending RT and the crew said I look great.

The RO checked me out, everything was fine. She said I have real good swallow reflexes and saliva flow.

She asked is I was starting to forget my water bottle yet and I told her occasionally. Then she said my saliva was full of bubbles and that meant my thin saliva is coming back. By Sunday it was obvious that I have thin saliva again - praise be to Tomotherapy

She put me in for a PET in six weeks and said the Scheduler would be calling me with an exact date/time. She called it my Base-line PET.

She said I was way ahead of the curve.

Also just toward the end of last week most of my energy returned.

Unfortunately not much improvement in taste yet, so I am still needing the PEG.

But, the RO said by the looks of things my taste should start coming back real soon and when I can hold my weight without the PEG for two week to call them so they can pull it.

Last week I was released by the Dietitian (also ended my diet and all but five pounds of the excess weight is now gone) and next week I see my MO for our second post TX visit and I think it might be our last (two less doctors -- two down three to go).

Then it was over to the Cancer Centers Dental Center for a quick check by a dental tech. She said my teeth were overly sensitive to staining from the 0.4% Stannous Fluoride gel, so after some discussion with one the Prosthodontics dentist they switched me to a 1.1% Sodium Fluoride gel and the stain is already lightening up.

I wish I had asked what the difference is between stannous and sodium fluoride gels. Any way I am to wait another month before having my teeth cleaned.

All in all a good end to a pretty good first TX month.

Don

Thants great news you have on your recovery process. Glad to hear you are starting to feel better and have some energy. Things can only improve from here.

Way to go Don although I'm a little jealous about that thin saliva thing since I'm recently discovering a little increase in my thick saliva and I need my thin stuff to catch up.

Don, outstanding news, it only gets better from here. Good Luck with your healing. Semper-Fi Bob

Excellent news. You will go through many phases in the healing process but sounds like it is all downhill from here on for you.