After reading the gut-wrenching posts under "I stopped my IMRT" (in Medication/
Treatment/Procedures) I darn near wanted to weep. So here's a hopeful, encouraging report.

Tmw I am four weeks out of treatment. (Chemo + 70 radiation doses in 7 weeks, the latter half of which were IMRT.) My neck had looked like hamburger, the burns were so bad. That's virtually all healed. My hair has started growing. On 6/22 my blood work came back 100% normal, including white blood cell count and related readings such as platelets. Everything normal, so my immune system appears to have fully recovered. No longer compromised.

Unfortunately my mouth soreness continues unabated, so I am still subsisting on water plus CVS's knockoff of Ensure. I am so-o-o ready to be finished with that! In some ways it is harder to deal with than treatment, because there's no end date to fix in mind and say, "Just tough it out this far, and it'll be over!"

Also, as you might guess, thick saliva continues to be an issue, but it may have partially diminished in favor of dry mouth. Hard to tell, being gradual and subjective. It was these forums that first gave me a sobering, realistic view of how long I would be living with saliva issues. (Thank you all!)

Right now I'd settle for mouth soreness to subside, along with related tissue inflammation. Meantime, I remain a lidocaine junkie. (2% viscous solution, diluted.) It's the only way I can get through taking nutrition and even sipping water. Even with lidocaine, I sometimes feel jagged stabbing pains when sipping.

While all this is unpleasant, it is manageable. Attitude is generally positive. Very grateful for signs of healing in other areas, especially the blood work.

My heart goes out ot Sone, the woman who stopped IMRT because her pain became intolerable. What a choice to make: unendurable pain vs. life itself. "There but for the grace of God, go I."

Ari, if you have a blender, you would be surprised at what all your imagination can come up with. I try anything that is reasonable, put it in the blender and make it liquid. I really haven't gained weight but do get some needed nourishment. Get some muscle milk at the drug store or maybe GNC, just add water and shake it up. It does help and it is very helpful if you work out at all, even if you are sitting in a chair doing it.

Ari,

Get Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC. It has a whopping 560 cals in the same size can so you get much more bang for your swallowing buck and right now you need tons of calories to help your body recover. I consumed over 3000 cals a day for well over a year post Tx and didn't gain a pound so that told me I needed all of it just to keep up with my bodies' healing activity.

Most of us had our roughest time the few weeks post Tx so unfortunately that's normal but soon you will begin the long recovery period but that is a good thing.

Yes the thick saliva will yield to the dry mouth stage but slowly your saliva and taste should start to repair itself depending upon how much damage was done by your radiation. This process can take all of 2 years so don't get discouraged.

Were you tested for HPV?