Hello,
I was hoping that you could offer me some advice please?
My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 laryngeal cancer in early 2023 and it was successfully treated with a course of radiotherapy.
One of the main side effects that she has really struggled with is the increased mucus in her throat. The advice that she was given to deal with this has included using a nebuliser, carbonated drinks, increased attempts to eat (rather than relying on fortisip drinks) and reduction in smoking. I appreciate that the smoking is far from ideal but she is a recovering alcoholic with depression so this is a vice that she finds very difficult to give up. She has also tried hyoscine patches.
The mucus has remained a constant issue and she complains that whenever she eats, food tastes rancid once it comes into contact with the mucus. A recent xray confirmed that food is getting stuck in the mucus when she eats but can be flushed down with water.
At her last oncology review, she was told that the mucus is unlikely to ever improve now as it normally improves the most in the first 12 months following treatment. She was absolutely devastated to hear this as the mucus is what makes her so miserable. At the end of last year, her depression hit an all time low because of this and she attempted suicide twice which resulted in her being sectioned under the mental health act. My brother and I have been caring for her and have got her back to a reasonable state of health but I am worried now about how she will handle this news.
So, I wanted to ask if there is anything else that you think we can/should try? She has the funds to seek a second opinion privately but is there any point? Could there be something available to her privately to help with the mucus which she may not have offered to her on the NHS? The care that she has been given at her local hospital has been fantastic but I worry now that if she has been told that there is nothing else to be done about the mucus, what impact this will have on her mental health. I just want to make sure that all options have been exhausted.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Kay
