Hello there I have had 35 rt to head and neck area which finished in October but today I have had a dry mouth all day also when I went to bed woke up after about an hour struggling to breathe as all congested so used my sterimar and my nebuliser felt fine then about an hour later woke up struggling to breathe
Hi Malex
Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Sherrye and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
I’m glad to hear you’ve completed your radiotherapy treatment for your head and neck cancer. I’m sorry to learn that you're having issues with congestion and a dry mouth which is causing you to struggle to breath at times. This must be very scary for you.
At Macmillan with any new, worsening and changing symptom or side effect we’d always suggest contacting your team to be assessed. They can also review what you are already using to manage this and make any appropriate suggestions or changes that would be suitable to you.
As we are separate from the NHS and have no access to your medical records, we don’t have the whole picture of your diagnosis so it’s difficult to say specifically what could be helpful to you.
Experiencing a dry mouth and congestion following radiotherapy treatments to the head and neck area are common but do get better with time. It’s common to be given a steamer and/or nebuliser to use as needed during this time.
For a dry mouth there are other things you can try such as saltwater rinses or artificial saliva products. Here is a table of different products that could be used, your consultant can discuss with you what may be best to try.
If the congestion you are experiencing with due to thick or sticky saliva there are specific mouthwashes that can be used alongside a nebuliser to relieve this. Changes to saliva normally improve within about 8 weeks of radiotherapy.
You may also find it helpful to share your experience in the head and neck forum, there may be others who have also experienced what you’re going through and can share with you what worked for them.
I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.
Best wishes,
Sherrye H,
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm), send us an email or contact us through webchat.
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