Throat cancer

Hi Anorak and welcome to the forum. So sorry you find yourself here. Histopathology results should be through before the New year, surely? All I can suggest is you keep pressing your ENT especially as your husband is still in trouble. Long term inflammatory changes after RT aren’t uncommon so fingers crossed it’s that. 
At least the area has been biopsied and it might be that you just have to wait which is awful. 

Hi Beesuit and thank you for coming back to me,and I am sorry that I am finding myself here too.

I have told my husband that he will have to keep the pressure on his ENT as cancer just does not stop for Christmas and it is his life we are dealing with here . He cannot go on like this for much longer as his health is going to suffer and he needs to keep strong if he is to beat this if it is the worst case scenario.

He is convinced he has the cancer back and is reading all sorts on medical journals as to subglotti cancer and the outlook is not good so he asking that I prepare myself. 

I do not know where this will all end, but at least if you know where you stand you can to come to terms somehow rather than being left dangling with your life.  I know these things take time as last year we were in exactly the same position which is quite eerie and we were not given the results until New Year's Eve.  Talk about history repeating itself!

The ENT consultants all kept saying that they thought it was long term radiotherapy that was causing this even before he went down to theatre the consultant was joking with him about it.  Then he was given his discharge sheet from the nurse stating what they had found and then the panic buttons start to go into overdrive and there was no sight of him or any other medical bodies to explain their findings.

Oh well look forward to agonising over a few weeks ahead, and I am of the opinion if you prepare yourself for the worst then anything else may be a bonus.  This is the only way I can tend to cope with the situation but everyday is hard to deal with and I have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes out of the blue so I am having to look after myself too.  We unfortunately do not have a family just each other so it makes it even harder as there is nobody there to help and back you up.  Why is life a bitch at times?

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Hi Anorak

So sorry you've found   yourself  on here and in this  position,as well as  getting  in touch with consultants or their secretary s do you  have a Macmillan or CNN’s nurse ? I am 27 month post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer and was downgraded to ent recently but once I got hold if my old Macmillan nurse things got sorted.Just a thought, or maybe contact g p to see if he can help with results 

Easy to say but hard to do can you try to keep him off medical journals ?Late onset radiotherapy issues can continue to arise for a good few years but you need reassurances.

I do hope you get a response before Christmas surely histology can’t take that long , 28 days + is far too long.

Hugs to both of you 

Hazel

Can I implore you to leave Google alone. Unless you are medically qualified enough to sort through the dross you are going to make yourselves really miserable. 
I had a hot spot on my 16 week PET scan. My surgeon and oncologist both said it was likely scar tissue. I knew I was dying. They were right. 
RT can cause all sorts of long term problems including dysphagia. So try to relax. I know that’s hard but second guessing what’s wrong without medical knowledge is going to drive you nuts.

Keep in touch 

We can try to support you day by day till you know. 

I have told him all this but he will not listen. 

The sites that he have been on are not on Google.  He has a psychology degree and has access to medical journals and this is where he is getting all this information from.  You know what they say doctors make the worst patients well seems to be going that way with him.  

I am of the opinion too that we will drive ourselves nuts reading all this stuff - why not just wait until the evidence is there and then you can start trying to decide what is going to happen.

I am a survivor of cancer myself after being diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma 13 years ago so in a way know where he coming from.  I am trying to use my experience to help him but it is not helping him at all.

No point beating myself up as all I can do is be there to pick him up but at the moment he seams to be hitting the ground hard.

I have tried to tell him to do normal things and keep himself occupied but he is saying he is too ill now to do anything!  He said he is fighting cancer and it is taking it's toll.  All I can do is keep an eye on him and if he deteriorates in that he cannot eat or drink then I will have to seek medical intervention. 

Well tomorrow is another day - why is it so hard.

Thank you for all your support and will keep in touch.

HI Hazel

Thank you for your kind words and yes it all makes sense about the medical journals but I don't seem to be getting through.

He has not been given any nurse or anything like that but will take your view on seeing if we can keep pestering his consultant or GP to get answers. 

He has gone from a strong healthy man to someone that is so fatigued with no interest in anything any more and he said he has come to the end!  It is awful to see him and to be honest the strain is awful and I am not in good health myself so it will eventually start taking it's toll on me in the end.

Answers, answers is what I need and him too I suppose the way to go is to put pressure on saying his health is suffering quite badly or get him admitted and they can sort him out.  Is that callous of me as at the end of my tether?

All your support is very welcome though so keep it coming to keep me sane.

Hi 

I think you may be on the right track once admitted he and you may get some answers. Look after yourself as well you need to be strong for both of you. Please try G P if that fails snd he isn’t eating or drinking enough it maybe best to call for help. 
Glad we can be if some comfort .Does hubby have a friend or work colleague who can sit and try to talk to him ? 

Glad you’ve come through your brush with cancer as well. 
Hazel 

Hazel’s right. You need to look after yourself too. Would your husband approach his GP for some antidepressants? Could that be an avenue to pursue? Just something to tide him over? 
I know how he feels. I remember waiting for my post PET scan biopsy results with despair  

Maybe even a trip to A&E if he is desperately unable to swallow. 
And definitely get in touch with his CNS. 

I have just sent him off to bed as he has had his tea (managed not to choke on it) as he just lying there looking like death and feeling sorry for himself.

I will see how he goes but he just keeps saying he has come to the end (I keep getting this off him).  Surely, he would not be this ill with 2 lesions on his throat he would still be functioning like a human being?

I know I am sounding harsh but where do I go from here?

Hi

His mind will be in overdrive its hard enough getting first diagnosis never mjns thinking get it might have come back I would imagine. If he’s at least eaten tonight that can only be a good thing. Keep him hydrated as well that’s vitally important. Think probably a call to G P is in order Monday morning anti depressant s may be needed. I haven’t any experience with them, but know many head and neck cancer patients find they do help in the short term.

Hugs 
Hazel