Hi all, my husband has just finished his 6 week radio/ chemo treatment for throat cancer and we were told to expect weeks 7-8 to be the worse. This week (week 7) has started horrendously. District nurse came today to give him an anti-sickness injection which seems to have helped a little but the most severe problem now is the build up of mucus in the back of his throat which he is struggling to clear to the point he is constantly retching and it literally sounds like he is choking trying to clear his airway. My question is, is this normal and if so in your experiences how long will this last?? He is fitted with a rig and therefore only swallows to sip water for oral medication due to severe pain in his throat. He is only 49 and it's truly heartbreaking 
Hi Ali
Everything that Hazel said
I was on a lot of morphine, both slow and quick release, plus paracetamol. The slow release was a complete game changer and kept me comfortable. I managed to loosen a lot of the mucous by steaming my head over olbas oil, very refreshing. The diet ginger ale was pretty effective too.
I remember those dark days and I remember worrying about my husband and how he felt constantly, but luckily he is a stoic and just got on with it.
You need to look after yourself too.Your husband will pull through this and and at 49 he is young enough to make a good recovery. I was 68 when my treatment finished and over four years later I'm pretty good. I know four years seems as far as the moon right now but honestly a day at a time becomes a week, a month and a year before you know it.
It might be a little early to be exploring how your husband might feel in recovery but have a look at this really useful essay by a psychologist involved in cancer care. It resonates with a lot of us. I printed out a few copies..gave one to my husband and a few friends.
After The Treatment Finishes, Then what?
Best wishes
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
Hi Ali,
This sounds exactly what i was experiencing in week 7-8! It's horrendous and frustrating, but totally 'normal'. I'm 51 now, I was 50 having treatment, which finished last August.
The mucus started over night and hit hard. There were days where I was spending most of my time clearing mucus, spitting into tissues, retching because of the sensation of it always being there in my throat. Really horrid. But it ends! I realise this isn't much help as your husband is in the thick of it. But one day at a time is the only way to go. Set small goals for each day. I spent most of my time in bed from wk 6 to wk 8 - but just having the tiny goal of walking downstairs and into the garden once or twice per day is good. I listened to a lot of podcasts, ranted on here and slept a lot (oramorph does that!). But I can vividly recall the retching though, even the smell of sickly strawberry fortisips made me gag!
I could still swallow my meds too (and had liquid paracetamol, ibuprofen & morphine) and if your husband can continue using those muscles for water/meds it will help with a quicker recovery, as I was eating orally again much quicker than most. I used my RIG for Fortisips for about 4-5 weeks only and my oncologist and team said that the fact that I continued to swallow helped with recovery and eating further down the line! It was pretty awful, but I'm very stubborn and was determined to carry on drinking orally!
One day at a time. Stay positive. If he has a stubborn streak, or are highly motivated - lean into this! Keep drinking water. It gets better! There is light at the end of the tunnel - I am now 9 months post treatment and last weekend I went white water rafting and demolished an 8-course tasting menu - boom! I've come a long way from just walking down the stairs and around the garden with a glass of water 
Take care,
Helenx
