Rig help

I have never tried their products Sue, although i think they are much the same with none of them being that tasty I now put a tin of soup through the blender and water it down until it becomes thin enough for me to drink, it a real treat for me at the end of the day to taste something savoury. Keep up the good work.

                                          Chris x

You are welcome Sue, unfortunately for me, i cannot make a sound due to damage from operations, etc but you are right about some people being able to have a way of speaking again, most people who have their voicebox removed can make conversation again, i think it's brilliant how good some people are as it takes a lot of practice and determination. Im pleased you use cancer forums for your information rather than Google, good luck with week four.

                                            Chris x 

The tastiest thing I’ve eaten has to be a quiche without the crusts which took a while to swallow. My sister in law made mushroom soup with cream but too much garlic for my sore tongue. 
While I was at the hospital today I had to have a CT scan as they are concerned that my tongue is very swollen. 
I asked if they may reduce the RT plan but they don’t really let you know. They did say that they can reduce or lengthen your treatment days but not change the dosage. It does seem that my tongue is struggling with the dose

thats great u managed a little food i been on the prescribed drinks since being diagnosed but realised it was them causing my stomach upset so they tried me on a diff 1 yesterday but that has also gone straight through me iam struggling now as iam getting sorer by the day but not on pain relief just yet but i dont think it will be long am drinking real honey from a farm in lemon green tea although its taking me ages to drink a cup full as i only able to take tiny sips at a time now i do find it is quite soothing iam going to try strepsils as well today before i start on pain killers but i know its not going to be long and i will be on the morphine i dont know what i going to put in the tube as what they prescribe is not agreeing with me now i just want it to all be over and get the old me back xx

I’ve tried strepsils for my throat but my tongue and throat couldn’t take the pain so I can’t take anything to ease it. Are you managing soup? I am just to get a different taste although everything seems to taste of salt. I’m seeing the oncologist shortly (been in waiting room for over an hour) and hope to get something for my dry mouth of a night. I wake up with blood on my tongue due to the sores. Like you I can’t wait to get my life back with a nice Indian and glass of wine xx

iam managing to eat as normal with very small mouthfuls but it is getting harder to swallow now my throat is so sore now strepsils not really helping i dont think it will be long before iam on pain killers and using the rig but at the moment nothing is agreeing with me for the rig just going through me when i drink them so dont want to put them in the rig i going to try speak to the dietion today, how many more treatments you got left now sue? iam half way tomoz so are you coming into your last week now as iam a week behind you i think x 

hi chris reading your journey sounds awfull and to be honest worrying me as my cancer was vocal chord now it is also my voice box bur they told me iam cureable with the treatment iam currently having was you also told it was cureable? iam worried i will end up loosing my voice box as well x 

Morning Donna, we both seem to be on the correct path as everything happened to me like your saying was over a week ago. While I’m still able to swallow I’m taking the drinks orally and the dietitian said they can be watered down when applying by RIG to make it quicker to inject. It’s amazing how people can live on these drinks and not lose weight.

Do you have all white patches on your gums and everywhere? I wonder if that’s why they suggest taking back teeth out as that’s where the white spots are. 

I also read  Chris’s comments regarding her journey and realised I should try to read stories of the here and now and not the future because everyone is so different. She appears so upbeat, like the other MacMillan champions who encourage the newbies on this site with some good tips. 

i have two very good friends who are in their 80’s who have survived throat cancer for 10 years since radiotherapy so I’m trying to home in on those stories. 

I can cope all day with liquids but really miss a proper meal at night.…..one day closer though!……. Xx

I am in almost the end of week 4 and due to finish RT on Friday 20 September 

SueEssex said:

I wonder if that’s why they suggest taking back teeth out as that’s where the white spots are. 

No 

Teeth are extracted if they are in the direct line of the X-rays and the dentist thinks they may need to be extracted anyway at some future date. RT weakens the blood supply to the bone of the jaw which means there is a greater danger the bone fails to heal and leads to osteoradionecrosis. Teeth are further weakened by a significant reduction in background saliva. So it makes sense to extract teeth that may become a problem in the future. It sucks!