Solid food and neck pain ...is this normal? PET scan booked today for 15th August. Getting nervous!

Hi. 
You might just have been too adventurous with your food. 
All sorts of aches are fairly normal. Early treatment failure is really rare so hold onto that. 
PET/CT is gold standard monitoring. Most of us have one. You’ll get a leaflet on how to prepare. No food the morning of the scan and no strenuous exercise. The whole procedure takes around an hour but the scan itself only a few minutes. It’s just like two passes of the CT scan that you’ll already be familiar with. 
You get an injection of a radioactive tracer intravenously then the scan around an hour later 

I had my PET at 16 weeks. 

JCPH said:

I used to be a confident happy person I don't even recognise myself right now! Thank you in advance! JCPH 

Yes this cancer and the awful treatment leaves us pretty battered but don’t forget cure rates are over 90%
Have a read of this article about recovery from cancer. It explains why we feel what we do 

https://www.workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf

Hi JCPH.. It's perfectly normal to feel anxious at this time.. I was getting a sting on the treatment side of my tongue for quite a while after treatment... you are still healing.. I finished treatment late Feb, and my throat still feels a bit sore after eating spicy things.. your PET-CT is exactly like the one you had pre treatment, with the tracer.. 

Hi Dani again! You are so kind! Thank you!

Yes I think you are right re food! I am just desperately trying to find some sort of normality again. I think I ran before walking!

Thank you for the information re the PET scan and your words of encouragement re success rate. Fingers crossed and thank you for being so kind once more  x

Hi Loz. Thank you for taking the time to reply.  Really?  Regarding PET scan? I had a catheter and warm liquid put through whilst in the scanner???? But thank you x 

I hate the anxiety! This whole situation has changed me personality wise I just hope I'm still in there somewhere?

You take care and have a lovely evening.

JCPH said:

  Really?  Regarding PET scan? I had a catheter and warm liquid put through whilst in the scanner???? But thank you x 

Don’t stress. Only some people have PET scans before treatment. They are usually the ones with more advanced disease where the oncologist is looking for metastasis. I didn’t have one and it sounds like you didn’t too. You had a CT with contrast. 

JCPH said:

Hi Dani again! You are so kind! Thank you!

Thank you. Just trying to help you hold it together. I know how you feel. Hugs 

Hi JCPH

I finished Chemoradio early June 2023 started eating small meals in August took Oramorph prior to every meal to ease pain (CNS advice}...pain persisted until October then eased considerably....PET/CT scan September...clear...still suffered intermittent mouth pain...oncology were aware of this and advised that the treatment was harsh and pain would take time to subside...one year on and I still get twinges...I use a Difflam spray when a twinge happens.

PEG came out in September but still used Ensure 2cal orally as a supplement 

My taste and appetite are at about 90% now...it takes time for things to 'normalise' ... and it is natural to be concerned about the disease not being completely eradicated...but this lessens over time.

Peter

Hi like Dani I think I you’re being a tad too adventurous. I took the route of nursery type  food for first few months I certainly couldn’t manage a jacket potatoes. If I’m honest I reckon I was a good year before I could and the. It was a frozen mccains  type of jacket potato. 
poached eggs home made soups well well buttered  toast crumpets but took me 5 years to manage the crusts. Tinned peaches trifles custards. A full English again aro7nd a year before I could manage one as for a Chinese meal a good 3 years for me. Slow cooked lamb around 4 month I could just about manage with puréed vege. 
as for pet Ct scan I has one before treatment and one afterwards. Trust the treatment it’s brutal but as an excellent response for most of us. The article Dani has highlighted is an excellent one for yourself I printed several,copies to guve to famiky and friend. Yes our treatments over but recovery can be long and there will be light at the end of the tunnel just takes a whike to get there. Best wishes for the 15= th and we’re all here  if you need us. 

Hazel 

The treatment is mighty tough on us physically and mentally....you are doing very very well...you will eventually come into the light...a much stronger person.

Peter

Good evening JCPH, you have done so well in getting to this stage now you have to let your body heal and recover taking things a lot slower, i wonder why they removed the PEG so early as this is where it comes in handy in times like this when you are feeling a bit down. You will be that happy confident person it is just a matter of time, we all suffer setbacks and sometimes take two steps forward and three steps backward so it's quite normal to feel like you are at the moment. I promise you the PET scan is nothing to worry about and the more relaxed you are the better it is as nothing will hurt you. I wish you all the best for your scan and recovery, you are doing fine, take care.

                                                                            Chris