Tips on dealing with radiotherapy burns on neck and throat.

There is a bandage called Polymem. Look up hazels profile (RadioactiveRaz ) cluck on her name here. She has a link to her blog and there are posts about it. 

Hi I burned quite badly from week 5 of treatment. I was prescribed a polymem  bandage which I had ti wear for 3 -4 days at a time until the gunk came through to the outside of the  bandage then replace it. I was told no cream to be uses and only  use lukewarm water. I healed very well in around 3-4 weeks. 
Yiu can buy the bandages but see first if your  gp or consultant will  issue on prescription they are around £25 a time. Plus taps yiu can see mine in photo this was my last day if treatment. 

We had the dressings which did help a bit, but Oncologist advised best to let air dry things out and this worked for my husband, but he had to site bare chested in February 

I know not everyone is the same, but not wearing a top definitely helped him and his neck has healed with no scarring.

1. Wishing you both all the best. Xx

Hello there, Just as been mentioned, my husband got the PolyMem dressing/wraps giving as well at our cancer centre, but we got also advised to put a layer of flamigel on the wrap prior to using the dressing,my husbands burns were very severe as well, but started to heal eventual with the help of these.

My neck was in quite a state from the RT,  they prescribed me will Flamazine, which healed and soothed it very quickly.

Ray.

Hi,
I was told to get sterile swabs/gauze and saline from my GP. I soaked the gauze with the saline ( I kept the packs in the fridge) and placed on my neck, then wrapped over with cling film. It was a bit messy/ drippy but it really cooled and soothed my neck and seemed to help the burns heal quickly. I wasn't offered anything else by my nurse.
Hope this helps.

Cookie76 said:

6 weeks

Quite a while after finishing.
Could it actually be infected?

When is his next review? 

1. I used polymem for 10 weeks had to change it daily, plus . I soaked some gauze with the saline once daily ,that helped a lot but I have scared, ask your cancer nurse for some polymem, has many doctors don't do it ,xall the best x

Hello there, at first i had to purchase the wraps myself as our GP wouldn't prescribe them, only when our district nurse came to visit for the first time and seen my husbands wounds,she requested these,we had them then on a regular base.

My husband is 10 weeks post his 6 weeks chemoradiotherapy for HPV T2L1M0 tonsil, base of tongue & lymph node cancer. Immediately after treatment end his neck was a mess - wet, weeping - looked like zombie had torn at his neck! The photos are too graphic! Advice from his H&N Clinical Nurse specialist was to shower for 20mins twice a day & to not touch the neck but to let the warm water slough all the gunk away & then dab gently with a clean towel each time & let air dry. Also no collars touching the neck - he couldn't stand that anyway & from week 4 I sat in hospital (he was an inpatient at this point as got so poorly) & cut all the collars off all his t-shirts so nothing touched his neck. He rocked the off the shoulder rock star look! Anyway, 10 days of showering the neck & leaving open in the air it was amazing - his neck healed beautifully. Skin in tact & just looked like he'd been in the sun & had a mild sunburn.