1st cycle of chemo completed...but, the side effects.

I'm sure your team will come up with something,I had mouth ulcers from RT and Difflam mouthwash helped a bit. In the meantime try swishing your mouth out with soluble aspirin and spitting it out? Maybe sucking on ice chips?

Hi there,  I didnt have a pump but had 6 weeks of radiotherapy and 2 cisplatin sessions.  My mouth was exactly as you describe. Got to the point where i couldn't bare ro brush teeth as so sore.Has your nurses not prescribed medication to help with the pain and mouth sores? They should do, please tell them tomorrow, im sure they will sort you out.How long are you into your treatment?.I was given difflam spray and a difflam mouth wash and a bottle of gel x which I applied to the ulcers.  Also dissolvable aspirin  to use as a mouth wash only . Dissolvable paracetamol,  cocodamol and eventually oramorph. The nurses were fantastic and always said I shouldn't have to suffer the pain when they can prescribe relief.They just sent the prescription up to the pharmacy and i picked them up after treatment . Try not to use anything which has alcohol based as it will make your mouth sore. I was given tellodant tablets, which you dissolve and swill your mouth with from the hospital dentist and the specialist toothpaste. Make sure you get medication for constipation as the painkillers will cause it and its so uncomfortable if you are constipated. I also made a salt and water solution to rinse my mouth also.  Some people say sucking icecubes helped, not something I tried personally.  Hope you get sorted . If your hospital dont help ,which im sure they will, contact your gp.

Tracy xxx

Also check you dont have oral thrush. I did at one point ,it makes your mouth very sore, I was prescribed drops from the hospital.You will also qualify  for free  prescriptions for 5 years, once applied for keep all recipts while its being processed you have to ask for a special ones from the pharmacist and you can claim any monies paid out while waiting for the exemption certificate.  I imagine though the hospital prescriptions are part of treatment X

Thank you everyone for your really helpful and quick responses!  The corsodyl mouthwash and corsodyl toothpaste is really good...I can recommend them.  

To be honest I wasn't expecting the mouth damage from chemo, I thought on RT would do that...but then I have only had one cycle of chemo and at the start of my journey so don't really know what to expect.  Just waiting on the hospital to come back to me with what they can px.

Thank you all xx

REM_fan_UK said:

To be honest I wasn't expecting the mouth damage from chemo,

It’s the Fluorouracil that’s done that. How long is your chemo course for before you start RT? I hope you get a little time to recover. 

I have another two rounds of chemo then RT, probably around late November or early December...don't feel like I have the flu like I did when I had the pump on but you know when you feel a little off...well, I feel like that lol...can't put it into words, but it's definitely better than 5 days ago.

The Oncology Assessment Unit were great and got me to go up and had bloods done...thankfully no infection but mucositis.  So I was given IV Abx, Gelclair, Oromorph, Oxetacaine antacid and some mouthwash whose name I can't remember.  Not used the mouthwash yet as I have used the Gelclair which tastes disgusting but has helped already.  Oromorph also foul tasting, not sure that's doing anything just yet though.

It's been the excess saliva stopping me from sleeping that has been quite tough...thinking the Gelclair before bed might help with that?  Will probably use the mouthwash before the Gelclair actually to get maximum benefit.

I can see this is going to be an interesting journey!  Thank you everyone xx

All I can give you at this point is a big forum hug.

I also used the Gelclair and you’re right it is disgusting but i persevered and it does help. I was also on steroids for an autoimmune disease and the Drs told me to mix an extra dose of steroid into the Gelclair then rinse my mouth and spit out as usual with Gelclair and i believe that helped even more.