2 YEARS POST Throat Cancer

Hi, Scamper1, welcome to the group, there are many of us on here who have had the same as you, and they will be very pleased to help with any questions you have. In 2017 I was diagnosed with tonsil cancer and 2 lymph nodes affected, my treatment was tonsils out, then 6 weeks radiotherpy and 5 out of 6 all day chemo sessions, this was all completed in November 2017. Since then I have been doing pretty good, back to eating near normal etc. However I still do get very concerned and worry if I get a sore throat or an ear ache from time to time. It is only natural to worry after having what we have had, plus the treatments to put us right. If you do get too worried about anything you can always contact the team who treated you, they will be happy to put your mind at rest. Any questions ask away, someone will always help if they can. All the best.

Regards Ray.

Hi Scamper 

welcome to our small community. I am a year in front of you I was diagnosed may 2018 with tonsil cancer with several affected lymph nodes. I went the chemo radiation route. Touch wood I am fine still have dry mouth but still noticing small improvements. I am now seen every 6 months well seem not the right word was seen in December and am expecting phone call on May. 
Any help  just shout out . Again I am lucky I’ve not had any I unexpected issues but always on look out  

hazel x

Hazel i think you may find they are seeing patients again soon . i was told recently they may call me in for June appointment as they are now working face to face again. thanks for responding. 

thanks Ray. i had part of my tongue removed and 24 lymph nodes taken. it was pretty hard work , 3 operations and a haemorrhage and i was on morphine for close to 4 months... i am pleased to say though that the little worry i do have is probably not as bad as some have had to go through!!

Good luck with you face to face I’ve been quite lucky and  have been seen twice since COVID my consultant s moved to a COVID green hospital now  I am approaching 3 years I will be every 6 months anyway. Good luck with your june appointment. 
Hazel

Hi Scamper and well done for getting this far. I was discussing this very thing with my consultant last time we peered at each other through PPE 

He said it was something that “would be with me till I died, hopefully not of cancer”

Cheerful chap. But he’s right. It does by and large get better but occasionally you get thrown a curve ball. 
I have just paid for a private MRI as my old back problems refused to settle and we all know how anxiety magnifies symptoms. 
Im pretty sanguine about the outcome now because I know cancer can lurk and crop up years later and though my doctors are pretty skilled and have gone to great lengths to cure me whether I survive or not is out of my control and is simply now down to luck. 
So I am determined to just get in and live the best I can in the time allotted. I certainly don’t want to be here in 10 years time still alive but having spent those ten years in a miserable state of perpetual fear. 
Have a word with your GP? Maybe a short course of antidepressants might just kick your serotonin levels into gear. 
Have you a Maggie’s centre near you? Maybe they might be able to help you with some counselling. These are options you could explore. 
Best of luck. There us a good life. We just have to find it. 

Hi Scamper1 and welcome to the forum.

I had TORS for base of tongue cancer and a neck dissection in June 2018 followed 6 weeks later by rt.

I've also been experiencing ear ache, sore throat plus real discomfort in my neck and shoulder, especially the last year or so - I have fibrosis.  Each time I have a nasoendoscopy the consultant says the tumour site looks fine, although I have developed some really annoying scar tissue there.  I'm interested to hear how neuropathy of your tongue and neck presents itself.

Linda x

Hi Scamper I havnt been through the same treatment as you but understand where you are coming from as I feel similar . All I can say is worrying gets you no where like a rocking horse. Try and thing positive , we could have been wiped out by covid All the Best Regards Min

Hi Scamper. I’m 4 months post treatment on Sunday and although I’m a little wary of any new developments in my throat and neck area I’m no longer consumed by worry. I totally echo what Dani says in that a rebalancing of seratonin levels in your head can really help. In the early days of being diagnosed with tonsillar cancer, followed by TORS, neck dissection and chemoradiation, it did get me down to the extent that it was pretty much all consuming. However, my GP prescribed me 10mg of Citilopram daily and it made a huge difference. I was wary at first (I felt I’d failed in some way if I needed antidepressants) but he pointed out that taking a pill to control the chemical balance in my brain was no different to taking a pill to control, say, blood pressure. I now pop a pill each morning before breakfast and am much, much less anxious than I once was and living life pretty normally. One day I may be able to wean myself off it but I’m in no real rush and don’t much care if I have to keep taking it for years.
I have to say too that I find talking to the guys and gals in here immensely helpful with any of the  nagging issues that inevitably crop up from time to time.