Head and Neck

Hi Marks. Welcome to the forum but sorry to see you here. 
Yes you will get progressively more sore but background pain is manageable with decent analgesia. Don’t suffer. Tell your radiographers how you are feeling. You’ll get various mouth preps if you haven’t been given them already. Difflam about ten minutes before trying to eat helps as does soluble aspirin ( spit that out) soft food and high calorie smoothies are the answer. You can try poached eggs, Mashed avocado and banana. Cereals with added extra cream. Soups with butter and cream… not tomato. 
Your team will give you high calorie drinks. They are a bit sickly sweet but they will keep you going. 
Swallowing got impossible for me so I had a nasogastric tube in the 4th week. It saved my life. 
You’ll get there. 
Best wishes 

Hello. I had primary in right tonsil & spread to lymph node in neck. Hpv 16 positive. I had bilateral tonsillectomy, plus part of tongue removed. Then had PEG feeding tube fitted prior to 6 weeks of chemoradiation. 6 x chemo & 30 x radio.By week 4 of treatment I could no longer eat. I then was ‘fed’ via a pump & my PEG each night. Definitely take the pain relief on a schedule. Use the mouth washes etc You are eligible for a prescription exemption certificate from your GP. Feel free to ask anything. This forum is amazing. 

Hi Marks welcome from me. As Dani says painkillers are the key cancers  bad enough but cancer and pain no. If eating gets too hard ask for an n g tube ut was my lifesaver from week 3 I had it in for 6 weeksu  in total. Around week 4 the pain plateau  but  does last for a good few weeks after treatment.l at my worst inwas in 8 x30 mg codomol and up to 40 mil  mil,oramorph. You need sufficient  nutrition and hydration all the way through. Eggs are good poached etc. 

I am now over  years post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer and several lymph nides happily living a great life now.

Hazel 

Hi Mark. Sorry you find yourself here. I too had tonsil cancer and lymph nodes removed and eating became a struggle during and just after radiotherapy. I found Oxetacaine gargled  before eating was really helpful. Then Difflam afterwards to numb things down again.  Good luck and keep in touch. It is tough but it’s worth it. 

Blod said:

This forum is amazing. 

You are amazing. 
We are all amazing