Hi just wanted to say hello
I had my left tongue dissection went home after 11 days, found out Tuesday (12 days being home) that I do have to have radiotherapy & chemo.
Quite daunted by the prospect but hoping some have advice on dealing with side effects, what your experiences were.
thanks
Teri
Hi and welcome.
You might find this thread helpful
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
HellovTeri
i’m Nige, good to meet you, wish it was better circumstances.
I had chemo and Radiotherapy, finished mine on the 10th January.
i’ I’m happy to give you my experiences and things I had with the side effects.
with chemo, I felt my noticeable side effect was tiredness and fatigue. I look after dogs and was very active out with them , for the first Fred weeks that was ok but after the 3rd week i did notice I hadn’t the energy so had to really cut back.
as regards the Radiotherapy, I quite embraced the mask, in fact I found it a comfort and virtually dropped off asleep whilst having the treatment.
re the side effects, they were gradual over time - firstly the loss of taste, that eas gradual, but things tasting changed - followed by the dryness of the mouth, slow but steady dryness. I also found my appetite was dropping but in two ways , wanting eat and the trying to eat.
taking fluids is so so important , and having the protein drinks were the way for me. In fact today, 4 months after treatment finished , I still take the protein drinks - finding the ones that were ok to the taste was also key. To make them easier to swallow, I missed them with full fat milk. As my taste buds are slow to return, eating is still a real problem so perseverance is key.
while eating I do tend to have drinks available with me, , swallowing solids are made easier that way.
if there is anything I can help you with in any way, please ask - always here to help !
all the best
ige
