Hello

Hi welcome to this group. I have been through what you are just about to start your journey with. Two years prior to my diagnosis I had a horse voice, unexplained weight loss and a feeling of a lump in my throat. I had several biopsies which only showed dysphasia and on a biopsy last July my result showed cancer. I started my journey in august, had my mask made ready for my radiotherapy which started in October for 5 weeks. The first three weeks of treatment went really well then it started to affect me. Had a feeding tube placed as I was unable to eat and drink, spent 3 occasions in hospital but I did get through the treatment. I do have ongoing problems with swallowing and my thyroid was damaged during treatment so I am now on medication. One thing I would definitely advise is go to your dentist for a check up and have any dental work done prior to treatment. I did and after seeing others suffer with their mouths during treatment I am so pleased I sorted this before and have no gum, mouth or jaw problems. Also make sure you buy a good moisturiser and start the daily routine now as this really helps your neck during treatment. It will get very red and peel but keeping your throat hydrated is so important. When treatment finished it took several weeks to feel any better but you need to take one day at a time. I went back to work in February on a fazed back  basis and now I’m back to full time. Horse voice gone and I can actually sing along to the radio which I hadn’t been able to do before. I now have monthly check ups and doing really well. I wish you well on your journey and that you make a full recovery. 

Hi, thanks for your reply and advice..Sorry to hear you had a few occasions in hospital and that you have issues with swallowing, which is what I'm dreading, and thank you for the advice about the moisturiser. You had no other symptoms apart from the two you've mentioned ? I don't even have a lump, apart from the diagnosis and the odd looking voice box I'm fine, feel really well and told I look well. It's not that I'm in denial or anything like that it's just that digging around on the internet I can't find anyone yet with no symptoms apart from the horse voice like me.  Even you had the voice change, weight loss and a lump. Have you been told your swallowing problem will improve, how bad is it ?

Hi when I was first sent to ENT I only had a horse voice no other symptoms, I was very well in myself just an annoying voice. When I had my first consultation I was told that the right vocal fold had changes on it and they did a biopsy and also laser treatment. This improved my voice and away I went. A few months later the horse voice came back went back to ENT and again biopsy which again showed dysphasia nothing else. After a few months I had unexplained weight loss I went from 64kg down to 56kg and a feeling of a lump when I swallowed, this was some 18 months after my first visit. I then had another biopsy and this time showed the cancer and then my journey started. I still felt and looked well at this point. After treatment I had lost more weight, down to 52kg, totally fatigued all the time and had trouble swallowing. It can take several months for your throat to recover and I am now 6 months post treatment and actually feel like my throat is only now starting to settle. My last oncology appointment they did explain that my throat is still inflamed but this is also totally normal, I have had scans and swallowing X-rays which have not shown anything sinister so I am just adapting to what I can and can’t eat without feeling I’m going to choke. The dry mouth is annoying but again something we have to adapt to. I have a small bottle of water with me all the time which helps. I have managed to gain weight now at 57kg.  I am just so grateful that I am still here and doing well. All I can say to you is go with what your consultant suggests a lot of people are not so lucky as me as mine was caught so early and destroyed with a good chance of it never coming back. 

Thanks for clarifying that. Seems like a long road ahead but like you I feel lucky the change from dysplasia to cancer was caught quite early (within 2 years) so hopefully it'll be blitzed and not come back...