Hi, after surgery for throat cancer and radiotherapy treatment, I am now hoping to start a course of acupuncture at Torbay Hospital.

This I know is a trial but I have it good authority that results have been excellent.

Has anyone any experience with this type of treatment?

Thanks!

No I have not heard that acuputure would help with a dry mouth!! If it does help please let me know.. My dad just got out of surgery to remove the tumor and I know he is going to experience the samething as he did after chemo/raditation..

hi eyecandy
if your dad has yet to experiance radiotherapy he is in for a tough time, however he will come through in the end. i will certainly let you know if the acupncture is successful in any way. best wishes to your dad.

Bill he already went thru the chemo/rad and he was fine with it till the final week it just hit him hard... He has gone for the surgery and the doctors have very high hopes..


Please let me know!!

Bill,
I am extremely interested in the outcome of your acupuncture treatment, I had chemotherapy in February 2005 and 6 and a half weeks radiotherapy with chemotherapy once a week until May 19th 2005. To all intents and purposes I feel fine - apart from the dry mouth preventing me from eating and am surviving via a peg tube. If I could eat properly then I think I could 'rejoin' normal society and get on with my life so any info about this treatment would be useful as I think I might go for it anyway...

Hi John, just to update you, I started accupuncture three weeks ago. To date, no significant change, however, after the first treatment I did have improvement to my dry mouth. My fourth treatment is next Tuesday and as I am having treatment with 4 other guys at the same time, I will let you all know how we all get on. There is a 80% success rate so 4 of us should be lucky!!!! Hope to report good news later.

Bill,

Your acupuncture course, how many sessions in a typical course......or your particular course if different?

Again, good luck.

Regards

Hi Bill,
Is this treatment known by a special name ie how would I go about doing anything where I live? or have you the name of the doctor treating you with it so I could ask them where else I can get this done...

Hi John and Fridge, Firstly to answer John, the treatment is carried out at Torbay hospital by a Mr S Singham who is a ENT surgeon. He is assisted by a Mrs J Hewett.The contact number is 01803 654797 ask for ENT department. As far as I am aware this is the only hospital in the country carrying out this treatment. Fridge, the initial treatment is once a week for 4 weeks. It lasts 30 minutes and consists of three needles in each ear and one in each forefinger. the concept is that the needles are placed specifically to regenerate the saliva glands. I will keep you posted. Regards Bill

I'm interested in this treatment. I'm coming up to the 5th anniversary of the end of treatment and my main problem now is dry mouth.

And...we have a local acupuncturist at the medical centre, and I have two quite large ears that could accommodate any number of needles.

So the big question: is it making your mouth less dry?

Hi Philip, I have just completed my 4th treatment of acupuncture and I am pleased to say that I have experienced improvement. My mouth this past week has been less dry and I am not having to drink so much water. There are 4 others on the treatment with me and all have benefitted in some way from the treatment. Our next session is in a months time. I am very positive about the future and look forward to being able to each a nice fried sausage!!!

Bill,
I am going to go for this treatment to see what happens and my first appointment is Tues 28th March so will keep you (and all) updated as well. Only thing is I thought you were only having 4 treatments and you are now going for a fifth, being a cynical old git I have always viewed treatments of this nature, ie chiropractics, rolfers etc with suspicion as you always seem to need 'just another session'at 25 quid a throw and never seem to get better (I have experienced both chiropractors and rolfing in the past.

John
Diagnosed 10th December 2004
Biopsies in February 2005
Chemo in March/April (4 long intensive 24hour days)
and chemo once a week with daily radiotherapy for 6 and half weeks in April/May

Hi John, firstly, i am having my treatment on the NHS. i believe Torbay is the only NHS hospital carrying out this treatment. Secondly, they have discovered that if you only have the 4 treatments and stop, any improvement is soon lost. The belief is that after first 4 you then go on for 3 monthly treatments, then 6 monthly for a year, then yearly. This they believe is likely to continue any early improvement. I sure that sounds as clear as mud. Anyway, let's just keep each other posted. I would add that the improvement in my condition has been noticeable in the past week.
Regards, Bill

Hi Guys.
After my treatment of Chemo and 35 Sessions of Rad, I to was desperate to regain taste and saliva flow. I had 10 treatments of Acupuncture but I did not notice any difference other than the hole in my wallet. This is not to say it will not work for everyone. We are all different and will react to treatment and remedies in many ways. If it is any consolation and you have probably heard this before and will again. TIME, I am 18 months passed completion of my treatment and I can now enjoy most foods and drinks. Yes I do still get dry and use Biotene daily but the improvements have been down to keeping my mouth clean and my oral hygiene 100%. I know some of you are very unhappy at this time, as I was. If you had said to me the only way to improve saliva flow was to jump out of a plane without a parachute I am sure I would have tried (well once anyway). Be patient, it will improve. Promise. Good luck with those that try Acupuncture. James

I've found acupuncture helpful, and I've put up a picture of what happens at http://crookes.org/xerostomia.html

loooking at it, I guess my ears are not my most attractive parts! Useful, though!