After seven weeks of Radiation, I finally finished Friday, Yeaaa!!! My doc said things looked fine, and I shouldnt have much pain now. HA!!! I ended up going to the emergency room Sat. night with such horrible mouth pain. I couldnt take any meds all day Sat, and if I attempted, I got dry heaves(loads of fun) Needless to say, after 4 hours, they finally gave me pain meds via IV and meds for thrush.

Now, this doc is supposed to be one of the best in the Southeast United States. But, in my opinion, he's a quack. I will be calling his office this morning to complain(which I know will do no good). But, at least I will feel better.

Sorry for the long post. I had to vent.

Hugs and prayers to all,

Molly

Get it off your chest Molly - I couldn't agree more.

Look after your self. - The time following on from the cessation of your RT is strange. It felt to me like being in a weird sort of limbo.
I would certainly think about using anti-depressants should you feel so inclined. Check with your GP. They can advise best.

The worst is over now. - Good luck girl!

Cheers - Tony K

Hi Molly...

So sorry to hear about your awful pain and trip to ER. I'm just curious... Have you not been taking anything at all for pain the whole time you were having radiation, or did the doc just tell you pain meds could be discontinued since treatment had ended? My Dan's oncology team began addressing the issue of pain early on. In the latter half (at least) of his radiotherapy period (and for a while after treatment concluded), Dan had even graduated up to using Duragesic (Fentenyl) pain patches. (Not sure about my spelling of the drug.) Essentially he never experienced the mouth-throat pain that some patients describe because doctors prescribed pain control agents BEFORE it had a chance to become a problem. Of course, pain patches can be addictive and getting Dan off them was no joy. He did experience withdrawal symptoms, but they subsided soon enough and did not require medical intervention. In hindsight, I still say that having the pain so well-controlled throughout treatment was worth the difficulty we had weaning him off the patches.

Go ahead and give the doc a piece of your mind... (I'm sure he can take it)... but try to think of some compliment (something that he did well) to neutralize the sting

I pray for your recovery and healing.

From my heart,

Melanie

Molly.........see if you can get prescribed some cocaine mouthwash for the first month or two of you recovery from Rad treatment.....best damned stuff I ever had.

OH MY GOSH Cocaine mouthwash?? Jees, do people snort that?? Just kidding. I doubt we can get that here in the states,but, i'll ask. Thanks!!

Molly

Hello Molly

The pain is caused by ulcerations (mucositis) in the mouth and throat. Many patients have found Gelclair helpful. More information also on the USA Gelclair site. You can get your doctor or oncologist to prescribe it. Hope it helps. You will find the tips and advice given in past discussions on mucositis useful.

Best wishes
Vinod