Sorry, Dr Joshi reminded me that he had his teeth removed, then he started radiotherapy.

Siobhan

p.s. Thank you Dr Joshi

Hello Siobhan,this is very distressing and confusing for you and your family.Everyone reacts differently to the treatment they are given,why your father did not get the expected results the first time I cannot answer and only your fathers doctors can shed any light on this. Maybe at some point when visiting you may be able to arrange an appointment to speak with them privately might help you understand this .But at the moment the doctors have to give your dad the best options available to get rid of the cancer and preserve his life

Your father will be under pressure and concerned about the side effects of surgery regarding his voice and his ability to speak.His docotors I am sure will have gone through all this with him and I am sure they would not be going down this road if they felt there was no benefit for your dad .He will be feeling frightened and concerned, but inside I feel sure he feels he needs to do this and that is why he has consented to have operation.

Cookey is right, read through the experiences of other patients case studies as this will help you to unnderstand that although there may be a change in his voice given time he will get his life back and enjoy his family all though there may be a few changes .

Unfortunately cancer and treatments do leave the patient with unwanted legacies in most cases especially head and neck .Given time and everyone in the family adapting then can be managed and a quality of life achieved .

Your concern and worry is normal .Reading past case studies will help you understand what your dad will experience and in turn help you to cope with your fathers outward behaviour till he gets through his operation and into recovery.

Thinking of you and your family ,be strong .

Bell.

Hi i just thought i'd let you know ho wmy dad is going. He decided to have the operation. Its been 5 weeks on Monday since the op. Things were great after, his speech became clearer, infact normal! Hes got a few infections which are being treated-his arm where the vein was taken, his lip and his neck - which i think is clear now. However, over the past week or so he has got VERY weak. Hes stopped drinking his milkshakes as hes feeling 'hotspots' on his right cheek (his healthy side) which has effectively left him very weak and his speech isnt as good anymore. He went for his first check up and he is cancer free (for now) he had a through examination and xray to see what these hot spots are. The specialist said it could be gum disease from the radioterapy. He then contracted a chest infection, which we were told this is quite routine after a large operation. He only really feels these 'hotspots' when hes drinking, but they have got worse, so he went to see his speacialist today. They removed some stiches from the lower front gums and the specialist then saw that it didn't look too good. He thinks there is an infection in the gum bone, so my dad had some bone removed (ouch) and will have to go back in two weeks (when his next big check up is anyway) for the results of the bone testing. Is this normal? or has anyone experienced this?

Thank you.

Siobhan.

The reason your dad had his teeth removed is because of the danger of ORN which is a problem with healing in the jaw bone caused by radiotherapy damage.This means that any surgery to the neck or jaw. including tooth extraction may run into difficulties after radiotherapy treatment.The usual treatment is hyperbaric oxygen to increase the healing capabilities of the tissue.If things get worse i would get back onto the surgeons

Hey. What a nightmare. Well, the speech therapist noticed that my dad coughs everytime he sips, so she had his chest checked and he also went for an xray. It turns out thathis thinner liquids are entering his lungs, but he has a dry mouth from RT. What do you do? well the nurse poilitely said "its your choice". So my dad was given a new thickener to add to his milksakes. So hes avoiding drinking too much water. Then his specialist nurse said she needs him to drink water to prevent infection. What do you do? I dont know and neither does he. But I do have some questions. The doctors see my dad as a positive man. Me and my sister, we don't. Hes not scared of dying and therefore is able to freely and openly discuss anything. Its been 7 weeks since his op. Hes had bone removed TWICE. hes been told not to drink water ot he might kill himself, but then he needs to drink water to prevent infection but he also needs it as he can hardly eat and he has a dry mouth. I can empathise with this. But he is CONVINCED he is not going to get better. I said its almost been 7 weeks since your op, it takes that more more for a person to lose a stone in weight. Ive had a read of other people storys and seeing that it takes about a year really to recover. Everything my dad is facing it just seems endless and would love to know if this is normal? I think it doesn't help as his RT didn't work. Hes only really seen home and hospitals since Aug 2008, ive taken him for a drive about 4 times since then. I have a lot of faith but with constant negativity, i fear i am losing it.

sorry its amlost been 9 weeks since his op