Hi everyone, my husband Ray had laser surgery 8 weeks ago to remove tumour at back of tongue,He came through surgery really well, oh he also had neck excision and some lymph nodes were removed,he has started radiotherapy 2 weeks ago and the side effects are just kicking in,I'm really scared about whats going to happen to him,He's been lucky enough to enjoy really good health up to now, just retired at 63 to be my full time carer as I have physical disabilities.I wish I could do more to help him through this.

Good Morning Carol,
When Ray was diagnosed he would be given a booklet dealing with the problems of head & neck cancer.At the front of this booklet you will find contact details for the McMillan nurse appointed to look after Ray's problems.You certainly seem to have more than your fair share of problems and you should discuss them with the McMillan nurse,you will find that she has an amazing knack of getting things done.
Keep Smiling
John

Hi Carol

Ray will need your support. No matter how little it is, he will appreciate it. John is right about getting help. When and if Ray is able, he may find participation on the message board helpful in avoiding the sense of being alone. We are here to hold his hand.

Best wishes
Vinod (in Jakarta)

Hi Carol, I think one of the major problems will be getting food that is not too painful, they took away part of the base of my tongue, and it was like a floppy spaniels ear, and I lookes as though I had had a stroke, 18 months on things are going well, still cannot drink any wine or many foods, but things are slowly getting better; one of the major problems is we all react in a different way, so do our bodies whilst healing; drink loads of water to get the swallow reflex back, it's all pure pain, and hard going, as we all know, rice pudding is a great thing to get going on, go easy on salt and sugar. Big Bear Hugs

Thanks to all who replied,we were allocated a cancer back up nurse but so far she has failed to respond to my telephone messages.
Ray has very sore blistered mouth now and thanks to reading this board we have managed to purchase the 'biotene' products, they have helped thank goodness.When he asked for help at radiotherapy session they hadn't heard of it.Thank goodness I came across this site.

Dear Carol, Glad the Biotene products are helping. Are you aware they can be prescribed by your GP? Every little helps.

Dear Carol...........other things which may help are:

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cocaine

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mouthwash for pain which is very effective but prescription is strictly limited to small amounts.

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Diflam

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mouthwash is good for keeping mouth fresh and fights off bacterial infections which often occur after Radiotherapy.

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Glandosane

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is a small spray for dry mouth which comes in mint / Lemon flavours which. This also helps to freshen the mouth whilst on the move.
Hope this is useful to you.