saliva glands and radiation

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2006
saliva glands and radiation
5
Tue, 05-30-2006 - 11:57am

Hi everyone

My husband has been home for a week now which is a good thing after a month in the hospital he could not wait to come home. He was not really eating at first but he is eating more now then when he came home. The infection is gone and the pneumonia is gone also. He is still very weak and his throat is still hurting. I think he needs to really eat and he will feel better but he has no appetite but knows he needs to eat. Also the problem is the saliva he has none because of the radiation. I have tried salvia subs and salivart but nothing really works I know he had a prescription from the doctor for a pill but that did not help much neither is there anyone out there who has this problem with no saliva if so what do you do. I wonder if there are other pills other then what he took and it did not work. It seems to be the worst at night while sleeping he wakes up alot during the night to drink water. Please someone help with any and all ideas.
Dusty I am so sorry about your daughters. Has your daughter experienced the dry mouth yet and if so what is she doing for it? I will keep you and your daughters in my prays. We go for a couple of cat scans later in the week just to check everything out. I dont think there is anything he was in the hospital for a month and had all kinds of cat scans and xrays done during the whole month.
m26

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 05-30-2006 - 11:52pm
Hey M26tl, So glad your husband is home.. About the dry mouth she uses water with every bite but to keep the tissues of her mouth feeling wet she rinses out her mouth with liquid Maalox as it drys in the mouth it keeps the tissues feeling moist.. A quick 7up rinse in the morning cleans it out well then she does oral care. Her neck is NOT healing well and there are areas of the suture line that will not close.. Her chest has healed better. They are talking about plastic surgery but not until the radiation is over.. The radiation seems to exacerbate the dry mouth.. She still cannot eat a lot of foods.. What did your husband eat durning radiation?? any hints?? I know that the dry mouth is so aggraviting but i have used the Maalox since 1984 and it has worked for both of us. Rusty
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Wed, 05-31-2006 - 1:46am
You have made my night with this update on your hubby, he is really healing nicely and I am really happy for both of you.

Judy

cl-ivhjude

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Wed, 05-31-2006 - 1:53am

Rusty you mentioned the suture line is not healing well in some areas, is there sign of infection ?

Judy

cl-ivhjude

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2006
Thu, 06-01-2006 - 10:00am
Hi Dusty
Thank you for your idea I will try the maalox is it just regular maalox and you just rinse your mouth with it and spit it out or swallow? What does the doctor say about your daughters neck not healing and closing? My husband surgeon did an awesome job all the doctors that see his neck cannot believe that he had the radical neck surgery and ask who did it. He barely has a scar. My husband did not eat much during radiation he was first put on a feeding tube that never worked right and then it went thourgh his port which was also used for the chemo the feeding thourgh the port is called tpn feeding. If he did eat any solid food it was oddles of noodles, pudding, ice cream. Really not much of anything. He has lost so much weight its not funny. But please be careful of how they decide to feed your daughter if she cannot eat after more radiation, the infection my husband got in his blood stream was caused by the tpn feeding though the port be very careful. How many radiation treatment is she going to have to do and is she receiving chemo also? My husband is still not really eating and I really dont know what to do I try everything> I know he is also depressed I ask the docs about meds for depression but they really dont went to put him on any other meds because of the kidney problem he is now having. Which they believe started from the all the meds such as antibothic and pain killers, please watch what she is taking and keep an eye on her kidneys also the infection caused some of the problems but mostly the meds they say caused it. Please asked question about the meds.
m26
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 06-02-2006 - 12:32am
Hi M26tl, I use the regular maalox and after swishing around the mouth I swallow it as there is no harm as I have reflux.. You can spit it out tho.. She can still eat and no we don't know about the chemo yet..I do know about the ports as eldest DD still has hers in place and we take care of it monthly.. About her neck not healing they said it was a poor absorbation on the suture material and when they do the plastic work they will use different sutures.. She is on antibiotics to prevent infections and will see the surgeon on Tues. We will get the answers about her path then.. I hope the maalox works for your husband.. The depression will lift as he gets healthier it takes time.. Praying for you Rusty