Leukemia Sores

[Jan2378]

My 76 year old mother was diagnosed with AML on September 13th and there are no treatment options for her.  She is now under the care of hospice.  She has horrible mouth sores from the cancer.  We have been given Magic Mouthwash, but it is really not helping.  Parts of her gums and inner lips are turning black from the infection.  The hospice nurse says her mouth is rotting.  Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do for this?  It is very painful and swollen.  She can barely talk and can certainly not eat.
Help!
Jan2378

[summerluvr]

There is this mouth rinse that has a numbing ingredient in it.  I used it during my stem cell transplant when I had sores and my tongue and throat sloughed off due to chemo.

[Mochadelicious]

Ken is probably right though about calling her doctor.  There is no need for her to be in so much pain and he should be able to prescribe something stronger than what you can buy over the counter.

[Mochadelicious]

I am so sorry to hear about your mom.  Is she currently undergoing chemotherapy?  Chemotherapy can cause very painful sores inside the mouth and I've heard a mouth rinse called Biotine can help.  Also, here a few tips for mouth sores from a pamphlet I got when I went through chemo:

-Apply cold sore medication immediately after they develop.
-Use cool mint Chloroseptic sore throat spray.
-Rinse with a solution of 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Do this after meals and before bedtime.  Increase this to every 2 hrs while awake if necessary.
-Drink plenty of liquids using a straw to bypass sores.
-Eat cold or room temperature foods.
-Eat soft foods like scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes,yogurt,pudding,milk shakes,cooked cereal and soups.
-Avoid acidic, salty, spicy,rough, course and dry foods.
-Suck on ice, Popsicles or sugarless hard candy.

I hope this helps to give your mom a little more comfort.

[Ken_PA]

Hi, Jan. I don't know the answer but if you haven't called any of her doctors yet, I'd urge you to do so ASAP. Maybe whoever is on call can prescribe something over the phone - even if only to help with any pain. A mouthwash is not adequate. Maybe she needs IV feeding too. She needs a doc to look at her, too. I don't think a hospice nurse is good enough.

The only thing I could find is this page: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/physicalsideeffects/dealingwithsymptomsathome/caring-for-the-patient-with-cancer-at-home-mouth-sores

...which really just says in severe cases to call the doctor. Maybe somebody else will read your post and know of some possible alternative approach to also add in. Good wishes to you and your mom. You must be feeling overwhelmed yourself - time to bring in a doctor.