POST NECK RADIATION SYMPTOMS CONSTANTLY GETTING WORSE WITH NO RELIEF FROM DOCTORS

[Chevarn]

HI, my dad is only 48 years old and is living like a 75 year old.  Around 15 years ago he had a cancerous lump removed from the base of his tongue down his neck and had radiation on his neck and back of jaw.  He had to have all his top and bottom back teeth taken out and his long neck muscle that runs down to his shoulder.  He no longer produces saliva and carries a water bottle with him 24/7 to moisten his mouth and throat.  He has managed this well considering. .but the last 2 years his complications have started to get worse and serious, his tongue is shrinking and losing sensation, his speech is getting worse - like we are finding it harder and harder to understand him with his tongue not working as it should.  His neck is cramping alot more than usual which can sometimes close his airway and he struggles to breath. . . also one side of his oesophagus is so weak that is no longer pushes food down his throat correctly and it is now going into his lungs and causing lung infections.  He also has a very thick phlegm that sits in his throat that wont budge. . he cant cough it or wash it down with anything.  This time last year he beat me in a half marathon, this year i had to run along with him to make sure he was ok.  Hes deteriorating and has been to all the professionals and hospitals, had scans and xrays and everything else but no doctors or surgeons can say whats happening to him and what he needs to do to stop it getting worse, they have only suggested a tube directly to the stomach and an oxygen tank on hand.  Hes a young man in an old mans  body his doctor tells him. . . . and hes very frustrated, and now he and my mum are very frustrated and depressed.

Please help if you can. . . he will not submit to be reliant on tubes and tanks. . .we just need another way to manage his symptoms.  We are desparate to help him live a better quality of life.  Thank you.

[Chevarn]

Hi there , thank you so much for responding. . this is the first time i have talked 'globally' about this and i wish i had of done is sooner.

Rinne. . thanks for your suggestion and i will jump onto the website now and if i have any questions ill be sure to drop you a line!  What you have mentioned regarding the misfiring of the temporomandibular is very interesting and nothing we have heard of yet. . only his top and bottom back teeth are gone and he still has his front teeth. .altho he does have dentures for the back. . i would say theoretically that with his neck and throat muscles weakening over time that the 'biomechanics' of simply chewing and swallowing would go slowly. . .very much a new idea i will persue further, thanks again! Take care:)

[rinnie111]

I think it's probably true about the radiation, however, if his jaw position is not in the right placement this too will cause a whole host of problems. Did he have a denture or partial denture made ? Is he still missing his teeth on the bottom of the back ? It is possible that if his bite is off this will cause his temporomandibular joint to miss fire anytime he opens or closes his mouth. The disorder is called TMD, this can reak havik from your jaw to all the way down through your upper back, not to mention severe headaches. My husband treats patients with this disorder, if you would like I could ask him to find a doctor in your area that practices the same non-surgical treatments that work.www.tjspahldds.com, this website is Dr.Spahl's, my husband studied under him, there is some information on his website. good luck, good thoughts.

[Encephalomalcia]

I am sorry for what has happened to your Dad.  You do understand that it is the radiation that has caused this.  Radiation produces lots of scar tissue and the tissue hardens.  Within 10 years after radiation the person will have symptoms and it will get worse as the years go by.  I do not know of anything to reverse radiation effects or if there is such a thing.  It is very sad and has affected many members of our family who have and have had cancer.  There needs to be more cancer research so that radiation is not the future treatment so others do not have to go through this.