Excessive phlegm after neck cancer

I have followed this as I’m interested for suggestions to as suffering same problem I can totally feel for ur friend
And really hope someone can offer advice
I was told to try bicarbonate of soda with warm water but don’t feel it’s great and steam but find that drys ur vocal chords a bit
Let’s hope someone here has other good advice

Understanding that throat cancers all vary... I’ll share my husband was dx with Oropharyngeal Cancer (throat cancer) Feb 2017 and on recovery journey since. Due to location of mass, surgery would have been permanently disfiguring and challenging, the oncology recommendation was 7wks daily radiation with chemo 1x weekly. His mass grew in 6wks during which he lost 30lbs and swallow ability went from solid food to soft to liquid to nothing in that time period. We hospitalized him to get a feeding tube since GI medical referral took too long. During and post treatment he dealt with excessive mucus discharge, we never used suction cup, was told not to, but managing discharge became a full-time daily routine & sadly awakens him at night. His radiation collapsed and closed the upper esophagus and 1.5yrs post dx, he is still 100% peg-feeding tube dependent. I strongly recommend getting into a tertiary cancer center speech/swallow clinic if close enough, or at least get their consult for the local therapy team to implement and follow. Is your friend swallowing anything yet?

And for feeding tube products, stress the need for healthier products that insurance does cover like Kate Farms. Another product is Real Food Blend, looks just like home-made soup, it’s organic and pure nutrition but challenging to get insurance to pay for it when insurance dictates using cheapest products. Remember even if 100% tube dependent, one still needs to focus on quality of their food source as their nutritional healing tool; while products filled with corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup might meet daily recommendations for calories and nutrients, nothing is from “real food”, insist on the best quality feeding tube product you can support under insurance. Remember, our nutritional source and intake is a direct impact on supporting personal immune health to help your body heal and restore from illnesses.

Also, research ‘Complete esophageal obstruction’ (CEO), there is an article on NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4751005/ that is helpful. Our oncology team at Moffitt Cancer Center here in Tampa FL referred us to a specialist at Shands Hospital/Gainesville FL who works on patients with total stricture blockage with his procedure called Esophageal Lumen Restoration (ELR), we are now active patients since Feb 2018 with a long haul ahead but ideally with some swallow light at the end!

Others speak to having esophagus stents used to restore opening, I’ve been told that procedure all depends on location of blockage and cancer specific type, esophagus cancer vs H/N cancers. This is not an option for us with blockage next to/above vocal cords, we would lose vocal cords to allow for such procedure, retaining ones voice with a feeding tube for life remains a better option for us right now.

And most important try to embrace your life today, we can’t change yesterday and don’t know what tomorrow may bring, but your current actions, attitude, and beliefs can impact your future; start each day with a thank you for getting another day and fill it with hugs, love and smiles~Dotti

This might sound like a rather trite solution to a big problem, but if she hasn't tried regular (like every half-hour to hour) gargling with a mixture of water, salt and baking soda, it's worth a try. I kept a bottle of this mixture with me at all times throughout the day and believe that it really helped cut down on the thickness of the mucus. I wish her the very best as she navigates this challenge. Time seems to help so many, but this sort of thing needs to be addressed as it's happening.

Thanks for your suggestion. I will tell her about the gargling but I am not sure she will feel comfortable trying this, as if anything goes down she would strangle. Thanks again.

I hope so too! Thank you for replying, it helps to know that others are having the same problem. Good luck to you.

Really it’s more about aspiration in lungs and a bacteria infection settling into lungs post swallow attempts; With my husband’s blockage, his swallow exercises are just with water post oral hygiene... we’ve experienced liquid in lungs and that challenge so I would make sure you know your capabilities before swallowing, and that’s post quality swallow test at a cancer center and then under their clinical guidance with local team.

Also note as per medical doctors, water is the closest thing inside our lungs so swallowing water during this challenge is OK as lungs can process water, anything else could lead to excess fluid, bacteria and complications.

Hello warriors! Just joined.. looking forward to the journey ahead. Triple negative is the name, yet triple positive is MY name!

Frances,
I'm Carol, a moderator here. It's always a joy to welcome someone with a positive outlook.
Carol

Thank you Dotti for your input and for sharing your and your husband's story. Good luck to both of you! Keep up the positive attitude!