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My brother was just diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer. Just looking [...]

Posted by tstone @tstone, Nov 2, 2014

My brother was just diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer. Just looking for support and encouragement in the months ahead.

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Hi @tstone, is he currently having treatment? sorry that your brother (and you!) are having to deal with this, but glad you found us.

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So sorry for your brother. Has the dr explained to you what to expect & a plan of treatment? My husband also has throat cancer & he has had radiation & chemo.

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My dad just went through 8 wks radiation and chemo .treatments ended3 months ago. Pet scan was clear last month... He had stage III throat cancer that was only in his left vocal cord.. It did not metastasize anywhere .. He hardly has a voice because the vocal cord is paralyzed.we gave him pure aloe vera every day after radiation ... We also bought him body builders shakes with a high caloric amt.<br />
We put bananas, cheesecake or whatever we had to put on lbs.. He only lost 23 lbs total and never lost the ability to swallow.. Biotene mouth spray helps with the dryness... We also had him on IP6 from health food store.. It\'s an immune drink that helped him otherwise stay healthy...good luck stay positive and make sure he keeps swallowing... Your in our prayers<br />
Kathy<br />
<br />

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@megm

Hi @tstone, is he currently having treatment? sorry that your brother (and you!) are having to deal with this, but glad you found us.

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Thank you so much for your reply. I'm glad I found you, too. It's going to be a rough road, but I'm praying he can get through it. His doctor has explained to him that surgery is not an option. He will be having chemo and radiation. They have to extract his teeth first and then he has to heal from that prior to treatment. He has a body scan scheduled for this week. His lungs are clear so far. He's undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic so at least he's in very good hands.

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@dianelinda

So sorry for your brother. Has the dr explained to you what to expect & a plan of treatment? My husband also has throat cancer & he has had radiation & chemo.

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Thank you. How is your husband doing? I have no idea what to expect. I'm in California and my brother is in Minnesota. I'm hanging on every word.

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@kathyp

My dad just went through 8 wks radiation and chemo .treatments ended3 months ago. Pet scan was clear last month... He had stage III throat cancer that was only in his left vocal cord.. It did not metastasize anywhere .. He hardly has a voice because the vocal cord is paralyzed.we gave him pure aloe vera every day after radiation ... We also bought him body builders shakes with a high caloric amt.<br />
We put bananas, cheesecake or whatever we had to put on lbs.. He only lost 23 lbs total and never lost the ability to swallow.. Biotene mouth spray helps with the dryness... We also had him on IP6 from health food store.. It\'s an immune drink that helped him otherwise stay healthy...good luck stay positive and make sure he keeps swallowing... Your in our prayers<br />
Kathy<br />
<br />

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One of my brother's vocal cords is paralyzed. He hasn't started treatment yet, but will very soon. They told him to expect to lose about 30 pounds, which will be hard because he's already down to 160 pounds. I will pass on the info about the shakes. I'm hoping for the best here. It's hard to stay positive, but I have to. I am so scared for him........and sad for his family and my mom, whom we have not yet told. He wants to make sure he has all information before telling her. He has a whole body scan scheduled this week, so we will have a bit more info. Thank you for responding. I sincerely appreciate it.

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@kathyp

My dad just went through 8 wks radiation and chemo .treatments ended3 months ago. Pet scan was clear last month... He had stage III throat cancer that was only in his left vocal cord.. It did not metastasize anywhere .. He hardly has a voice because the vocal cord is paralyzed.we gave him pure aloe vera every day after radiation ... We also bought him body builders shakes with a high caloric amt.<br />
We put bananas, cheesecake or whatever we had to put on lbs.. He only lost 23 lbs total and never lost the ability to swallow.. Biotene mouth spray helps with the dryness... We also had him on IP6 from health food store.. It\'s an immune drink that helped him otherwise stay healthy...good luck stay positive and make sure he keeps swallowing... Your in our prayers<br />
Kathy<br />
<br />

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Please please stay positive... My dad is 77 years old and COPD on top of it.. But we made sure he still swallowed even when it got hard.<br />
Meats and breads were hard but use ALOT of sauces .. Go to GNC store and ask them for the body builder shake that has like 2000 calories in it... make it thick for him its easier for them to swallow.. Water even gets hard.. Use the ensure/boost or store brand for extra nutrition in the shakes or in between.. I will pray for your family and that the scan goes well.<br />

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@dianelinda

So sorry for your brother. Has the dr explained to you what to expect & a plan of treatment? My husband also has throat cancer & he has had radiation & chemo.

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My husband just had a cat scan today & we see the new oncologist on Monday. I still don't understand why the dr. at Dana-Faber stopped chemo since it was still localized. It will be intersting to get the new drs. take on it all.

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@megm

Hi @tstone, is he currently having treatment? sorry that your brother (and you!) are having to deal with this, but glad you found us.

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Why are they extracting his teeth? Do you know wht chemo they are planning on & why surgery isn't an option? Just wondering. My husband wasn't a candidate for surgery because he has 1 lung.

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@megm

Hi @tstone, is he currently having treatment? sorry that your brother (and you!) are having to deal with this, but glad you found us.

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Hi DeeNik. I only get bits and pieces of information since I'm in California and my brother is in Minnesota. As for extracting his teeth, this is what I've found while doing some research on the subject -

"The younger the patient, the longer the teeth must be maintained disease free. If dental extractions are required (due to tooth decay or periodontal disease) in areas that will receive high dose radiation, the patient will be at significant risk for osteonecrosis. The risk of osteonecrosis in irradiated areas is present for the duration of the patient’s life. There is no “safe” time limit to wait for extractions or surgery in these areas. Therefore, the patient needs to be informed of the potential life-long risk before radiation therapy is initiated, even if the teeth are very healthy."

My brother is 56, but I suspect his teeth are in very poor condition.

I do not yet know what chemo they are planning. Surgery was not an option because the tumor apparently involves vital structures in his neck and throat.

I'm waiting to find out about the scan this week. My fingers are crossed. I always get a call from him on Saturdays, so the weekends are tough for me. I'll post as soon as I have more info. Thanks again for being here. I need all the support I can get right now.

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