Helpful tips for chemo caused mouth sores...

renbird

Hi, everyone!

I started to experience mouth sores/sensitivity and a bit of thrush (white spots on tongue) about 4 days after my first TC chemo treatment. It's better now (7 days out), but I wanted to share some helpful info/tips in case anyone else experiences this issue...

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326026#p...

AND am glad that I immediately requested a prescription for a 3 part cocktail called "Magic Mouthwash" –– yes this is really what it's called. Magic Mouthwash REALLY numbs, so you may want to use it sparingly, or apply on the sore spot(s).

Other than that...

DURING CHEMO: Some say if you suck on ice during chemo you might prevent these sores? (not proven, but ??? I may try next time.)

AFTER CHEMO, MOUTH CARE:

-Use a SOFT toothbrush, warmed with hot water. Keep it really clean/replace.

-Use non-whitening mellow toothpaste.

-Thera Breath is a nice mellow mouthwash to freshen your mouth and keep it clean:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ET76AI?tag=amz-mkt-c...

-You may also want to try: Mixing 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of room temp/warm water. Stir well. Swish it around in your mouth and spit it out. Do this every 1 to 2 hours during the day.

AFTER CHEMO, EATING:

-Avoid hot (temperature) spicy and acidic foods. Also "sharp" foods that can irritate the sores like hard crackers, chips, hard crusts, etc. They will irritate your mouth.

-Moisten foods if need be by dunking them in water or your beverage.

Hope this helps!

-Renbird (3 TC treatments left!)

renbird

Awesome tip! Thank you!!! -Renbird

renbird

JavaJana- How did you figure out to use it? Did you read something somewhere? -Renbird

SpecialK

There are a couple of other meds also prescribed for mouth ulcerations, Mugard and Caphosol. I had numerous ulcerations after my first infusion and I was already using 30g of L-Glutamine - mainly to prevent neuropathy. My MO had samples of Caphosol in the office and he gave me a box - it was like a miracle - all ulcerations disappeared within 48 hours. I found I did not have as much of an issue with subsequent infusions - potential reasons, non-loading doses of all drugs in the regimen, continued use of L-Glutamine, and pre-emptive use of Caphosol. Some people mix up a larger quantity of the baking soda and salt mixture and keep it in a convenient place, so it is ready to use. Magic Mouthwash doesn't have a standard recipe, and is often made by compounding pharmacies and/or the pharmacy at your cancer center. For that reason, there is some room for customization.