Side Effects from Chemo - Throat issues

Ohiogirl49
Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
edited June 2014 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
Side Effects from Chemo - Throat issues
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  • Ohiogirl49
    Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    I was diagnosed and had a mastectomy in March, then started 6 rounds of TAC chemo in April. After the third treatment, I had this lingering nausea or lump or feeling in my throat that has not gone away. I am now 7 weeks out of chemo and into radiation therapy, but my oncologist has no idea why my throat still feels this way. I don't have trouble eating - in fact when I am eating I don't sense that feeling. But the rest of the time it is a constant. The doctor originally felt that I had acid reflux and had me on protonix, but that never stopped this feeling.  Help, anyone who has experienced this!  I'm so tired of feeling sick!

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  • Kleenex
    Kleenex Member Posts: 764
    edited October 2009

    Hi, Ohiogirl49 -

    I'm sorry you are having weird lingering throat issues - I can not help with that personally, but I wanted to say that perhaps it might be good to post on one of the other threads as well. There are fewer women with ILC and sometimes it can take a while before someone appears who can help with your situation.

    I hope someone comes along with a helpful suggestion!

    Coleen

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  • Ohiogirl49
    Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    Thanks for the advice Kleenex!  Again, as no one responds, I begin to think there is no answer or resolution to this. I'll try other postings. I appreciate your caring!

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited October 2009

    Ohiogirl.....I sent you a Private Message. When you look you will see a pink number saying 1 click that and read it.

    SheilaSmile

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  • Ohiogirl49
    Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    Appreciate the thoughts.  Talked to someone who works with a gastro Dr. that said perhaps I am not producing enough saliva (due to chemo), since having food in my mouth keeps the feeling at bay.  I may need to wait it out.  Another survivor said that she had to had her esophagus stretched after chemo and radiation. I have never heard of that. Why would it need stretched -what "shrunk" it?

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  • lrsreyes
    lrsreyes Member Posts: 93
    edited October 2009

    I have just been trreated with thrush & the PA mentioned acid reflux but the medications were oral rinse & a statin. I thought I had the flu & sore throat but after taking the medications for a week, I am feeling better

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  • Ohiogirl49
    Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    After treatment 5 my neighbor noticed my white tongue and I called the Dr. office about it. The nurse called in a prescription for a rinse for thrush. I used it but really didn't notice any difference in the way my throat felt. My throat is not sore - it just feels like something is always coming up.

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  • sakura73
    sakura73 Member Posts: 467
    edited October 2009

    I had a similar problem through much of my chemo - more than a lump in the throat, less than full blown nausea. It has settled down now chemo (AC + T) is over, though, so I am not sure what to suggest. Keeping well hydrated and using a mouthwash like Biotene helped me, though.

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  • Ohiogirl49
    Ohiogirl49 Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    Thanks for the advice - I do try to drink plenty of water each day.  I've also decided to limit myself to a very strict diet to avoid foods that are on the list to stay away from when you have acid reflux. I got a refill for the protonix as well.  I STILL have the lump in my throat, but the feeling of something coming up is a bit less. I'm halfway through radiation - I'm not burned, but I have very red itchy blotches that I'm putting a cortisone cream on. Do I have to wait until radiation is done before seeing a gastroenterologist?

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  • HelenMc
    HelenMc Member Posts: 7
    edited October 2009

    Thank God.  I too have been having throat issues.  It feels like a painful lump.  I too am being treated for acid reflux.  This started after my first chemo a week ago.  I hav been so sick that I have considered not going on with further treatments. I have been sleeping for days, I think because when I sleep, I can't feel it.  Anyone else out there with the same problem?

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  • LindaLou53
    LindaLou53 Member Posts: 929
    edited October 2009

    I experienced some throat disorders towards the end of my 6 rounds of Taxotere chemo.  I started having difficulty swallowing food such as bread and chunks of meat.  It was like the muscles in my throat were weakened or semi-paralyzed and it took several attempts to swallow or I had to drink liquids to make the food go down.  It was that kind of sudden panicky feeling when the food got "lodged"  halfway down, but eventually I could swallow it. 

    After my final round of Taxotere I also started having episodes of intermittent or spasmodic dysphonia.... losing my voice temporarily.  It was really strange, I would start to talk and my voice would just fade out and then come back a few words later.  It appears that the chemo had some impact on my vocal cords.  By the time I went to see an ENT about a month after completing chemo, my symptoms had resolved on their own. Thrush or stomatitis is a common side effect as is heartburn or GI irritation, but there is very little documentation on difficulty swallowing or speaking as a result of chemo.

    Having had Taxol chemo with my first BC dx and then Taxotere with my second, my peripheral neuropathy has definitely progressed.  If the chemo can cause disruption of the nerve endings in our feet which results in pain, numbness and strange sensory changes, why can't the same thing happen to our throats and larynx?  Might at least be worth a little research by the pharmaceutical companies.

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