Inflamed throat

Diagnosed with breast cancer Recently diagnosed with breast cancer
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Hi everyone , I am new to the forum, I was diagnosed this January , I had my third chemo cycle. Every round is a rough ride. It seems sore throat or throat infection is always with me , this time ended with a course of antibiotics , as I could not swallow even water , it was so painful . I wonder if anyone can give any tips how to prevent this - like gurgling warm salt or soda water anything else I can try . thank you.

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Hi @scared_girlxxx welcome to the forum :sparkling_heart:

I can’t advise on this specific side effect sorry! I’m hoping someone will reach out soon with their experience though that will be more helpful!

You can also speak to one of the Breast Cancer Now nurses ( Helpline: 0808 800 6000 (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm; Sat 9am-1pm))

How are you getting on otherwise?
:heartpulse:

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Welcome to the forum @scared_girlxxx

@Shi - any ideas to help - I know you have lots of great chemo tips .

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Phone their rapid response and letter team know so they can assess :two_hearts::two_hearts::sparkles::sparkles:Shi xx

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Let their team know so their team can assess immediately :+1::two_hearts::two_hearts::sparkles::sparkles:Shi xx

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I did duck ice lollies entire time I was having my 6 chemo infusions it did help preserve my mouth but I did get thrush mouth each round and had fluconzole in my goody bag of meds to take care of that, but always I would phone my team, used it like Batman’s bat phone, my team didn’t mind they were glad I was vigilant. Also please do ring the nurses on here, they will be very helpful to you too :heart::two_hearts::two_hearts::sparkles::sparkles:Shi xx

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Thank you for the replies :hibiscus: i will ask my oncologist next time his I can protect my throat , as at the moment every time I end up with antibiotics , which is killing my weak immune system as it is now after the chemo :slightly_frowning_face: By now all I cam do is just gurgle and giggle :grinning:

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Dear @scared_girlxxx , I’m sorry to hear you keep getting so many throat infections. That must be very uncomfortable. At first sign I usually gargle with diluted tcp. Another herbal option is ‘sage tea’ - steep some sage leaves in boiled water, allow to cool, then strain and gargle with that. It has anti-bacterial properties. During chemo I cleaned my teeth assidually using Ultrad3x toothpaste and then Ultradex mouthwash. Both of these are available from Boots the chemist. Wishing you well, Difflam lozenges may also help to soothe the pain if your oncologist is ok with that. Wishing you well. Love Tulip x

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Hi
Sorry to hear your struggles with mouth pain. I found pineapple very helpful. I blended pineapple chunks, froze them in ice cube trays and sucked them whenever I needed. Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps your skin and tissues heal,

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Not that chemo is a walk in the park, but that does sound really rough! I hope your team can give you some good advice, do you have many more cycles to go? There are some helpful suggestions here from others :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thank you . I have three more chemos to go then surgery than 6 chemos more . As I have HER2+. After the prescribed antibiotic kicked in , two mouth ulcers came out in my tongue , as I see is a good sign - it’s is better out . so I carry on gurgling and Igloo really helped to numb the sores so I could drink and eat .

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Thx m you for therapy , I will definitely try sage - I knew that camomile has antiseptic powers so I try to drink camomile tea every day , now will try sage too.

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Thank you , I will try to buy frozen pineapple in a bag , will see how my mouth will react to it.

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Hi @scared_girlxxx I’m about to start chemotherapy on Tuesday (docetaxel & cyclophosphamide), but have been getting some supplies ready. What I’ve heard so far is salt and bicarb of soda mouthwash/gargle, Difflam mouthwash to numb mouth, biotene toothpaste and biotene mouthwash (I think more for dry mouth). Also something called gelclair that is expensive to buy but apparently it coats and numbs your mouth I think and gives relief from pain, and can be prescribed. People have mentioned sucking on ice chips/ice lollies during chemo infusion so I’m going to take some in a thermos flask I’ve ordered to see if it helps.

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Fingers crossed for you :crossed_fingers:

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Hi , I’m very impressed you have done a very good preparation. I wish I were more like you :slightly_smiling_face: I was just going with the flow and learn from my experience first :slightly_frowning_face: When I could not use my normal electric brush I have asked my husband to buy me a soft for babies , so I use it when my mouth is very sore.

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