Head & neck cancer
12 articles shown
When the Surgical Plan Starts at the Dentist: Why Dental Clearance Comes Before Head and Neck Cancer Treatment
Being told that teeth or implants must be extracted before oral cancer surgery is a standard part of head and neck cancer care, not an obstacle. This article explains the three reasons behind pre-treatment dental clearance — anesthesia and surgical safety, prevention of osteoradionecrosis, and imaging and radiation planning — why implants are judged differently from natural teeth, the questions to ask in the clinic, and how to protect the mouth during and long after treatment.
When the drains come out of the face and leg and discharge is finally mentioned — how a free flap is watched while it settles, and how walking begins again on the donor leg
Free flap reconstruction for head and neck cancer leaves two surgical sites, and early recovery centres on whether the reconnected blood vessels stay open. This article explains why the flap's colour, temperature and swelling are checked so often, why neck position and pressure are restricted, why drains are removed by output rather than by date, and how walking restarts on the donor leg.
Going Home Still Fed Through a Nose Tube: How Tube Formulas Differ From Drinkable Supplements, and How to Reduce Clogging and Reflux
For families going home while a relative is still fed through a nasogastric tube after oral or head and neck surgery: how tube formulas differ from drinkable supplements, what energy-dense thick formulas trade off, home feeding position and flushing, clog and aspiration warning signs, and how the return to eating by mouth is staged.
When Treatment Ends and You're Told to "Scan Again in September" — What Three or Four PET-CT Scans a Year Actually Mean for Radiation Dose, and How to Handle Scan Day
A plain-language look at radiation worry when PET-CT scans repeat during follow-up. It explains why therapeutic dose (Gy) and imaging dose (mSv) are not the same currency, roughly how much a whole-body FDG PET-CT involves, how cumulative risk is weighed against decision-changing information, why post-treatment inflammation can mimic residual tumor and lead to a delayed repeat scan, and what actually helps on scan day - hydration, contact guidance around infants and pregnant people, and questions worth asking in clinic.
When One Ear Feels Blocked and Painful but the Interim MRI Shows No Change — Why Fluid Collects Behind the Eardrum, and What an Interim Scan Can and Cannot Answer
A new blocked, painful ear during cancer treatment does not automatically mean disease progression. This article explains what an interim scan can and cannot answer, why fluid collects behind the eardrum (otitis media with effusion), why persistent one-sided fluid in adults prompts a look at the nasopharynx, what to prepare before the appointment, and which signs warrant contacting the team right away.
When fatigue won't lift in a second pregnancy even after the dose goes up — why thyroid hormone needs change in pregnancy, and the first sentence to say when your child asks about the scar
Pregnancy raises thyroid hormone requirements from early on, so people taking levothyroxine after cancer treatment often feel severe fatigue. This piece covers early dose adjustment and four-weekly testing, medications that block absorption, non-thyroid causes of fatigue, warning signs for perinatal depression and anxiety, and how to answer a young child who asks about a surgical scar.
When Immunotherapy Is Stopped Because of a Severe Rash but the Tumor Stays Stable — How Immune-Related Adverse Events Pause Treatment, and Why the Effect Can Last After the Drug Ends
An explanation of why immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment may be paused or stopped because of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) such as a severe rash, and why a response can sometimes persist after the drug ends — along with the limits of that. Also covers what it means when scan intervals widen from two or three months to six, which symptoms justify calling before the next appointment, and what to record beforehand.
Eight Months After Tongue Surgery, When Eating Becomes Survival Rather Than Taste — Why Swallowing Stays Hard After Tongue Reconstruction, and How to Set Activity Limits When Everyone Says 'Do Nothing'
After tongue cancer surgery with free flap reconstruction, shape returns but movement and sensation do not, and radiation-related dry mouth and trismus compound the problem. This article explains why swallowing stays difficult, the warning signs of aspiration and silent aspiration, what VFSS and FEES assess, practical ways to protect calories and protein, and how to negotiate a realistic activity range with the care team instead of defaulting to complete rest.
When a Parent Suddenly Tries to Get Up and Points at Something That Isn't There, Days After Major Surgery: Understanding Postoperative Delirium
Sudden agitation, hallucinations, or confusion in the days after major surgery usually reflects delirium, an acute disturbance of brain function rather than a personality change. This article explains hyperactive and hypoactive forms, the stacked and often reversible causes, why restraints are used after reconstructive surgery and what limits apply, practical bedside measures including sleep-wake cues and non-confrontational communication, and why caregivers need shared shifts and sleep.
Torn Between a Nearby Hospital and a Big City Cancer Center While Raising Young Children — What Actually Differs Between Hospitals, and Why Daily Treatment Turns Distance Into a Medical Issue
For families weighing a nearby hospital against a distant major cancer center, this article outlines where hospitals genuinely differ — dedicated specialist teams, experience with complex surgery and reconstruction, multidisciplinary planning, trial access, and emergency response. It also explains why treatments requiring daily visits, such as radiation therapy, make travel distance a clinical factor, and offers questions to raise in the consultation room.
Down to Your Last Levothyroxine Pill Before the Next Appointment — Why a Few Missed Days Usually Isn't an Emergency, and How to Handle a Gap
When you are about to miss a few days of long-term levothyroxine, its long half-life means a short gap usually is not an emergency; this explains why, plus practical steps like not doubling up on missed pills and arranging an early refill, and situations — pregnancy, recent dose changes, TSH suppression — that warrant extra caution.
When a hospice bed opens up right after being told treatment isn't possible — why you don't have to rush in, and what you can ask before deciding
When a hospice bed opens up right after hearing that treatment isn't possible, admission is an offer rather than an obligation — this piece explains that you can ask for time and that you have the right to understand the disease status, prognosis, and what hospice care actually means before deciding.