Head & neck cancer
2 articles shown
You Don't Have to Get Through This Alone — Emotional Care and Support Groups for Head and Neck Cancer Patients and Their Families
Head and neck cancer affects functions tied to everyday life, like speaking and eating, which can take a heavy toll on your emotional well-being. Rather than coping alone, this article walks through how to make use of oncology (psycho-oncology) counseling, patient support groups, and family support programs, and how to get help through your hospital's social work team or a regional cancer center or public health center.
From Losing Your Voice to Speaking Again — A Story of Voice Rehabilitation After Total Laryngectomy
After a total laryngectomy the vocal cords are gone, so you can no longer make sound the old way. But you can learn to speak again through paths like esophageal speech, tracheoesophageal puncture, or an electrolarynx (artificial larynx). This piece walks calmly through the practical side of a changed daily life: tips for adjusting to the electrolarynx, the emotional withdrawal that can stall rehab and how support groups help, and managing the new airway opening.