Many years ago, when my mother was in her early twenties, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins. At that time, there was not much hope for this form of cancer. Everyone in the family was distraught except her. She had a strange peace about this unfolding chapter of her life. For treatment, she went to a well-known clinic in Dallas, Texas, but before she left, my brother and I had gotten the chicken pox, but she kissed us anyway and off she went. She was staying at the clinic for radiation treatments, which was about all they had back then. But then, something happened. She woke up one morning covered in spots all over her body. She had eight doctors and not one of them could figure out what was causing her to break out. Then she remembered that we had the chickenpox, and she had never had them. She was tested and it was confirmed. Chickenpox! Funny and miraculous thing was that the chickenpox put her cancer in remission. It was even written up in the medical journal. So, my mother came home, we lived a wonderful life into adulthood.
Then some years later, my mother was diagnosed with a different form of cancer. I stayed with her during this time to help her to and from the doctor and chemotherapy treatments. For several weeks, we got up at 4:30 am to make the one and a half hour trip each way to the city and back for the treatments. After each treatment she would be so sick she’d have to lay down in the back seat of the car just to get home. Sometimes the only thing that tasted good or helped was a Popsicle.
She had a lot of problems with ulcerations in the mucous membranes of the mouth. Mucositis manifests as painful burn-like or ulcer-like sores throughout the mouth and can be caused by radiation or chemotherapy. If the cause is radiation, the condition can last up to eight weeks. The symptoms can be pain, infection, and may cause the inability to eat or breath normally. Thrush (yeast infection in the mouth) sometimes accompanies mucositis.
Treatment of mucositis is the same whether it is caused by radiation or chemotherapy. Clean the teeth and the mouth every four hours, more often if needed. Use a soft bristle toothbrush and replace it often, use a water-soluble lubricating jelly to moisten the mouth. You can also use a good oncology mouth rinse, especially if there is infection present. Since the immune system is weakened because of the treatments, it makes infections easier to occur. These rinses contain hydrogen peroxide that will address and prevent infection. Just be sure the rinse does not contain alcohol. I wish we had had this product when my mother was going through her chemotherapy. I think it would have saved her a lot of painful days and nights.
There are some very good complimentary treatments that can help through radiation and chemotherapy treatments to minimize nausea, fatigue and the many side effects. Consult with your health care provider about adding good nutritional supplements and alternatives to help minimize treatment effects. And if you are experiencing mucositis, try an oncology mouth rinse to help alleviate some of the discomfort and prevent infection.
Author Resource:-
This article was written by Safe Home Sue for Safe Home Products, Inc.® Safe Home Products is a growing e-commerce reseller of consumer products that improve safety, security, health and quality of life. Established in 1999 as a woman-owned business and has served over 100,000 clients worldwide from its customer service and fulfillment headquarters in Iowa City, Iowa. Safe Home Products offers over 10,000 products including carbon monoxide and radon detectors, emergency preparedness equipment, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, pet products, pest control solutions, and home medical equipment. Safe Home Products ships to all 50 states and U.S. territories and to most countries.
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