Chernobyl Mouth

Mucositis, mouth sores, Chernobyl Mouth...these are a few new realities that have been creeping into the sideview mirror lately. I started thinking about this corner of Candyland this week when my oncologist connected me to a woman, Cat, who is also going through chemo after having tested positive for the HER2NEU gene and having undergone breast cancer surgery. After asking her for a few tips (she's two treatments ahead of me), she spent a good bit of energy explaining the now infamously named "Chernobyl Mouth" which is the result of chemo drugs mingling and reacting with the gastro-intestinal system. The Oral Cancer Foundation provides a solid overview, preventive measures and tips on dealing with mucositis during chemotherapy. As the chemo works to destroy quickly replicating cancer cells, it's also breaking down healthy cells  and reeking havoc all over the body. In this case, the lining of the gastro-intestinal track is getting compromised all the way into the mouth, and like brush burned skin, left exposed, is ripe for infection and irritation.

The main challenges are coping with the lingering taste of chemicals and keeping the mouth clean and moist. From Cat's description, the height of this junky experience lasts about a week and lessens to normal just before the next session.

A few tiny bits of advice included staying away from acidic, spicy and extreme flavors. When sores do break out, washing with a bi-carb/salt rinse before and after meals will help keep things clean and moist. Or rinsing with hydrogen peroxide might be a good way to go. For dryness, I decided to pick some dental products that weren't highly flavored and contain Xylitol to help to keep things moist and pain free. I'll keep a few hard candies on hand as well. And finally during the treatment itself, I'm going to suck on ice chips just to anesthesize the area to help ward off the flow to my mouth. In a nutshell--I'm going to do my best to keep it clean, moist and mild....and most importantly, simple.

Like every topic related to care during chemo and radiation, the information is overwhelming, contradictory and ironically, usually fairly vague. I like the Oral Cancer Foundations pages and it was helpful to read over. In the end though, I want to take the simplest and least expensive route I can because my guess is there is no such thing as "right" on this journey. I'm not going to spin out from choices.