The traumatic treatment has had its side effects over the short and long terms. For the short term, a dry mouth caused by the damage to the saliva glands, loss of hair because of the chemotherapy as well as the radiotherapy (in both cases, the hair will grow back very quickly when the treatment stops), loss of taste as all food tastes dull (due to damages to the taste buds), loss of appetite, feeling fatigue (your body is fighting a big battle), vomiting due to chemotherapy (this could be reduced by taking an anti-sickness drug known as antiemetics), and a pins-and-needles feeling in the finger tips are the side effects of the treatment. It should be noted that most of the above symptoms disappear within 12 months after the treatment is stopped. Your doctor will advise that you should exercise your mouth daily by opening it wide. This is necessary in order to avoid fibrosis (inability to open the jaws or to speak) caused by the stifling of your mouth after the treatment. You should exercise your mouth daily despite some of the discomforts caused by infections.

More about your appearance during the treatment, three items stand out. Your hair loss might form a big "M" sign at the back of your head in the latter part of your treatment. It is caused by the position of high energy beam entering and leaving your head. The hair follicles are damaged by the radiation and loss. If you feel a bit embarrassed by it (which you should not), a hat and a cap will do the job in hiding the baldness. Your skin will also be damaged by the high energy beam and become much darker in your face and neck. Don't touch it, don't wash it (don't wet it when you shower or bath) as it might cause more damage and possible infection. When the radiation stops, old damaged skin will peel off and layer of new lighter skin will appear. Finally, your weight could be reduced because you will loose your appetite and you will find it difficult to swallow due to sore throat and mouth. Protein and vitamin supplementary drinks ("Ensure" is one of the product readily available in the shop) could help you through the most difficult time. Remember eating well will allow quick recovery. You might like to buy some of the supplements soon and try it first as they taste "different" and might take some time to get accustom to. If you don¡¦t like them at all, try some large bottled baby food. I am told that they taste good.

In the long term, some of the above symptoms will still persist. The most likely one is the dry mouth caused by the reduced amount of saliva and the darkened skin caused by radiation. The dry mouth will change your preferences on food, moist food are often preferred. However you could still enjoy dry food when it is accompanied with drinks. With other symptoms, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.

K T KO, Last updated: 7th September 2001