mouth ulcers

[megb246]

Hi I am on number three of carbo/caylex and the mouth ulcers are driving me mad it is difficult to eat , and talking is nigh on impossible, i already tried all ulcer creams and gels from pharmacy and mouthwash from oncologist but not had much effect .. Any suggestions would be welcome.

thanks Meg x

[Pauline14]

Hi Meg. I found to wash my mouth with salt water really helped and use a child’s toothpaste and soft tooth brush.

I used iglu so it wasn’t so sore it coats the ulcer . Hope this helps

Pauline x

[megb246 in reply to Pauline14]

thankyou Pauline i will add salt to mouthwash x

[Erebuni in reply to megb246]

Hi megb246 ,don’t add salt to mouthwash, add salt to water .Helps .Emma

[Lynn2012 in reply to Pauline14]

Difflam mouthwash? It worked best for me. xx

[megb246 in reply to Lynn2012]

Thank you am going to ring and ask if I can try this mouthwash x

[chatt2]

have you tried gelclair my oncologist gave me some as everything else didn't work,

[megb246 in reply to chatt2]

No but will ask at next appointment thank you x

[LittleSan in reply to chatt2]

I found this helped too and changing to an Aloe Vera toothpaste. X

[Neona]

Chemo unit gave me Difflam- worked really well. You should be able to get it on prescription if on chemo.

[delia2]

Do you keep ice in your mouth during the treatment? I ice my hands and feet and keep my mouth full of ice. It has really helped.

[Hidden]

Hi

Gelclare and Difflam worked really well for me.

Best wishes

Janet

[Hidden]

Adult bonjella worked wonders for me

[antifer1234]

Hi, I use Bonjela, hope it works for you.

Good luck.

Anthea

[Iside]

Hi, I too am on Carbo platin & Caelyx, stage 2 & so far soo good, no mouth ulcers. I have invested in a Water Pik from Boots, expensive around £48 !!!

However I use it after every meal, 1st cleaning, then water pik, then mouth wash from oncologist. So far so good!!! Hope this helps?

[megb246 in reply to Iside]

Thankyou ... I have literally just bought water pik as cannot brush properly as too sore ... Good luck with your treatment hope you stay side effect free xx

[JayGeeCee]

Hi

Here in France bicarbonate mouthwash is prescribed (along with lots of other drugs to treat possible side effects to chemo). It works amazingly on mouth ulcers as well as sore tongue and sore throat. If you google bicarbonate mouthwash there are examples of how to make your own.

Hope you feel better soon

Joy

[Iside]

Never heard of using Bicarbonate before May try it, guess will have to make my own!!!

[Hidden]

Hi Meg. I was on Carbo/Caelyx & the mouth ulcers were dreadful. Nothing seemed to relieve them. After the 2nd or 3rd chemo, my onc reduced the amount by 10%. That helped a lot. Still painful but I could live with it. Best wishes. Pauline.

[megb246 in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou Pauline it's over a week now and no better just got some gelclair so hoping that will relieve the pain. But ringing cons tommorow as cannot go to n like this for next three cycles . Hope you not flooded in Oz I know it's bad but n some place x

[Hidden in reply to megb246]

Hi again Meg. Forgot to mention that I did do a few salt water mouthwashes every day (can't remember now how many). Not that I think they made any improvements but thought even 1% improvement would be worth it and it cost nothing. Hubby kept buying me things from the chemist but it was all a waste of money. There was one that was like a clay-paste that you put on the ulcer but within 5 mins or so, the saliva had wetted it & it'd come off !! I had the mother of all ulcers on the side of my tongue - all my food had to be blended for a week or more. Miserable.

It's the Caelyx that does it. It's not an easy drug, that's for sure but I want you to know that it gave me a really good remission, that I'm still in, so I'd do it all again.

[Superkim]

Hey Meg!

I've had terrible mouth ulcers and I feel your pain. No one understands just how bad it can be. That said, there were four things that really helped me during my last bout. I would try doing all the things together as some are for pain and others healing.

1. Rinsing with saltwater and baking soda - I know it sounds simple, but this actually took a lot of the sting away and helped healing. I would start on the day of chemo and do it in the morning and afternoon and evening.

2. Liquid lidocane - the numbing effect doesn't last for too long, but long enough for you to eat. I would apply it as needed with a cotton swab to any open or irritated sores. Don't swish this stuff , it's really bitter.

3. Putting cotton up between my gum and cheek (like when your teeth are pulled) it keeps the teeth from rubbing against the inside of your already irritated cheeks.

4. Sleep on your back if you can. Sleeping with your head to the side can irritate the ulcers further. And if you grind your teeth, you will also chew on your cheek a bit. No good!

Bonus tips!

1. There is a thing called oil pulling that is swishing coconut oil (with a little touch of mint oil or toothpaste) around in your mouth for about 15 to 30 minutes. The first time I had an issue with ulcers, this worked like a dream. Didn't work this last time. Definitely worth a shot. It will temporarily whiten your teeth too.

2. I've heard that keeping ice chips in your mouth during chemo can keep the damage to the inside of your mouth down a bit. My teeth are too sensitive, but it's worth a try.

Hope this helps.

Hugs, Kim

[megb246 in reply to Superkim]

Thankyou Kim I'm going to try all suggestions as am desperate .. I dream of eating without pain lol x

[Superkim in reply to megb246]

I know, I was desperate too. I did have to get the liquid lidocaine prescribed from my doctor, but it was so helpful for eating because it only takes about 30 seconds to numb the area. Just use a little drop on a q-tip.