The New Orleans Report

A New Orleans sight, this delightful sign. 

I moved to New Orleans from Nashville with my husband nearly a year ago. It was stressful to make a move after 36 years in our adopted city and 26 in our big rambling ranch house. We had to do a ton of downsizing, and strategizing, and upgrading our new home. It was beyond stressful; tempers were flaring and some responses to daily situations were irrational. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until we started engaging with new and talented medical providers and got some blood work back indicating some concerns. 

My husband has been diagnosed with 2 cancers. A high and rapidly rising PSA, and some changes to what had been stable lung nodules led to a couple of PET scans and we are lucky that they did -those scans illuminated a throat cancer while giving the assurance that the lung nodules were not concerning, and that the prostate cancer, though aggressive, had not metastasized. All very shocking and stressful, but also very survivable. Throat cancer, early stage and HPV related which is actually the good news - it's very treatable and a cure is expected. The 33 radiation treatments that he is undergoing for this though are very intense, and the challenge to his sense of well-being is formidable. He is dealing with it like a champ, following the same philosophy that carried him, 21 years ago, through stage 2 lung cancer. He is finding ways to celebrate life and to laugh! He is watching his beloved bicycle races and soccer matches, and he is resting when able. 

Complicating the challenge are hot flashes that are occuring due to a hormone blocker he is taking to address the concurent prostate cancer. This is responding very well to treatment. So many men in my life are dealing or have dealt with prostate cancer; he has a lot of empathy from them and from my menopausal women friends. None of us like the hot flashes, but at least in his case, they suggest a desired hormonal response. I've lost loved ones to prostate cancer, and it's ugly. As is all cancer death, not to mention other losses due to illness. But cancer is really the monster that gets me to sit down and write in a way that nothing else seems to. 

Ironically, another male family member is also dealing with throat cancer! This one, caught even earlier, is unclear of origin, but the course of treatment, 28 radiation sessions to the vocal cords, is expected to again be curative. So the outlook is good for both of my sweet loved ones, and I drive the bus daily to take both men to Touro Infirmary for their radiation. I look forward to the end of this ritual and getting back to exploring more of New Orleans. 

Head and neck cancers are on the rise and much of it is due to HPV. I'm not sure why that is increased in prevalence and will have to do some studying on that. But the treatments are effective and survival is frequent when caught early. Radiation for treatment of any head and/or neck cancer is known to very frequently result in lymphedema, which may not be obvious with signs such as a swollen face, but will often impair swallowing and potentially breathing as well if not addressed. When a patient reports any difficulty swallowing or breathing or even starts snoring or increases the intensity of that, they should be evaluated. Treatment can be gentle, mainly exercises for the pharanx, face, neck and tongue, or it can be more involved, using compression devices and/or garments, and involving Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) in these areas and even intra-orally. I'm trained in doing this and helped many patients with these interventions during the time I worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the Lymphedema Clinic there. It takes some self-control to avoid trying to intervene with the treatments my family are receiving, but I'm glad to know that in the event that the condition starts to become evident once they have finished their hospital-based treatment, I will know how to step in and help, assuming they will let me. 

At this time, there is only one Pneumatic Compression Device (PCD) on the market to treat head and neck lymphedema, and I hope that the doctors treating my guys will order this if they need it. But there are other devices that are helpful in treating this condition, and I'm grateful that I have some of those. Deep Oscillation, Low Level Laser devices, negative presssure machines also known as mechanical cupping-all of these can complement that basic MLD that I can do with my hands. And deep abdominal breathing makes a huge difference in moving lymph in the entire body, so that is a therapy a patient can engage in along with exercises to achieve good results. The technology for caring for these patients has come a long way since my own cancer and my clinical experience, in just the last decade. I am filled with hope! 

If anyone wants to hear more about what I have learned for having a best outcome, I am happy to talk. Reach out to me through this website or on social media. And check back for more; I'm just getting started!