Jan - Re: salivary gland problem?

December 16, 2002

jan karlson wrote:

> I started having intense pain in my cheek radiating to my jaw. Does this sound

like possible

> salivary gland problem from RAI? It is the worst when I get up in the morning

and put the first bite of

> something in my mouth. This is the first time I have ever experienced anything

like this. Thanks for any input or suggestions.

Yup. Sure does sound like post RAI salivary gland problems :-(

The main idea is to keep your saliva moving as much as possible, by (a)

massaging the jaw and ( drinking a lot of water (to keep the saliva thin,

thereby flowing more readily through possible

enlarged glands). My understanding is that salivary gland massage is not as

intuitive as one might think, and you may want to ask your dentist for a demo,

and for more suggestions.

Be alert for dry mouth, which can cause dental problems.

of members' solutions, and the " RAI SIDE EFFECTS " section of the RAI archive

index for a list of more letters ...

Your letter should serve as a reminder to all that these problems are known to

crop up months after RAI, and the advice to keep the glands pumping should not

be discontinued too soon after a

treatment dose.

Good luck, and please keep us posted -

NYC

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