The unsexy reality of cancer treatment is it hurts your body in more ways than just making you thinner and losing your hair. Mouth sores are one common side-effect that can start off as annoying and turn dangerous if infection sets in.
Different treatments and drugs dictate the severity and typical time period of the ailment but they should all heal eventually. Sores from Chemo can appear a week or two after you begin treatment and should go away two to four weeks after treatment ends. If you’re doing radiation, they can appear two or three weeks after the beginning of treatment and could take six weeks to two months to clear up.
The best defense against mouth sores is good oral hygiene. Make sure to brush and floss a few times a day. Ask your doctor if your chemo drugs are likely to cause sores and if so, suck on ice chips at the beginning of treatments.
Check out Patientresource.net for some other ideas about avoiding and treating mouth sores.
