Does squamous carcinoma pain ever go away or get better?

Pain management is such an important part of cancer care, and many patients do find relief through various approaches their medical team can offer. Each person's experience is different, but there are often multiple options available to help improve comfort and quality of life. Please discuss your pain levels with your healthcare team - they have specialized knowledge about effective pain management strategies and can work with you to find the right approach for your specific situation.

From the treatment or the cancer itself?

I know it seems hopeless right now. I felt that way too. Even 3 months ago I didn’t believe it would ever get better. It does. Hang in there.

I think most of us who have gone through this can absolutely relate! Lean into your care team for pain management support, advocate for yourself and never give up. I don’t know where you are in your treatment (?) but I had a partial glossectomy and left neck dissection followed by 30x radiation about 2 yrs ago and am doing well! You CAN do this - remember your “why” (I had lost my husband of 25 yrs 8 months prior to my diagnosis so couldn’t imagine leaving our kids to fend for themselves so fought like hell) I adjusted my pain management protocol several times during treatment (liquid ibuprofen, gabapentin, dilaudid for the toughest part during radiation) - keep up with daily baking soda rinses, etc and work with pain management doc until you find smthg that works. It’s tough but you CAN do this. I’m not that physically disciplined and this was one of hardest things I’ve had to endure but I. made. it. YOU CAN TOO!

Hi Scott, sorry to hear that you are going through this ordeal as well. I was diagnosed with SCC in my left Lingual Tonsil and bilateral lymph nodes last July. I had pain in my left ear and was told it was referred pain and normal for the type of cancer I had. Surgery wasn’t an (initial) option as it would remove a good portion of my tongue and cause me to lose the ability to speak. I ended up going through 35 radiation treatments and 5 out of 7 chemotherapy treatments. I was unable to eat towards the last two weeks of my treatment and ended up spending 12 days in the hospital to get my nutrition intake levels back up to par and ended up getting a feeding tube. I had that for four months and had it removed three weeks ago. My pain level was outrageous as well and I ended up on fentanyl patches for about three months. I was able to titrate off of them and about a week later the pain came back so I ended up taking Oxycodone to address that. The pain lasted only about another week before finally clearing. My taste came back fairly quickly (although about 90% at this point) and I am still learning how to eat certain types of food, especially bread (bagels are the hardest currently). For the most part, pain with eating has subsided. I had a follow up PET scan last month and everything is looking positive. There was a small spot still lighting up so I will have another scan in 5-6 months. It could just be residual from all the treatment. Best wishes and feel free to reach out for any questions.