Dry mouth is also called "xerostomia." It happens when the body's salivary glands do not make enough saliva, or spit, to keep the mouth moist. Saliva is needed for chewing, swallowing, tasting, and talking. A dry mouth can make these activities difficult or uncomfortable.
Almost everyone gets a headache from time to time. This happens when the muscles, nerves, and blood vessels in your head and neck become inflamed and cause pain.
When you have cancer, it is important to pay attention to your headaches. They can be a symptom of cancer itself or a side effect of your cancer treatments. Headaches can be painful and disruptive so it is important to talk to your health care team when they happen.
Listen to the Cancer.Net Podcast: Dental Health During Cancer Treatment, adapted from this content.
Many cancer treatments have side effects that affect a person's mouth, teeth, and salivary glands. Salivary glands make saliva. Dental and oral side effects can make it difficult to eat, talk, chew, or swallow. Fortunately, with good care, you and your doctor can lower the risk of these side effects and manage them if they do happen.
Surgery is a common treatment for cancer. Like all cancer treatments, surgery has benefits, risks, and side effects. The types and severity of side effects vary from person to person based on several factors:
Location and type of cancer
Type of surgery
Other treatments received before surgery, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Your general health
The symptoms you had before surgery
A colostomy is surgery to create an opening called a stoma. The opening creates a passage from the large intestine to the outside of your body. This is so that solid stool and gas can leave the body through the stoma instead of passing through the rectum. The waste is collected in a pouch worn on the outside of the body. A colostomy can be temporary or permanent.
The large intestine is the lowest section of the digestive system. It has two parts, the colon and the rectum.
