His faith got metal-rocker Dave Mustaine through throat cancer treatment. But the “Godfather of Thrash” credits medical cannabis and “kiddie cereal” with keeping him off a feeding tube after radiation left him unable to eat.
“Nothing’s gonna keep Dave down,” says Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, as the band — a source of liberation and release for fans around the world — sets 2021 tour dates. "I think having an album in front of us kept us all inspired.”
Read More
Mustaine says his “voice came back even better than before,” after throat cancer treatment.
100%. You're free to go,'” he told Metal Hammer. "I'd done everything my doctors told me to do. I had tons of support from family and friends. And I had lots of prayer. I don't want to sound arrogant, but … I had faith that I was going to be healed."
After Radiation: Hard to Swallow
Still, Mustaine continues to cope with the side-effects of treatment: “The radiation zapped my salivary glands so I couldn't make spit, which made it really hard to swallow and get food down,” he said. “They gave me this crazy mouthwash that had Benadryl
and lidocaine in it, but I still couldn't eat.” He turned to medical cannabis, which brought its own side-effect: “I got a terrible craving for kiddie cereal. I went to the store and got, like, 20 boxes."
His doctors told him to watch his sugar but, agreed, it was more important for him to eat.”
The Benefits of Medical Cannabis
Mustaine joins cancer survivors like Olivia Newton-John, newsman, Tom Brokaw, and Survivor’s Ethan Zohn who’ve embraced the benefits of medical cannabis.
Related: Family, Friends, and Medical Marijuana Karen Balik on How She Got Through Cancer
"If you think about it, cannabis is the only botanical medicine that can help nausea, increase appetite, decrease pain, and elevate mood," says Dr. Junella Chin, an integrative cannabis physician in New York. Many patients undergoing chemotherapy who live in a state where medical marijuana is available are using it for relief.
Some physicians will prescribe Marinol, or synthetic cannabis, to treat these side effects. But Dr. Chin says using the actual cannabis plant is simply more helpful. "That is much more effective in increasing appetite and decreasing pain for my cancer patients," Dr. Chin says.
Navigating a Throat Cancer Diagnosis
We don't know Mustaine’s initial symptoms but typically, when a patient develops a sore on the tongue or a lesion in the inside of the mouth doesn't heal, they should see their primary care doctor. That doctor will likely refer them to an ear, nose, and throat surgeon or an oral surgeon.
Of course, there are times a doctor might be the first person to notice a potential symptom.
"Oftentimes, we have patients who are referred to our clinics from their dentists' office who notice a sore that doesn't seem to be healing, or a wound that is on the inside of their mouth or around their teeth," Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center who specializes in head and neck cancer, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "Then, we set the patients up with a biopsy to confirm cancer or to show something else and we proceed from there."
Follow Up Scans
Mustaine says he’ll be subjected to follow-up MRI scans and check-ins with his oncologist at regular intervals for the next five years. "But the cool thing is, my voice came back even better than before,” he says. “I think the treatment shrunk whatever was on my vocal cord that was making it hard to sing.”
Related: 22 Million Survivors: Why A Record Number of People Are Living After Cancer
He’s expressed gratitude for fan support he received and has openly discussed how his faith played an important role in his cancer journey. “I know once you get cancer you're never really out of the woods, but if the process doesn't scare you into changing your lifestyle, then shame on you."
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.