Christmas Eve Update

Well, it's been a few days but -- not my fault this time. For some reason I've been having trouble logging in to the site to post updates. Not sure if the problem was on my end or theirs but it seems to be corrected now and that's good because I have lots to update on.

First, I think I'm making noticeable improvements now. It's not obvious from a day-to-day perspective but I no longer have to look a week into the past to be able to tell differences between how I feel now and how I felt then. I can just look back two or three days and be able to notice differences.

My energy level seems to be going up, though I still seem to crash about 8:00 every evening no matter where I am and no matter what's going on around me. I've amazed myself with what I can sleep through. But during the day I'm able to get up out of my recliner and actually do a few productive things around the house. Still need to sit and take frequent breaks and could still use a mid-day nap, but it's a lot better than it was.

I'm not planning any speeches or important presentations any time soon, but I can talk so much better than I could and with minimal discomfort. Still no lengthy conversations and I still struggle to talk loudly if needed, but it's all about progress.

Mouth pain, particularly my tongue, is still ever present and I'm still suckin' down pain meds at an uncomfortable rate, but I've started backing off on the meds a LITTLE bit and the pain is starting to approach manageable. I ate some jello the other day. It went fine from a pain standpoint but tasted awful so I'm not sure how close we are on the food front. Other than that jello, I'm still 100% feeding tube for food. I still can't swallow any pills -- even my teeny-tiny pain pills -- so I'm not back by any stretch but making progress.

Mucositis is getting better as well. It's still there. I still get gagged/choked occassionally. I still have to carry around my stupid "spit cup" as we call it. But it's no longer a non-stop, disgusting "gag and spit" fest like it has been. I can sit through a dinner -- even at a restaurant -- and discretely manage the problem without ruining everyone's appetite around me. And this one's a big deal for me, personally, because this has been something I've been very self-conscious about.

And, finally, I don't want to confuse issues here in this one blog, but I can't get through an update without mentioning that I'M A GRANDPA!!! That's right, in case you didn't already know it, my 23-year-old daughter was pregnant and, now, is the proud mama of a baby girl. Sophie Layne was born yesterday late afternoon, weighing in at 7 lbs, 3 oz and measuring 19-3/4" long. We have plenty of pictures but none on this computer so I'll get a picture posted later today or tomorrow. Again, don't want to throw too many issues into this one blog but I had to mention this one 'cause it's kinda a big deal.

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe Holiday Season.