Progress Continues

It's been nine days since my last post. For the most part, no news is good news as far as my personal progress.

Dry Mouth is getting to be a bigger and bigger deal. Partially because it seems to be getting worse and also because the other stuff is getting better. But it's really a pain while sleeping and while eating.

Eating is going very well over all. I'm eating lots of different stuff, including bread and rice occasionally that were both on my "not supposed to eat" list. I've always been a bad boy, ya know. Anything that's remotely spicy gives me lots of problems. I've not been able to nail down a specific ingredient(s) that set me off, but my mouth really lights up at the slightest hint of spice. So Mexican food and Barbecue, two of my favs in the past, have to wait a while. Haven't tried a steak, pork chops or heavier meats like that. And I still have occasional choking spells and frequent throat clearing during meals, but that's improving as well. And I'm to the point I can swallow pills. So I've not used my feeding tube at all for about two weeks now. Very pleased.

The dry mouth thing makes most of my meals take WAY longer than everyone else. Ed and Julie invited us over for dinner the other night. Grilled Chicken, baked potatoes, Mac & Cheese and Salad. The Mac & Cheese went down easily. The rest of the meal took me about an hour. Literally. One medium chicken breast, a good sized baked potato and a small salad. Everyone else was done and the dishes were done before I finished.

Of course, I did get out of helping with the dishes but I'd gladly trade that off with a non-marathon length meal.

Still falling asleep between 8 and 9 O'Clock most nights. Did that after dinner at Ed and Julie's. Did that last night with company over at the house. It just hits me hard and it's like I've been drugged or something and I couldn't stay awake if I wanted. Doing better with fatigue during the day. Still can't do much, physically, but I'm getting better.

Mucositis has gotten a lot better. Still a bit of a problem when I wake up in the morning but not much during the day. Mouth/Tongue pain is still there. It causes me to not be able to do some things all of you take for granted but it's getting better and is manageable.

My Physical Therapy for my shoulder has worked miracles. It's still pretty weak but we're working on that. I have something approaching full range of motion now, though, with minimal pain or discomfort. Strength has improved to the point I can do about anything without help from my other hand as long as I don't have a significant weight in my hand. So I can reach for things or put dishes away in the cabinets, but if whatever I'm lifting weighs more than a pound or two, it gets difficult. But it's SOOOOOO much better than it was a few weeks ago, I'm elated.

And last, I'd like to ask each of you to send some happy thoughts in the direction of fellow Cancer patient Jeff. Jeff had a nearly identical case to mine. Stage 4 tonsil cancer with some involvement of the lymph nodes in his neck. We went through the same treatment regimen, starting and ending on the same day. And he and Rhonda have been great and supportive as we've talked back and forth while both families are trying to get back to normal. Unfortunately they found out recently that Jeff appears to have Cancerous Nodules in his lungs. He has a biopsy next Wednesday to confirm the PET Scan results, but the doctors are pretty confident. As you can imagine, that's tough news to swallow so please keep Jeff, Rhonda and their two kids in your thoughts and prayers.