YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just got back from my follow-up appointment with Dr. Mundy and the CT scan looks good. Very, very cool.
HUGE relief for both Randall and me, as everyone can imagine.
That also means I'm free now to plan my holiday stuff and painting projects and closet cleaning. And...and...and...
I've been putting off making any plans at all just in case the scan didn't look good and chemo was in my future. Fortunately it did look good and I get to keep my hair, so life is much better.
There is a follow-up consultation with Dr. Mundy at the end of January, and three months after that I'll have another CT scan. So, I can dance this worry dance again, but not until the end of April or so.
I've got a follow up with my ENT on Thursday at 1:00, and I'm sure I'll post a quick follow-up on that, too.
So until Thursday....
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
October 17 Update
I haven't posted anything really in a couple of months since there's really not been much to say, but since I've got a follow-up CT scan next week, I thought now would be a good time.
Next Tuesday at 1:30 is my second CT scan since ending radiation treatment in April. And I'll be honest, both Randall and I are nervous about it. I guess we'll always feel that way through the next several years when I have these done, but as Dr. Lehr mentioned to us earlier in the year, it's the first year after radiation that is critical. I'll have the whole five years until clear thing going, too, but it's this first year you really have to watch with this particular type of cancer. So sweaty palms on this one. And, sadly, I won't have any results on it until the following Tuesday when we see Dr. Mundy. So seven days of not knowing and worrying and waiting. I'll post once I do know what the results are.
On to more mundane stuff.
Eating and drinking is fine so far as pain goes. That's history now, and I am SOOOOO glad. I still have problems with taste and it's hard to know what something will taste like the first time. Chocolate is now OK and so are apples. Milk tastes awful...quite salty. And I do have some problems distinguishing spices in things (and salt), so Randall gets to help there. His sense of taste and knowing what to put into food to make it right isn't what mine was, but relying on mine right now can be dicey.
So taste is doing better and I expect will continue to over the next several months.
Swallowing/throat pain isn't an issue unless I try to swallow too large a piece of food. That's really teeth related and won't be fixed until late next spring when I can get lower dentures.
Dry mouth is still a really big problem. And Dr. Mundy has led me to believe it probably always will be. He wasn't too positive about the salivary glands regenerating themselves, but it could happen at least somewhat. Until then, I take water with me wherever I go. The downside, of course, is that what goes in must come out. As a consequence, I'm generally a good person to ask where the bathroom is. LOL
Eating is still problematic because of that, too. Boneless skinless chicken breasts and pork chops can be impossible. I'm taking advantage of brining things before cooking them. I know it adds sodium to the meat, but there's just not much I can do about it. I've got to have more moisture in some of the meats before I can eat them. Even braising some of them isn't enough. So brining is the way I have to go.
Fatigue is still a problem and will be for several more months.
My painting projects are more or less on hold until things get better. We're tackling painting the outside of the house (have the paint!), but we're going to start in the back of the house and take it slow. Since we've got wooden screens, we'll take them down and paint them in the garage...one at a time...over the winter. There are five windows there, so that will probably keep us busy and if we run out of windows in back, there are two on the side of the house that will be next. So I suspect we can stay busy over the winter because I do have to take it slow.
Meanwhile other stuff gets strung out longer than normal. Never good at pacing myself, this can be a real challenge, but since I don't know until after I sit down for a couple of hours that I've done too much, I have to be preemptive about this. Otherwise, if I overdo it, I can be out of action for three or four days while I recover my strength. This, too, shall pass, but until it does, I've got to watch how much I take on.
That's really about all for now. Unless something interesting happens, next Tuesday with the CT scan, I'll skip posting about it. I will, though, post an update on the findings the following week which should be the 28th. I've also got a follow-up with my ENT on that Thursday, so it's possible it will be a two post week.
Everyone have a safe weekend!
Next Tuesday at 1:30 is my second CT scan since ending radiation treatment in April. And I'll be honest, both Randall and I are nervous about it. I guess we'll always feel that way through the next several years when I have these done, but as Dr. Lehr mentioned to us earlier in the year, it's the first year after radiation that is critical. I'll have the whole five years until clear thing going, too, but it's this first year you really have to watch with this particular type of cancer. So sweaty palms on this one. And, sadly, I won't have any results on it until the following Tuesday when we see Dr. Mundy. So seven days of not knowing and worrying and waiting. I'll post once I do know what the results are.
On to more mundane stuff.
Eating and drinking is fine so far as pain goes. That's history now, and I am SOOOOO glad. I still have problems with taste and it's hard to know what something will taste like the first time. Chocolate is now OK and so are apples. Milk tastes awful...quite salty. And I do have some problems distinguishing spices in things (and salt), so Randall gets to help there. His sense of taste and knowing what to put into food to make it right isn't what mine was, but relying on mine right now can be dicey.
So taste is doing better and I expect will continue to over the next several months.
Swallowing/throat pain isn't an issue unless I try to swallow too large a piece of food. That's really teeth related and won't be fixed until late next spring when I can get lower dentures.
Dry mouth is still a really big problem. And Dr. Mundy has led me to believe it probably always will be. He wasn't too positive about the salivary glands regenerating themselves, but it could happen at least somewhat. Until then, I take water with me wherever I go. The downside, of course, is that what goes in must come out. As a consequence, I'm generally a good person to ask where the bathroom is. LOL
Eating is still problematic because of that, too. Boneless skinless chicken breasts and pork chops can be impossible. I'm taking advantage of brining things before cooking them. I know it adds sodium to the meat, but there's just not much I can do about it. I've got to have more moisture in some of the meats before I can eat them. Even braising some of them isn't enough. So brining is the way I have to go.
Fatigue is still a problem and will be for several more months.
My painting projects are more or less on hold until things get better. We're tackling painting the outside of the house (have the paint!), but we're going to start in the back of the house and take it slow. Since we've got wooden screens, we'll take them down and paint them in the garage...one at a time...over the winter. There are five windows there, so that will probably keep us busy and if we run out of windows in back, there are two on the side of the house that will be next. So I suspect we can stay busy over the winter because I do have to take it slow.
Meanwhile other stuff gets strung out longer than normal. Never good at pacing myself, this can be a real challenge, but since I don't know until after I sit down for a couple of hours that I've done too much, I have to be preemptive about this. Otherwise, if I overdo it, I can be out of action for three or four days while I recover my strength. This, too, shall pass, but until it does, I've got to watch how much I take on.
That's really about all for now. Unless something interesting happens, next Tuesday with the CT scan, I'll skip posting about it. I will, though, post an update on the findings the following week which should be the 28th. I've also got a follow-up with my ENT on that Thursday, so it's possible it will be a two post week.
Everyone have a safe weekend!
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