Friday, March 16, 2007

All in all it's been a good week getting better everyday. I made it through all 5 RT's this week; and with the gag reflex this has been a challenge. I get an infusion of liquids everyday now that will vary from a 1/2 liter to two liters depending upon how I am feeling in the dryness category. Between the chemo and RT alone I am really dried out but then when you add into the plethora of meds that we have tried, are trying, and are going to be trying over the next couple of weeks.

We seem to be finding the right combo's at this time and are getting things dialed in. Between Phylliss and Andrea putting the heads together to work my meds and foods I am doing a hell of a lot better considering it all. Andrea is handling my meds for me and keeping right on line. Now that we have given up the canned food training and gone back to real food I am also have more success and feeling better. Solid food down the mouth would be a wonderful thing but right now I am fighting a mucositues; swelling and sores in the mouth and throat. I could possibly numb it up with some morphine but the after pain is pretty heavy. Right now I am hitting a lot of smoothies, instant breakfast drinks, cream of wheat, and dinner blended up so Andrea can put it through my tube for me. It's really weird to burp up a flavor that has not gone over the tongue put it beats the hell out of the canned crap.

Today we are modifying some t-shirts as my radiation burns have started flaring up. The collar bones are getting a bit on the crispy critter side - more like a little bit of a long day in the Colorado sun with out any sun screen, so we are going to be working to keep it from growing much worse.

Eributix should hit in here some time this weekend but we know what he's like and we'll get through.

We're still handing in, would love to talk to some of you but the tongue does make it a bit uncomfortable at this point. Every day down is another day closer to the cure.

Thanks you all again for you support!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

So sorry I have missed about a week and a half. It was a pretty big battle over that time in a physical and mental sense so I didn't do much writing. Just the thought of writing some of it down had me running to drive the porcelain bus again! Needless to say I did a great deal of throwing up last week - my least favorite thing to do in the world as well as something I really thought I was going to avoid all together through this so it was mentally taxing to be doing it multiple times a day.

You wouldn't believe the multitude of drugs and different types of drugs that I have been on and off over the last couple of months. Mind boggling! I think we are finally getting things dialed back into the wright combinations, amounts, and time frames to get through the process that we need to. Needless to say with all the drugs, I don't drive anymore so Andrea is my taxis driver. We spend a good deal of each day at one docs office or another. We have found out that if I can keep better hydrated I do better with the gag reflex. So a couple of bags a day 7 days a week!

The external burns aren't to bad yet, more of a light sun burn. Internally I have a lot of sores and have a lot of difficultly getting anything down the throat other than liquids. We use the feeding tube for everything else. This has been a curse and a blessing...the canned crap they give you that is supposedly the best thing and wonderful, coagulates in my stomach and when I puke it up it looks like the inside of a Nerf football!!! Last night we shoved some good old German noodles, potatoes, and hamburger gravy down there and I had a good nights sleep!

Have you really ever realized how may food commercials are on TV??? Even stuff that I wouldn't care about normally is really looking good. How about an extra long Conney chili cheese dog with tator tots? I don't know about you but that sounds like heaven right now while I drink my carnation instant breakfast!!!!

Many many many thanks to all of you have signed my guest book! I do look at it everyday and just to hear from you all brightens my days. I can't wait to get back to the real life and be done with this crap. Yesterday was radiation treatment number 21 so each day gets a little closer. Thank you again for all your support thoughts and prayers.

Steve