Friday, May 11, 2007

When things happen slowly over time sometimes it is difficult to know that they have changed. Watching your kids grow or gaining/loosing weight happens slowly over time and when you live with it every day it is changing but hard to see as you are there all the time. My saliva production has gone that way as well. It has been hard to notice a change over the last few weeks but it has improved; it's not 100% back yet but it has changed significantly. I found this out yesterday when Andrea gave me a slice of her pizza that they were eating for lunch. I was able to eat it (except the thick crust) without needing a drink after each bite! Wow! We got to talking about bread and buns and Andrea thought that I would be fine with it; I wasn't so sure - back to the things that change over time and you don't see it. We decided we would give it a try with McDonald's for dinner. For those of you who know me well you know that hamburgers are one of my favorite foods! So for dinner I had a Big and Tasty and French Fries. Wow! Another step towards being back to normal! I was able to eat dinner without having to drink after each bite; I guess the saliva is coming back!

We did some clean up in the garage yesterday - things I've been wanting to do for months! We didn't over do it and stopped early before we got out of control. I do feel the laying around for a couple of months this morning as I have some sore muscles. Man am I out of shape!!! It is a good kind of sore as I know I am working on getting my strength back up again. All part of the healing!

The healing continues very well. The burns on the neck are all but gone now (I do have a heck of a tan on my neck though!), most of the zits are gone, the whiskers (what I have left) are growing faster, the saliva and taste buds are coming back, and my stamina gets better every day. Before you know it all be as good as new!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

We headed out this morning to the radiology oncologist first, no appointment just to visit. It was nice to see everyone again and to show them my recovery status. Everyone was surprised to see how far along I have come in the healing process. These people are the angels who helped me and Andrea (my personal angel) to make it through the process. It is strange to go there for a visit and not any of the multitude of other things that I went there for.

Next we went to the office to see everyone and speak with the boss about my return to work. I have to say the company has been really great and supportive throughout this process and my boss has been great in working with me. I am going to return to work next Monday! The doc's feel I am good to go and I am ready for the normalcy of returning to the work place. We are in a transition mode in my department and the work load is heavy but my staff has done a great job in my absence.

This afternoon I join the Livestrong Army to help support and work in the cancer community. I hope to help do some work within the community to help out others as they take the journey that I have been on.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

We went to see the oncologist this morning who was impressed how well I was doing and that I was ahead of the "normal person" in my recovery. Everything looked good and I have gained weight. After talking about that he asked me if I wanted to get the feeding tube out...well yes! So I have the OK from him! He has changed how long to from the 8 we thought to 10 to 12 weeks post radiation completion; so...we are looking at the end of June now for the PET/CT scan. It's rough to have to wait so long but he feels more comfortable with that and that even at 8 weeks we could get a false positive. We discussed recurrence and what to do to help prevent it...a lot of vegetables and fruits. We also talked about the frequency of testing and what type; he wants a PET/CT every three months for the first year...that works for me! It will be 5 years of no cancer before we can officially say I am cured.

After we left RMCC we headed downstairs to get some blood taken and then went back up one floor to the gastro's office to schedule the removal of the feeding tube. We had to wait a little while as she was with a patient but it was worth the wait, when she was done she told the receptionist to have me fill out paperwork and that she would remove it today! So we did the paperwork and hung out until our turn. She had me lay down on the table and told me it would be a quick sharp sting and that was all; she had me take a deep breath, let it out and she just pull it out real quick...it made a pop when it came out! That simple! Talk about some normalcy, I have had that tube hanging out my stomach since January, it is so nice to have it out! It was really nice to give Andrea a good hug without that tube being in the way.

Tomorrow we are going to go stop by the Littleton RMCC to see the folks there and then stop by the office to see the gang and talk to the boss about returning to work.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Last night there was a special on Discovery channel called Living With Cancer. If you didn't get a chance to see the show I highly recommend it. They are doing a rebroadcast of it tonight at 6:00 PM Mountain time (last nights show was live). I'm not a big Ted Kopple fan but he did a good job with this. He did a documentary on Lance Armstrong and his best friend. The Lance story is fairly well known and the part I found most interesting was his interviews with his best friend. He was very open and really laid it out there; feelings, thoughts, the whole thing. The only thing that they do not really touch on or get into is the caregivers of cancer patients. Well worth a look.

Tomorrow is another appointment with the oncologist, just a checkup as the healing continues. We will proably discuss and schedule the PET/CT scan. That is our next big milestone in the journey. It will be around 4 1/2 weeks from now or 8 weeks post the last radiation/chemo.

Going back to work is getting closer and closer. This will also be discussed tomorrow with the doctor and then I'll make a decision on when I can go back. More normalcy! That is a good thing!