Fun times at Chemotherapy
I'm well into Week Six of the treatment plan. Supposedly only seven more radiation treatments and two more chemotherapy. I guess the light at the end of the treatment tunnel is not the 4:15 from Hoboken.
You can read my previous diaries Here and Here for what has gone before.
My voice is pretty well gone. I sound like I've been drinking a quart a day of rotgut booze and smoking unfiltered cigs for the last 30 years. I think my taste buds have gone to the great beyond. I can't even taste the salt in the saltwater rinse I'm using to combat the thrush in my mouth. The thrush is a real pain. Not only do I have to contend with the severe dry mouth from the treatments, I also have a thick white coating on my tongue. Yummy, just thinking about it! They gave me Nystatin and Diflucan to combat it. So far it's Thrush 1, Meds 0. The major concern is not the mouth irritation; it's the fact that with compromised immunity, uncontrolled candidiasis could infect my esophagus, digesive tract, liver or lungs.
I'm still able to drink water and take the medications orally, but everything else is through the tube. I miss eating. I dream about my favorite foods and how they taste. Everyone says I should get the majority of my taste sensations back, but I worry that I'll be the odd one out and have everything taste like stale cardboard forever. Of course, right now I'd probably kill to be able to taste that much.
I'm still running a low grade fever almost all the time, 99.4 to 99.9 - luckly never hitting the magic triple digits. As nice as the people were at the hospital, I do not want a repeat stay. The thought is that the chemo has borked up how my body keeps it's internal temperature. All I know is that the chemo hits me like a truck the second and third days after treatment, it's around 4-5 days before I get back a sense of energy. Then, two days later, it's time to start it all over again.
I don't think Jen and I could ever express how much we appreciate the love, concern and care from everyone here at DKos. For me, being able to vent/rant/cry here is a part of what makes me keep going on. There have been some very dark days in the recent past that were only made better by the people here and their stories as well.
We're pleased to announce that we've raised $3,000 towards medical expenses. That means we've met 15% of our fundraiser goal! Please visit and help us, if you can, to make ends meet. We're grateful for your support.
Wed Jun 25, 2014 at 11:28 AM PT: I received some really great news today, The Radiation Treatments have reached the Boost phase. Less radiation to a smaller area in the neck.
Woot! Six more Rad treatments and two Chemo.