Seven weekly chemo infusions and 35 daily (Mon-Fri) radiation treatments finished this morning at 8:15 AM MST!
Two radiation treatments were postponed at the mid-point due to a severe nose bleed. I could not breath through the mask and treatment. They got tacked on to the end. Still 35 total.
Infusion was mostly benign. It caused some acne, that was predicted and some sores that were expected. I was also told to expect fingertips to dry, crack and split. I had some hang nails and a couple of splits but not bad.
Radiation burned the hell out of my neck! I have patches that are peeling like a really bad sunburn. Lotion has helped keep the skin pain down. I expect this all to start clearing up early next week.
The worst side effects were the loss of saliva which leaves my mouth dry and sour. Surprisingly, if I get my mouth rinsed well, I can taste food that I try to eat. Doesn't last long. I have been on a feeding tube for 3 1/2 weeks. Boost VHC (very high calorie) is my current go to food. 3 boxes (fruit box size) a day. Each one is the caloric equivalent of a Big Mac. With that much, I can almost maintain my weight. Learned a week and a half ago that I could tolerate Coke. It is now my go to mouth rinse, wash my pills down, and 200 calorie boost.
My gag reflex is super high right now. With the divot out of the back of my tongue, food, especially pills have a habit of getting stuck there. Sometimes I can get another drink and wash it down or it gags me. It is not pretty watching me retch over the kitchen sink.
The Radiation Oncologist told me to expect a month to start getting taste buds, saliva glands, etc back on-line. Then the next visit, this week, he commented how well I was doing compared to many in my situation. With that last observation, I hope to be eating real food in 1-2 weeks...
My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
- Rumpshot
- Posts: 3998
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:56 am
My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
NRA Life Member
VFW Life Member
NMLRA Field Rep
North Central Arizona
VFW Life Member
NMLRA Field Rep
North Central Arizona
-
- Posts: 1513
- Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:23 pm
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
Nice, keep kicking its ass.
- randy
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:33 pm
- Location: EM79VQ
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
Sierra Hotel!
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
- JustinR
- Posts: 1852
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:53 am
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
Good to hear. Hang in there.
"The armory was even better. Above the door was a sign: You dream, we build." -Mark Owen, No Easy Day
"My assault weapon won't be 'illegal,' it will be 'undocumented.'" -KL
"My assault weapon won't be 'illegal,' it will be 'undocumented.'" -KL
- Darrell
- Posts: 6586
- Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:12 pm
- Netpackrat
- Posts: 13983
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:04 pm
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
+1Darrell wrote:Hang in there, man!
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati
"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
-
- Posts: 5268
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:01 pm
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
can you make it 2-3 weeks without bacon?
Glad to hear things are going well. Keep up kicking its ass.
Glad to hear things are going well. Keep up kicking its ass.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
My little part of the blogosphere. http://blogletitburn.wordpress.com/
My little part of the blogosphere. http://blogletitburn.wordpress.com/
- Weetabix
- Posts: 6106
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:04 pm
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
Keep up the good work!
Bacon shakes?Precision wrote:can you make it 2-3 weeks without bacon?
Note to self: start reading sig lines. They're actually quite amusing. :D
-
- Posts: 4286
- Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:41 pm
- Odahi
- Posts: 700
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:21 am
Re: My Cancer Treatment Plan is complete
Glad to hear it's going well. I have a friend at work who has a benign brain tumor. It had grown large enough to start causing vision problems due to its pressing on the optic nerve. He's in the middle of his regimen, going in for Gamma Knife surgery next month. God Bless, you have lots of friends who are pulling for you.
Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, assholes gotta ass, until the day they die.
"Common sense" is an oxymoron.
"Common sense" is an oxymoron.