May 27, 2011 - Treatment is Over

May 27, 2011 – TREATMENT IS OVER!!!!

Radiation treatment – 100% complete. Chemotherapy treatment – 100% complete. YES!!

Now the recovery begins. I feel so-so physically after seven weeks of abuse but I know this too shall pass – it will just take some time. I know I have up to 2 or more weeks of more pain, more mucous and probably more nausea as the effects of the treatment run their course.  Then I can look forward to less pain and more swallowing - gradually. I succeeded tonight by twice swallowing some of a banana/chocolate milk shake and while swallowing wasn’t hard, my tongue and throat are still way too sore to tolerate much of it. My NUMBER ONE challenge will be to be able to eat normally and that will come when pain subsides and my mucous production drops off. Right now my swollen throat is a sponge for mucous or anything else I might try to swallow. It’s going to be IsoSource for nutrition for quite a while yet. I’ll also be taking pain meds until I can start to reduce after pain becomes less and less and issue. I’m sure that will be hit or miss and a bit of a judgment call.

At this point I’ve lost about 10 pounds. I think I look awful.  I’m told by all my doctors, nurses, and technicians that I’ve done extremely well.  The tell me that some can’t finish the chemo, some end up in the hospital for nutrition or other reasons, and some just have a combination of many problems that can delay their treatment.  I managed to miss all that so I’m thankful my body handled this as well as it did.

I go into this last half of recovery with my eyes wide open. Only time will tell if the radiation and chemotherapy got it all. I’m going to assume it did until I’m told differently.  RadDoc could find NO SIGN of a lump yesterday.  I’ve given it my best shot and have had excellent medical care so I have no regrets about anything. I would only say to anyone who finds a small lump in their neck to NOT ignore it. Finding this sooner would have been better.

I’m keeping my Hannibal Lecter mask; Joanne might turn it into a planter of some sort. She’s very creative that way. I’ll also continue blogging for the foreseeable future until there’s nothing left to say. This is the start of phase 2. I want my life back!