I feel free! My feeding tube was removed yesterday despite some push back from my gastro-doc. And yes, he just yanks it out. He wanted me to consider replacing it with a button (just as it sounds) in case my swallowing test (next week) shows I might have future swallowing problems. Well, I already have problems and if it gets so bad I can’t even drink liquid nutrition anymore, then I’ll worry about that when the time comes. So it was a good morning and I’m no longer tethered to this “food crutch.” The (PEG) tube was necessary though. Anyone with oral cancer who gets through the treatment without a feeding tube is some kind of super hero. Either that or they had about 60 or 70 pounds to lose. The pain and swallowing problems were just too great.
This
morning I celebrated by eating an entire bowl of cereal and fruit the regular,
normal person’s way. That is without using an immersion blender to turn it into
mush. It took only a little longer to eat than it might have a year ago but eat
it I did.
So
I had the feeding tube for 4 ½ months and now I have a healing “bullet hole.”
The stomach itself is supposed to heal in 24 hours so that’s about now. The
external hole might take a few days (unless I’m unlucky – which does happen)
and I need to wear a bandage over it.
Yesterday
was doctor day with 3 appointments. My second one was with my dentist. I had my
teeth cleaned and lucky for me all the discoloration I was noticing was just
that. No decay, no cavities. I just have to brush after I eat anything which is
a pain. I now have a travel toothbrush which I’ll carry everywhere. I also use Biotene teeth products for
everything (brushing, rinsing, dry mouth spray etc.). I guess that will be a
lifetime change for me.
My
third visit was unrelated to oral cancer. I visited my neurologist about my
muscle wasting condition and I appear to have a bit of neuropathy now too. I
won’t turn this blog into a discussion about that but down the road it will
probably be my bigger problem if cancer doesn’t return.
All
things considered, I’m doing much, much better than my summer experience. I
take no more pain pills and other than some sleep issues I’m starting to live
more normally. I’m playing guitar again and can only hope my voice will return
to its previous pedestrian sound. I’m playing golf but that will never return
to my glory days just because of overall weakness due to the muscle problems I
mentioned. I’ll play as long as I can but the end of golf is definitely sooner
rather than later.
I
just re-read much of my blog; I’ve never done that before. I had a really
rotten June, July, and August. I’m not sorry for anything I wrote as it
reflected exactly what I was feeling and experiencing. I’m just not sure a
future oral cancer patient should read it. Too scary.
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