September 12
Hey everyone. I wanted to post a general update. Things are going pretty well.
I've noticed significant improvements over the last week. Swallowing is fine as long as I have water. Food tastes more like food, although I never completely lost my sense of taste. There are still two big sores in my mouth. One is on the side of my tongue and the other is just across from it on the inner part of my cheek. Mom made a yummy coffee cake for me and the cinnamon really burned when it hit those spots. Yikes! There are a couple of spots in my throat that are also raw, so gargling the "magic" mouthwash and taking the pain meds are still required for meals.
My energy level is pretty good. I'm walking every morning. Today was nearly 2. 5 miles. Yesterday, I did a "jog"/walk. I walked a 1/2 mile and then jogged a 1/2 mile! I did that twice. One thing that is part of my post-treatment reality is that I need to have water with me all the time.
Evenings are still tough. Once all the eating and talking is done for the day, things in my throat and mouth start to dry and tighten up. At night, I wake up and need water, but it is hard to swallow because of the dryness and tightness. Hopefully this will abate as recovery continues. Sleep is up and down. Most nights I sleep pretty well. Some have had a lot of up and down. Some of that relates to the volume of water I have to consume daily, especially around meals. Some of it relates to general mouth/throat discomfort.
My focus is reasonably good. Neurons seem to be firing in a coordinated way. This makes working on my sabbatical project somewhat productive. I have a virtual meeting with the publisher next week. That means I need to accomplish a few things in the coming days. My personal goal is actually to accomplish double what my sabbatical plan requires.
Generally speaking, my thoughts do not often wander into the "I may still have cancer" place. That is a reality, however. There is the possibility there is still cancer in my neck and the possibility that the spot they found in my lung is malignant. We won't know until the scans get done sometime in December. So, for the moment, I am living life like all is normal and well. One large caveat is that I'm bad at pacing myself. My body is clearly still recovering but my brain says, "Let's go." After my walk today, I proceeded to work in the yard until I was really out of breath. I had to stop multiple times to catch my breath. I was thinking it was a great workout. But not heeding my body's warnings is a bit stupid. My mother came out and told me to knock it off so, then and only then, did I stop. lol
I hope everyone is doing well. All my best to you. Thanks for looking in on me from time to time.
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