With a little help from my Friends...

Well Monday came and went, Tuesday's just about gone, and it'll be Wednesday afternoon in no time... at this rate I just might make it! Naaa, there's never been any real doubt, I'll make it for sure. Sure, I've probably seemed down a bit recently, but let's face it, things have been getting tougher, and it takes some adjusting. Well, I think I'm doing my part, by adjusting that is. Heck, it's the least I can do, considering...

First, let's look at where I'm at... the photo above was taken this morning, it's the view I have out Amanda's office window, where I do most of my computing... that's sunrise over Haleakala, and the photo doesn't do nearly the justice deserved of the colors seen most every morning.

Next, there's the truly surprising, unexpected "little things" that happen behind the scenes so to speak. Here's a great example: Since our last High School Reunion in 2006, one of the many Friendships I've been fortunate to re-kindle has been with Barbara (Benjamin) Raub. A couple weeks ago, she wrote and mentioned she had a "friend" who'd recently come back from the MD Anderson Clinic in Houston, TX, and would I mind if she put them in touch... which of course I was all for.

Well, over the weekend I received a TERRIFFIC e-mail from Janice and Jackie Crowe of San Diego, and the truly greatest benefit (to me) is that it came at a time when I was near tears (no wait, the tears were there) from trying to coping with pain management, diet challenges, and skin care. In just three days, with the benefit of her advice and their experiences, a visit with the Radiation Oncologist, a phone call to my Dentist and a trip to the store, I feel good and am doing 112% better!

On Thursday last, my weight had dropped 5 pounds from the week prior, and they were VERY concerned about my eating. I hadn't been too much, but now I had to listen up, as obviously, continuing at 5 lbs., a week or more, I was gonna be in trouble; and the feeding tube is NOT something I’m keen on having to deal with. The pain meds were pretty much maxed, I could tell they were hesitant to prescribe more, for the obvious reasons there. However the pain levels associated with eating especially were overwhelming, so I was at a bit of a loss as to how I was gonna make it. My teeth were becoming more and more sensitive as well, and that made it tough to brush, with the already tender gums, tongue and cheeks. Not having clean teeth really increased the discomfort of the tongue and mouth – an overwhelming spiral I could see growing there. And Friday morning started with a surprising sensitivity of the skin and significant swelling of my neck and lower face. Things were NOT looking good.

So, it was with considerable relief to get their “TIPS” which actually turned out to be the “missing links” or confirmation of some of the things that were just plain uncertain. I had been prepared for the “sunburned” skin, and knew to “slather” on the “lotion” but none of the 3 different ones in my initial arsenal were really the answer. AQUAPHOR was the missing link there, and working just fine. Thank You #1. I keep a 16 oz., H2O bottle in every room, and three in the Kitchen plus two in the car, and manage to go through most of them daily. That’s at least 3~4+ liters, plus I drink a lot of other beverages (Gatorade, Royal Mills Iced Cappuccino, Peppermint Tea) including 4~5 cans of ENSURE as well. Thank you #2. With my adjusted Medication regimen I’m able to manage Cream of Wheat, Scrambled Eggs, Pureed (canned) Asparagus, Applesauce, Tapioca, even Yogurt and Vanilla Ice Cream (still my favorite) – so I’m gonna pass on the “Pumpkin Pudding...” Thank you #3.

In addition to the Caphasol, I have a MAGIC MOUTHWASH which has Lydocane, Maalox, and a few other things, which does the trick, so I just take it BEFORE eating (which I wasn’t before) since I can’t really taste much anyway. My Dentist also arranged for me to get some Fluoride tooth paste and we found an infant’s “Extra Soft” tooth brush which works just fine. So, like I said, things are looking brighter as most of the stumbling blocks have been minimized. Or at least I again feel like things are “manageable.” I surely don’t expect things to be EASY, but Manageable sure is a welcome alternative to Impossible.



So, let it suffice to say, the combination of all of the above has me "back in the groove" so to speak. To top things off, Monday I went in for my Radiation Treatment with Amanda, AND Kelly (and Maddison and Grayson) as they were both concerned, and wouldn't take "NO" for an answer. So, on we go...

"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." - Steven Wright