Recovery has been tough

It has now been seven weeks after my last treatment. My recovery from the radiation and chemotherapy has been slow and at times discouraging. In fact last Saturday, I noticed that the lymph node in my neck, the very same one that was a malignant tumor, swelled up again. In my last posting I mentioned that I thought I had caught a bug because I was feeling even weaker than ever and my appetite wasn't getting any better. For breakfast I would pick at one scrambled egg and nibble on a little toast. The shakes were definitely still a very important part of my diet. On Monday, fortunately, I had an appointment with my radiologist and I was very anxious to tell him about the swollen lymph node.  As he felt the side of my neck his face showed a bit more concern than I was hoping for.  After a thorough examination of my throat and voice box, he thought that perhaps I had a bad infection. After all, there was still quite a bit of inflammation and swelling. So, he prescribed a very strong antibiotic that I am supposed to take four times a day for two weeks.  I left there praying that I had a bad infection. 


The good news is that since I've taken the antibiotic (about 3 days), My appetite and energy level has improved and the swollen lymph node has shrunk again. I can only hope and pray that I won't need the surgery. The doctors, however, consulted with one another and decided to schedule a surgery for me.  After two weeks of the antibiotic I have an appointment with the ENT surgeon and I believe it is then that we will decide whether or not to go through with taking out the lymph node.

I have been told by many cancer survivors that all that I've been experiencing is normal and that in the months to come I'll be fine. I believe that. I believe in my doctors and the treatment that I've gone through and I will do whatever necessary to get through this. Now, all I have to do is wait it out. I feel fortunate that I feel as well as I do for this holiday season and I'm looking forward to spending it with family and friends.

I hope you all enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Baby steps

Another two weeks have past since my last post and unfortunately there isn't much to report. My recovery from the treatments is very slow. I thought by now that I'd be eating and drinking a lot better. The pain in my mouth and throat is not bad, I simply don't have the desire to eat.  I don't get hungry or cravings like I used to. Still, I manage to eat small portions of food and the shakes are helping to maintain my weight, but I've lost a couple more pounds. I continue to reduce the pain medications that I'm taking. I should be completely off the pain medication in another two weeks.

Each week I have my blood counts checked. The levels of my red and white blood cell counts have been fluctuating quite a bit, but now seem to be leveling off.  I have had other symptoms that point to dehydration and so I'm still giving myself 2 liters of fluids by IV each day.  I get worn out quickly and need to sit down and rest. I also have had a low grade fever for the past several days.  It is possible that I caught a bug.

I am trying to not get discouraged by the slow progress.  I was very hopeful that I would be a lot stronger and ready to return to work. But I must continue to be patient and allow my body to heal. 

Tuesday at the University of Chicago

On Tuesday I went to the University of Chicago for three different appointments. First, I had to do a swallow study to see how well the muscles in my mouth are recovering from the radiation and to analyze how well I am able to eat various foods. Basically, they give me different foods and liquids and take an x-ray of me swallowing. I was told that I did very well. There are still some areas that I need to improve and I was given a sheet of paper with various mouth exercises that I am to do a couple times a day.

Next, I went to see my ENT doctor. This is the doctor/surgeon that would do the surgery on my neck if it were necessary. While in the examining room, we all viewed my scans from last Friday together. She put the most recent scan next to the scan from July and showed us the difference between the two scans. The changes that she pointed out were remarkable. Not only had my lymph nodes gotten significantly smaller but the shape of my tongue had also become more symetrical. In the earlier scans, there was a subtle abnormality at the base where the tumor was which can only be noticed by a trained eye. At this point the doctor looked at me and said that she predicts that when I have my PET scan in January, it will come back negative for cancer and that surgery will NOT be necessary. That is news that brings tears to my eyes. The treatment was very effective. This being said does not mean that I won't have the operation. The team of doctors will decide together whether or not they feel I should have it. Next week the team will meet to review my scans and discuss the next step.  They won't make any final decision until after the PET scan. Again, the team consists of the ENT, the oncologist and the radiologist.

My last appointment for the day was with my oncologist. This doctor was the one who regulated the chemotherapy and other medications that I needed for pain management. After being examined, we were able to once again see my scans and the dramatic differences from the previous scans. The oncologist confirmed what the ENT said and thinks that I probably will not need the surgery. Even though the lymph node is still visible in the scan, the radiation is still actively working to kill the tissue. Even four weeks after the last treatment, the radiation is still having an effect. This explains why I'm still feeling run down.

I left the University of Chicago feeling pretty optimistic. I also felt very thankful for my doctors, their abilities and knowledge. I'm still not completely out of the woods, but I'm feeling pretty good about the future and my health.