Into week 6 now with only 3 treatments left! Really looking forward to wrapping up and heading home to be with my family.
Unfortunately, my mouth and tongue are on fire today. I was able to get the pain under control this morning in order to eat breakfast and get my treatment. I was able to talk ok, etc…. Since then the pain has come back and the Magic Mix/Ibuprofen hasn’t helped much. Even drinking water burns. The pain has been becoming more frequent and lasting longer over the last few days. I just took a dose of Oxycodone which I’m hoping will help. Going to hang out on the couch for the day.
On the positive side I had a great appointment with my speech therapist yesterday. He was very pleased with the way I’ve handled the side effects and have been able to avoid the feeding tube. After sharing some of my recipes and other survival strategies he said I am at the top of the list of allstars. I’ve also had several of the doctors, nurses, therapists, etc. mention that I look great given what I’m going through and that they haven’t seen other patients do as well as I have. Apparently head and neck radiation is one of the most difficult treatments to tolerate. To quote the new Mazda ads it comes down to conviction, creativity & courage.
I’m very happy with my progress and my ability to handle the many side effects so far. Hopefully this pain will subside today, if not, that’s what the pain killers are for. Nap time!