Today marked the 1/2 way point in my treatments! 15 of 30 and I’m feeling pretty good all things considered. My throat is irritated and swollen from treatments which has limited me to a liquid diet, my tongue and cheeks are suffering from extremely painful ulcers, my taste buds have jumped ship leaving me with a bitter, metallic taste in my mouth, I’m queasy most of the time and I am much more tired than normal.
Today’s treatment was a bit stressful. My saliva has become fairly thick due to radiation and it was running down the back of my throat as I was lying on the table. Swallowing is difficult with the tube in my mouth and mask pressing down on my throat and I was having trouble clearing my throat. Meditating on divine healing light coming through the top of my head and flowing through my body got me through the rough moments when I thought I might choke to death on my own spit.
I continue to fight to keep myself strong both physically and mentally. Attitude is a HUGE part of this challenge, even more than I expected. I continue to meditate, exercise and find nutritious foods I can tolerate. Over the weekend I discovered aloe juice which has been a tremendous help in relieving some of the metallic taste I have in my mouth. Food was becoming repulsive because of the horrible taste. Thankfully the aloe juice helps moderate it quite a bit and I am able to continue eating through my mouth.
My current “main course” is a protein shake made with soy milk, chocolate protein powder, powdered milk and a tablespoon of instant coffee if it’s morning. It packs 40-50 grams of protein and 400 calories into an 8oz drink I can sip. I’ve also been able to eat miso soup with tofu and seaweed, pastina cooked in chicken broth and matzo ball soup. Annabel helped me pick out some other foods to try this week. So far, so good!
My doctors, speech therapist, integrative medicine physician, nutritionist and nurses at Sylvester and University of Miami have all been VERY helpful and supportive of my efforts. I am very grateful for all of them. This is an aggressive treatment for an aggressive disease and it truly requires a team effort.
Off to the pharmacy to pick up some more aloe juice, liquid Zantac and the infamous “Magic Mix” which is supposed to help with the mouth pain and maintain good oral hygiene. The highlight of my day!