A Little More Progress and a mystery

I am scheduled for another checkup in early December but thought I would do another summery now, as December is looking rather busy.  Everything looked normal at my August checkup, including my MRI, so not really anything to report about that.

Weight: My normal weight used to be over my desired weight, so these days I'm a little better than normal and working hard on establishing a new normal.  Weight is no longer a radiation or cancer issue.  The task of holding to my desired current weight is made more difficult by my recovered sense of taste, as reported in the next entry.

Taste: In the last post I thought I was pretty much recovered except for a slightly muted taste and accompanying muted desire for my favorite foods.  Well, now the muted part is completely gone and everything tastes as I remember, with all the same old issues to be dealt with such as enjoying a great meal and even though I'm getting full, emptying my plate anyway just because it's so good. Chocolate is back to being chocolate, which I now only allow myself in small doses, strictly for medicinal purposes of course.  So I'm saying that taste is no longer an issue.

 Mouth and throat: I still experience slight "dry mouth" symptoms and probably  always will, so I just accept that and either deal with it or ignore it, as the situation warrants.

Skin: The skin on my left neck and shoulder felt somehow different at the time of my last post but I now think it was simply still healing, as the difference is now much harder to detect.  The left side seems just a tad less sensitive than the right side.  I'm guessing there will be no difference by the time another four or eight months have gone by.

Hair: There is no longer any trace of the radiation hair loss on the back of my head.

The Mystery: It was shortly after the August MRI that I rather suddenly developed the symptoms of L ’Hermitte’s Sign which is the occurrence of a tingling buzzing feeling in the lower small of my back, rather well expressed as feeling like I am receiving a slight electric shock.  This occurs fairly often when I bend my head forward, bringing my chin down near my chest.  The cause is supposedly some trauma to or inflammation of the spinal cord.  It seems that it can in some cases be the result of radiation of the spinal cord and shows up around six months after treatment – and this was the six month mark.  This was worrisome, so I went to see my oncologist who assured me that the path of the radiation was kept away from the spinal cord and the amount of radiation was so low that he simply doesn’t believe that radiation could be the cause.  At any rate there is apparently nothing to be done for it and it will usually eventually go away by itself without any sort of treatment, often after several months.  My primary doctor (at my yearly October checkup) didn’t know what to make of it either, even after consulting with some of his colleagues, although their feeling was that if I have never had those symptoms before and then suddenly did have them six months after the radiation -- then what else could it be?  So the overall recommendation seems to be to just monitor the situation and wait to see what happens before taking any further action.  This is in line with my feelings, so that's what I'll do, at least for now.

Four month summary

It has been four months now since I finished my radiation treatments.  I'm feeling fine and am not having any major problems.  I'm due for my next doctor check in August and should be having a CT scan at that time to be used as a baseline for future reference.  There has been no significant news in the last few months, thus no blog postings either.  Perhaps this four month milestone makes a good time for a summary.

Weight: I have been staying more or less constant at the lowest I've weighed in many years.  I feel good without the extra pounds I used to have, however Marie thinks I look a bit too skinny now.  I place no restrictions on what or how much I eat and even make an effort to have a snack now and then.  I'm happy, though,  so long as I stay at least even with my current level.  I think the biggest impact on my weight level is the next item, taste.

Taste: It seems to me that everything now has the same flavors as before the radiation, but it also seems as if the flavors I taste are slightly muted from what my memory makes me think they should be.  This, of course, is extremely subjective and impossible to measure.  There used to be a variety of foods that I really liked and would crave when I was hungry.  I now eat and enjoy those same foods but with less intensity and without the craving.  Consequently I have little motivation to seek snacks during the day, other than actual hunger.  I feel that it has been the snacking that has always caused my weight to drift upwards, though I have to admit that weight has never been much of a problem for me.  It would seem that without the snacking, I tend to just hold even -- which is fine with me.

Part of my whole taste issue, I feel, is caused by a "dry mouth" condition, as follows:

Mouth and throat: For a long time I didn't really get just what "dry mouth" actually was.  Yea yea, I read about it, but I still didn't actually get it.  Now I find that the inside of my mouth can be completely wet, meaning fully coated with saliva, and it still feels dry even though it's wet.  I also have read about saliva having a lubricating component which can be greatly reduced or even eliminated by radiation, but I didn't quite get that either, though now I do as I'm pretty sure that is what's going on with me.  This condition is immediately relieved by a drink of water but that is a very temporary fix.  The dryness is particularly noticeable when eating and I find that I constantly keep wanting everything to be more moist, and often end up sipping some water with each bite.  The result of all this dryness, I'm now thinking, is a reduction in my enthusiasm for eating.

Now in spite of taste or dryness, when I'm hungry I eat, and when I'm not hungry then I'm less inclined to eat.  Kind of seems to me like that's how it should be anyway, so it's not something I fret over.

Skin: The skin of my left neck and shoulder is somehow different.  A little experimenting shows me that those areas simply have slightly less feeling than normal.  It would appear that the nerves are just  no longer quite as responsive.  This is a very minor thing, as I don't normally pay much attention to how sensitive my neck or shoulder is.

I still have a numb area about the size of a silver dollar centered just forward of my left earlobe.  It used to be much bigger and had been shrinking but has now been the same size for at least a month or so.  This is not a bother except that it feels strange when I shave there, which is not really a bother as I don't actually have to shave there.

Hair: I now have a vertical boundary about half way between my left ear and the edge of my mouth, with whiskers on the mouth side and bald skin on the ear side, except for one or two single whiskers.  So shaving the bald area consists of hitting those couple of whiskers and I'm done.  The mouth side of my left cheek has pretty much returned to normal whisker growth so I may just try to grow a goatee this winter and see if there is a left to right difference or not.

The bald patches on the back of my head have returned to almost normal growth and a difference can only be noticed under close inspection, which is not an activity I engage in very often.

Energy: I tend to be a little more aware of my energy level than I used to be, so I'm slightly more inclined to stop working when I find myself getting tired. I'm happy to report, though, that when I don't want to stop and continue to push myself to finish a task, I end up just more tired rather than totally wiped out as was occurring during and for a couple of months after the radiation.  I think my energy level is back to normal and no longer an issue, which is great because getting wiped out so easily was really a bummer.

Ear: The plugged up feeling in my left ear is gone now and everything seems to be normal.

I would say I'm in pretty good shape, all things considered.  Were it not for the eating issue, I would most likely just forget the whole thing.  The eating keeps reminding me though.  Reminding me how minor my problems are compared to what could have developed.

Another big step. (Seems like it anyway.)

Today I finally decided it was time to try a glass of wine.  Well, actually I tried just a half glass and it was just fine.

So I'd say my taste buds are about ninety-nine percent healed up.  I only occasionally notice a funny taste and even then it is not severe.  I was told that many people report a metallic taste due to the effect of their radiation but I had not previously experienced that.  The funny taste that I now get once in a while does have a slight sort of metallic component to it but that only lasts a moment or two, so it's not particularly annoying.

I spent a good part of this morning working at digging my sprinkler ditch with the result that I felt a little tired but it was pretty much the normal sort of tired one feels after a good workout.  There is rain in the forecast for the next few days so I guess I'll be taking a mandatory timeout but will be anxious to get back to it as soon as the sun starts shining again.

Downhill coasting

We went in yesterday to see my ENT surgeon for a checkup and found no surprises nor anything unusual.  He scheduled me for a CT scan and another checkup in four months.  So I'm coasting downhill now and expect that this whole experience will start being slowly moved from active memory to some dusty archival storage room in the back of my mind.  I'm also fully aware that the memories will be brought back out into the light four months from now when I'm lying in the CT scan machine and then while we're waiting for those results.

I am doing much better as far as eating is concerned now, as I'm pretty much able to eat and enjoy all normal foods with only an occasional odd taste surfacing.  Even the snacks and goodies have regained their appeal with the latest additions being Pepsi and finally even my medicinal chocolates.

My energy level is continuing to improve, which is encouraging.  I'm in the process of digging a ditch for a hundred feet of sprinkler line and find that I still can't work all day long as I used to, but there's really no need for that anyway, so when I start to tire I take off the gloves, put the shovel away, and switch my attention to some other project.  I find that not wearing myself completely out eliminates the need for a recuperating nap.  I also find that a nap is more enjoyable when taken as a luxury rather than because of need.

---

This blog will probably tend to fade away as the days go by with no medical news to report, although I will still add entries whenever there is something new to add.  If you would like to subscribe to this blog you can do so using this link: Posts (Atom).  Friends and family can have new blog entries automatically emailed to them by simply sending me a note saying you would like to be added to the distribution list, or by leaving a comment to that effect.

Going off my diet

Some small items to report, that maybe seem bigger than they really are.

You'll be able to figure out that I'm not much of a connoisseur of gourmet foods when I tell you that I was excited to find that I enjoyed a Burger King Big Fish with french fries for lunch today.  That's the first fast food I've had in over three months and I'm so happy to find that it doesn't taste bad anymore.  Next I'll have to try a hamburger -- and maybe even a Pepsi.  And don't worry -- fast food isn't something I have very often.

You'll also be able to tell that I am a bit of a connoisseur when I tell you that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I quite enjoyed a homemade fried apple pie for dessert tonight.  Perhaps it's time to start sampling a few desserts again.

I also tried a little chocolate test today which was encouraging but showed me clearly that my taste buds are not fully healed yet.  Soon after my radiation treatments started, chocolate went from being one of my favorites to being awful tasting.  The bad taste is all gone but chocolate now seems only slightly good.  Certainly not good enough to sustain any kind of craving.  But the fact that it is back to being at least a little good, tells me that there is progress being made.

If I keep up with this kind of progress, though, I'll soon be putting back on all those pounds I've lost.

"Month after" checkup

Weight: First thing they did was to check my weight.  Seems I've lost a few more pounds, but not enough to worry over, plus I'm starting to eat more regularly now.  I'll be happier though, if I can avoid regaining what I've lost, as I seem to feel better without the extra eight or so pounds I had been carrying.

Taste: My taste is continuing to improve, though very slowly.  Not really noticeable on a day-by-day basis.  I am now able to eat most foods, though most don't taste quite as good as they should. Sweetness seems to be the slowest taste to return, so I don't yet much care for snacks or desserts and that by itself is probably the biggest cause for the weight loss.

Skin: No soreness or redness anymore and no sign of any toughness or thickening. I also seem to be very slowly losing my "radiation" tan.

Hair: There is no sign of any beard regrowth and a very good possibility that this will be permanent.  There is some possibility that the blank areas in the back may recover eventually, though that's not at all a sure thing.

Energy: I feel more or less normal, though I have been doing very little hard physical work.  Perhaps I wear out a little quicker than I used to but it's also just possible that, with all the resting and sitting around for the last few months, I could be a mite out of shape.

Mouth and throat: The inside lining on the left side of my mouth feels normal now and it is likely that the funny feeling I experienced was because the inside of my mouth was burned by the radiation the same way the outside was.  My throat seems normal and, best of all, my saliva also seems normal.  A permanent dry mouth condition was a very real possibility but there is now a chance that I may have dodged that bullet.

Ear: It still feels like my left ear is plugged and full of water on the inside, but this was nothing surprising to the doctor, as one month is still early in the healing cycle.

The general consensus is that I seem to be doing quite well and that one month is not long enough to expect a major recovery, so as well as I'm doing in this short amount of time is pretty encouraging.

"Remember," the nurse said, "the affect of the radiation hasn't even worn all the way off yet and your body is just starting to heal."

My next few checkups will be at about four month intervals and I don't expect to see any sudden changes during that time.  Slow and steady from here on out will satisfy me just fine.

Chores or playtime or both?

Gosh, I forgot all about my four week report. Tomorrow I meet with my oncologist for a "month after" checkup, so tomorrow will be a good time for another wrap up report.

Today the weather broke (for a day or two) and I finally got to go outside again, as it was sunny and dry.  So I took care of a couple of chores and wasn't really ready to go back inside yet when I remembered that when I mowed the lower meadow a few days ago, it seemed kind of swampy.  So I grabbed a shovel and headed off to see what was up with the creek.  It seems that, although I convinced the creek to go where I wanted it to last year, this year it had decided for itself.

I then spent awhile re-convincing it to once more go where I wanted it to, that is, down the side of the meadow instead of spreading throughout the middle.  That effort wore me out but I recovered nicely after a short little snooze and was then drawn to my computer to experiment a bit with a new Photoshop technique I recently discovered. This blending mode was intended for making decorated cookies but I couldn't help but use it to document my afternoon's endeavor.  The rabbit was just for fun, though we do see rabbits occasionally -- and, no, I wasn't really barefoot though my shoes did get soaking wet.

A good day

Today, to avoid having to fix lunch ourselves, we stopped at the deli counter at our local grocery store and each brought home a sandwich good for both today and tomorrow.  Turkey on wheat with Swiss cheese, mayo, lettuce and olives for me and I actually enjoyed it, though it was not as tasty for me as I knew it could have been.  Both the bread and cheese seemed very bland but the olive flavor came through nicely which was a treat.  Meals are getting much easier to take now that hardly anything has a bad taste anymore.  Some things lack the flavor I know they should have, but I'm making progress which makes me quite happy.  No luck so far with sweet things though, although when I try something sweet, it no longer tastes yucky -- it just doesn't taste much anything.  The result is that I have no desire for snacks or desserts yet.  Well now that isn't really true, as I do have the desire for them, but I don't have the desire to put them in my mouth since I know they won't be particularly good.  Ah well ... one of these days I'll decide to try something else --  and it will taste a little bit good.  I can hardly wait.

The taste issue is really the only thing left to recover from.  Well, that and my missing hair, but I seldom think about the hair while I find myself often wanting to have some kind of treat.

My energy seems fine these days and I returned to the treadmill for a half session today and will start full sessions tomorrow.  I've also spent some more time in my wood shop and am starting a spring remodel of my dust collection system.  I can hardly wait for a little bit of decent weather so I can get at some of the outside work that has been waiting for me most of the winter.  It's coming -- I can feel it coming.  Both better weather and continued healing.  Before I know it, there will be warm sunny skies and plenty of good things to eat and the cancer and radiation therapy will just be something that I remember now and then.

So yesterday was a good day, today was a good day and I expect the same for tomorrow.  Too much?  Maybe, but sometimes I just can't help but let the optimism flow.

A five pluses kind of day.

Woke up feeling good this morning and that was a plus, though not quite good enough to get on the treadmill yet.  Maybe tomorrow?  The worst of my cold is gone now and I'm starting to notice an increase in energy, even over how I felt before the cold -- so the outlook for the next few days may be looking up and healing seems to be continuing -- that's plus number two.  I then even made it out into my workshop and completed a little project for Marie without feeling worn out, so that was plus number three.  This evening Marie fixed barbecued seasoned hamburgers covered by pineapple ring and served it with creamed corn and salad -- whereupon I cleaned my plate without hesitation and, even though I knew it was supposed to taste better than it actually did, at least it was definitely better than neutral, so that was a great big plus number four.  Ha, four pluses in one day.  Why that's another plus in itself.

Week three and little changed

This is healing day twenty-one and not much difference from last week. I've had a cold this week though, and perhaps that has masked whatever little change might have occurred. On the other hand, it may just be that I'm watching the pot a little too closely.

However I did have a taste breakthrough this week when Marie cooked up some fish with a nice sauce on it and I found that I enjoyed eating it. It has been a very long time since I've eaten anything that actually had a good taste. So Marie is now going to start expanding our menu a bit to see if we can perhaps find a few more things that are above the neutral level, which the majority of foods still fall in for me.

I have become so conditioned to not liking things that I have to force myself to keep an open mind, or mouth, and give more things another chance. I even tried peanut butter and jelly today and found it to be neither good nor bad, but that's still an improvement over how I reacted a few weeks ago.

I just read another article claiming that a long term study has now repeated the results of a shorter term study claiming that a small daily dose of chocolate is good for heart health. I often think that some of these health food studies are pretty off the wall, but this one clearly is spot on. Perhaps being able to enjoy chocolate again would make for a good next breakthrough objective.