Alan drove me to Boston again today. The traffic was quite light. We reached Dana Farber around 7:40 am. All week, I’ve arrived early, just as the nuclear medicine department opened, and completed my radiation treatment before 8:00 am. When I scanned in today, the display showed a fifteen-minute delay on Little Bang (my Novitas Tx.) We walked over to the waiting room and found it filled with patients in johnnies. So, we had to wait. My appointment is 8:40 am and I was called right on time. But not early, I’ve become so spoiled. Today’s music got the techs a rockin’ – from Brother Trucker’s Something Simple, “Side by Side”, “Harold’s Barber and Beauty”, “She’s in Texas”, “For J”, and a taste of “Who’s Got Your Back?”
Today was treatment number 7, officially 20% through radiation!
I’m beginning to feel mild side effects from the radiation treatment. My dry mouth is a bit more pronounced each day. When I eat a sandwich, swallowing is little uncomfortable. My cheeks (interior of mouth) are lightly pitted. Fatigue is gradually increasing. For now, I can still eat with abandon (or what one might call normally.) I’m going to enjoy my meals this weekend and splurge at every opportunity!
Alan dropped me off at home around 10:30 am. We had another day of wonderful conversation, though fatigue slowed me down a bit. I had a few phone calls to make and my swallow exercises to do. Then I lay down on the couch for a rest that turned into a deep nap. Ann took her lunch break around noon. She picked me up and we went to Friendly’s to eat. I had a hankering for French fries, which I fulfilled. When we returned home, I went back to the couch and slept until 3:30 pm. My need to sleep today overtook my desire to ride the LifeCycle. That’s ok. I’ll listen to my body and ride tomorrow.
I’ve run through the swallow exercise routine for three days now. The routine needs to be done three times a day. I’m quite familiar with the rhythm of physical therapy. The big challenge is learning the exercises and the order of performance until it’s second nature. I plan to maintain the muscle tone of my tongue and mouth muscles. No free weights are involved though a spoon is.
Thanks everyone for being on this roller coaster ride with me. Your comfort and support light up my days.
Love…
Richard
I'm so glad you listened to Brother Trucker today. I often listen to Brother Trucker when I do yardwork. They make me glad to be alive.
ReplyDeleteLittle Bang ... worth the wait. I know that these treatments are starting to have side effects ... hard ones. But, it's all going to be so worth it. With Little Bang it's swallow, swallow, swallow. With intense chemo it was spit, spit, spit. Soon it will be over. Free, free, free.
Love to you, my friend.