Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Recovery

Well, it has been three weeks now since the end of treatment.  The doctors had told me to expect an increase of pain beginning about a week after treatment.  They were right.  The mouth sores were pretty spectacular.   Those began about one week post treatment.  Taste buds were gone, of course and pain with eating became pretty intense.  Basically my daily routine is to take tylenol and Ibuprophen every 6 hours and then at meal time to rinse with a viscous lidocaine solution and then a second topical anesthetic that is even stronger and then eat quick before the anesthetic wears off.  Oh, and I drink an "Ensure Plus" every meal to try and hold onto my weight.    After that I run to the sink and try to brush and floss and then spit blood for the next few minutes.  Then I rinse with anesthetic again.  Even doing all of that I lost about 18 pounds.   Frankly eating is no fun anymore.  After about two weeks my doctors here determined that I had a herpes infection on top of the mouth sores so they started me on Acyclover and that helped.  I was showing some improvement and then started getting worse again.  Another visit to the doctor revealed a sinus infection had come up.  I started some amoxicillin about two days ago and now I am seriously feeling better.  This morning I woke up and thought, "wow, I don't hardly hurt".  I haven't eaten breakfast yet but still, that is serious improvement.

My doctor from Mayo has been so nice.  He has emailed me multiple times checking on me and suggesting what I should do.  I couldn't ask for a more kind, caring doctor than Dr. Foote.  So, I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I have been so tired lately too.  I'm hoping that in the next few days that begins to grow less as well.

As always, I am so grateful for the prayers and faith of others in my behalf.  Thank you!  Four weeks ago we were told that there was no hope for my survival.  Today I am just dealing with a sore mouth.  That is a big step forward in my book.  Truly a miracle.  Thank you for helping that miracle happen for us.

By the way, here is a picture of the bird back in Minnesota that kept swooping down and grabbing my hair every morning when JoLynne and I were walking.  That was really weird.  I have cut my curls off now.  You just can't walk around with your hair looking like nesting material, it's just too dangerous.

10 comments:

  1. Hang in there sweet Eric. Our prayers and love are with you.
    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kelly, I love and appreciate you

      Delete
    2. Green smoothies! I drink a quart every day! Coconut or almond milk (but not soy milk...the processing makes it all kinds of terrible for the body)...coconut water or apple juice...spinach, kale, and/or red or rainbow chard (that's the "green" part ;-)...and then whatever fruits you want to put in (my standbys are bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and apples...and/or whatever is in season (lots of mango, cantaloupe, and pineapple happening now!). And can also add great-for-you stuff like flax (seeds or oil). And if you've got a high-powered blender that can handle such stuff, raw beets and carrots are great too. You can add ice of course, but I usually cut up and freeze some fruit and then use that rather than ice. Greens have much more protein than people think...but if you want extra help with that, esp. for the weight thing, you can add something like kefir or Greek yogurt...or protein powder (hemp, pea, or brown rice, not whey...not great for the bod, whey is).

      If you already know about all this sort of stuff, sorry for the redundant info...I'm just a green smoothie junkie (am drinking one now as I write, even). Even got Polat liking them...though he's not as addicted as I am (yet...LOL).

      Glad you're feeling better and hope it continues...and at an accelerated pace (I know, you'll happily take slow-and-steady, but as long as we're praying for stuff, may as well "aim high" ;-)

      Delete
  2. Try some baby food. No chewing, no hard edges, and no additives to add to the irritation. I'm sure Vivian will share if you ask nicely. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats a great idea. Vivian doesn't like her baby food anyway. Right now a lot of my food is going in the blender anyway. It doesn't look very good after but it sure slides down easier.

      Delete
  3. You have been in my prayers and thoughts and it is good to hear about the progress of your treatment. Keep up the good work and keep up the faith. Through your documented trials you always seem to point out the positives as well as give a comic relief. Take care and best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Christy. Your daughter has been in my prayers as well. I hope all is well with her.

      Delete
  4. This is such good news!! We think of you and JoLynne often, and have been wondering how things are going. You two are awesome. We are not surprised at the miracles that are manifesting themselves in your behalf. Keep up the great recovery!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh wow, you've been through so much. I am glad you have a little light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sorry the tunnel still has some pain and blood in it, but I love that you still have your sense of humor. We are still thinking of you and keeping you in our prayers. Bless you, Nancy (Carson)Dyer

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are one tough cookie :) I am so proud of you and your hair :) You are so amazing and strong and JoLynne is as well. I'm so happy all you were dealing with was a sore mouth. Keep it up!!!

    ReplyDelete