Slowly healing

Well, we realized this week that it had been exactly two years since since my diagnosis of cancer.  The exact date was September 21st, 2011.  Wow, that has been a long two years!

I am recovering slowly from the last radiation treatment that was rendered.  The base of my tongue received a substantial dose of radiation.  Unfortunately, the tissues heal slowly when exposed to these kinds of things.  I have been surprised at how tender that wound has been.  It makes life interesting.  For example, I can't really move my tongue side to side when eating.  It is such a small thing that you would never even think of it but it is important.  Without the ability to move the tongue from side to side you can no longer control the movement of your food.  This makes it very difficult to guide the food to your teeth for chewing.  I find that if I carefully place a piece of food in my left cheek space then I can guide it to my teeth with my cheek, chew and then swallow.  If I just put it in the middle, like normal, then my only choice is to swallow it whole.  Kind of annoying.

The pain in my mouth is pretty substantial.  I don't have a lot of choices.  I'm not willing to take narcotics so instead I pretty much live on 20% lidocaine solution that I have custom made at the pharmacy.  20% lidocaine is 10 times stronger than the stuff that we inject for dental procedures.  It also has 4% tetracaine, another anesthetic.  If I rinse with that stuff I stay numb and fairly pain free for 2 hours.  I hate to admit how much of it I am using.  Suffice it to say, I get up every two hours through the night to numb my mouth with this stuff, and I use it pretty regularly through the day as well.

I talked to Dr Foote at Mayo about the slow healing of my wound.  He said this was normal and gave me several suggestions including hyperbaric therapy.  Dr. Foote, by the way, is amazing.  He emails me on a regular basis just to check up on me and always answers promptly whenever I ask him a question.  He is probably the most attentive Dr. I have ever met.

Anyway, we went to meet the hyperbaric team this week.  It is basically a big pressurized tank.  They put you in it and raise the pressure to about the level of a 45 foot deep dive.  You have a plastic bubble over your head which gives you pure oxygen to breath while under pressure.  Apparently it hyper-saturates your blood with oxygen to the point that even wound areas that lack capillaries will begin to get oxygen.  By doing that it will let the wound heal and regrow a blood supply.  We are talking to the insurance now but hopefully I will start this treatment in the next few days.  It will require two hours a day for the treatment.  It it helps it would be well worth it.

Other than the annoyance of my mouth pain, life is great.  I am still able to work full time, I love being with my wife and children.  I love playing with my grand daughter.  Summer is slipping away into fall and the world is painting itself the most beautiful colors before it goes to sleep for winter.  I love being alive!

Provo temple at sunset.

I have been so grateful for the temple in my life.  The other night, JoLynne and I went to the temple.  I was changing my clothes in the locker room when I was simply overcome with feelings.  It's hard to describe.  I guess the best I can do would be to compare it to going to a home that is full of happy memories for you.  For me that would be my grandma's house.  Not just memories but all the love that is associated with those memories.  That is how I felt as I stood there in the temple.  Overwhelmed with feelings of love and memories that I couldn't quite piece together but so real.  When it says, "The house of the Lord" on the front of a temple, I believe it.  I have felt His presence there.  It is a feeling full of love, warmth and kindness.

Rad Grad

I'm sorry to not update this blog more frequently.  When I get feeling better I get too busy to sit still at a computer for very long.  Such has been the case.

End of treatment:  What a joy!

Radiation ended for me on Wednesday February 27th.  That was a glorious day. I have quite the "healthy glow" these days.  It was kind of a high priced tanning salon but it was worth it.   JoLynne had secretly arranged for all my children to gather at the radiation clinic with balloons for a party.  It was quite the surprise when I finished my appointment with my doctor and walked out the reception area to see such a gathering.  It was tearful and wonderful.  My family has been so supportive of me throughout this ordeal.  I don't know how I could have made it through without them.  JoLynne is so tender and caring.  I am constantly grateful for my wonderful wife.

The doctor warned me that the pain would continue to increase for at least a week after treatment.  I hoped that he was exaggerating but he wasn't.  The next week was pretty nasty.  It has been hard to hold onto my weight during these treatments.  Eating has been an ordeal.  Thankfully, as a dentist, I have access to some pretty powerful topical anesthetics.  Typically at mealtime I would simply numb my mouth and throat and that would make it possible to swallow.  Even so, I have lost about 25 pounds over the course of radiation.  I wish it was all fat but a lot of it was muscle.  It looks like I have chicken legs now.  All that will come back, of course, over time.  It has now been two weeks since radiation stopped and the pain has continued to diminish.  It still isn't really comfortable to eat but I don't need topical anesthetic to swallow anymore.  According to the doctor it will be 6-9 months before my sense of taste returns.  (I still have good taste in women, it's just my mouth that was affected).  My next scan will be the end of May.  The doctors are very hopeful.  Because my tumor was extremely fast growing, it should have been very sensitive to radiation.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

Up up and away

50's party attire

March 2nd was a great day.  That is the day that JoLynne turned 50.  If you ask her she will tell you that she is turning 25 for the second time.  The night before her birthday I informed her that we had an appointment at 6:00 am the next morning.  She was pretty dumbfounded.  I wouldn't tell her where we were going.  After a while she said, "Eric, I don't want to go swimming on my birthday!" (I often swim early in the morning).   I offered to teach her to flip turn but she still wasn't going for it.  Early the next morning we drove up to Heber and launched off in a hot air balloon over Heber valley while the sun came up.  It was amazing.  I guess we were up for about an hour.  Later in the day we planned a surprise party for her at the church.  One of my assistants suggested that we hold a 50's party for her to celebrate the event so that is what we did.  She had no clue.  After dinner I handed her a bunch of 50's clothes that I had bought on the internet and told her to get ready because we were going out.  She had a poodle skirt, matching socks, scarf etc.  She looked great.  My good friends had offered to let me borrow their 66 Mustang to drive up in.  It was amazing.  When we arrived at the church the parking lot was pretty full.  She said "Please tell me that all these cars aren't her for my birthday"  I just smiled.  The cultural hall was full of people that love JoLynne.  Our daughter had gathered pictures of JoLynne and posted them all around the walls from every year of her life.  Our kids and neighbors had put together all the decorations, refreshments, music etc.  We danced, drank root beer floats, did Hoola Hoopes and just had a great time.  All in all it was a great birthday.  Oh, and I bought her a little red something to drive around in.  At fifty you kind of have to have a midlife crisis of some sort.

A little red something

Elizabeth as "Queen Elizabeth"

On the following Sunday Peter and Spencer were awarded their Eagle rank in scouting.  They both worked hard and it was kind of cool that they could have it awarded at the same time.  We are proud of them.  Yesterday was "Images of greatness" for our daughter Elizabeth.  Each child was to choose a historical figure, learn all about them, write a paper and then dress up as them for the evening.  Elizabeth had chosen to learn about and portray Queen Elizabeth the first.  She and her mom went all out on her hair and her costume.  I loved watching Elizabeth prancing around the house after the program looking at her reflection in every mirror and other piece of glass in the house. Really they grow up too quickly.


One week from today our son leaves on his mission to Barcelona Spain.  For the last several months I have had the chance to have him work at my office.  Boy we are going to miss that boy.  Every morning he informs us exactly how many days and hours he has left before departing.  I think he will be a wonderful missionary.  He will be speaking in church this coming Sunday.  His visa has has not yet arrived so he will be spending time in the MTC here in Provo instead of Madrid.

Every day brings me something to be happy about.  As I was dancing with JoLynne during her party it struck me how close I came to leaving this life early.  It's hard to express how grateful I was to be standing on a dance floor holding her in my arms at that moment.  Life is truly beautiful.  I cherish each moment.

That "healthy glow"

Kind of "Sci Fi" don't you think?

The tanning salon

I have now finished one week of radiation therapy.  One down, five and a half to go.  It's kind of like a really high priced tanning salon.  You should see the healthy glow that I am sporting on my right side.  I think that I mentioned before that it was decided by the tumor board to give chemotherapy along with the radiation.  So, Monday morning I spent 6 hours getting chemotherapy and then a half hour getting radiation.  The chemotherapy agent chosen this time is cysplatin, the same one I had the first time around.  I am told that the dosage is less this time and they aren't giving me adriamycin at the same time so hopefully it will be less damaging.  Still, by Friday I wasn't feeling too great.  Saturday was worse and I went to bed early with a bowl by my side.  Sunday I seemed to feel better which was a blessing since I was supposed to teach at ward conference.  All in all, not fun but not as bad as last time.  The radiation makes me sleepy.  They say that will get worse as it goes along.  I'm also told that the oral side effects will worsen after the second week.  I guess it will cause mouth sores, trouble swallowing and sinus problems.  Oh well.

Life is great

Other than cancer drama, life is great.  Our little grand daughter just gets cuter every day.  She can now sit up on her own quite well for a little while.  She's also getting pretty good with her hands and moving things around.  It's great trying to get her to smile and giggle.  Peter is getting ready to go to the temple for the first time.  He had his final interview with the Stake President yesterday.  The Stake President told him "This is a great day for your parents".  Peter replied, "It's a great day for me!" and he is right.  He is counting down the days until he leaves for Barcelona on his mission.  Jarom continues to date a very nice young lady.  He brought her by for dinner yesterday and the whole family agrees that she is lovely.  Seth was just asked to come for another interview for medical school in Chicago.  The school is even paying his way this time, so all the better.  JoLynne is getting around better all the time on her healing legs.  It seems like her endurance is better and her pain is less.  Nobody has stolen our identity for weeks now and no pets have died so we are feeling pretty good about life.

People frequently tell me that we are in their prayers.  I just want you to know that we take that seriously and we are very grateful for your faith in our behalf.  I don't know how decisions are made in heaven but it can't hurt to have a lot of people pleading for you.  Thank you.