§ Round 3 lingers…
Treatment is going as well as can be expected. Round three of infusions is now done.
The down side is that I’ve contracted a mix of GI Tract and Oral Mucositis, which, just downright sucks. I’m producing a ton of mucus in my digestive tract, which I’m constantly coughing up, and also have sores on the inside of my mouth, mostly on my tongue and at the back of my throat, which are painful. I’ve got morphine for the pain but I’m trying to use it sparingly. I’m getting no sleep with the constant flow of mucus and saliva so sleep deprivation is definitely a concern. My taste buds are almost nonexistent at this point.
My life now consists of a strict regimen of coughing up mucus, washing out my mouth with a mix of salt water and baking soda, brushing my teeth, wash out mouth again, coat mouth with a wetting gel, clean up bath tub of all the mucus I hocked up, try to cat-nap before doing it all again. Somewhere in there I make time for some diarrhea. I don’t think this is gonna get better before the next round and my either delay treatment of prolong the amount of time I need to recover.
It is also said to be, in cases like mine, that the oral mucositis can be attributed as much to bad oral hygiene as it is the chemo, so there’s that extra slap to the face as well.
Don’t look up a detailed description if you want to keep your lunch.
Right now my happiness is found in home made fruit smoothies that my wife has been freezing up for me. Low acid fruits and the freezing temperature make for a soothing treat.
If the mucositis (man, the word itself is just awful, isn’t it?) doesn’t play nice then I may have to put in for long-term disability to make sure that I have adequate time to recover. Which is unfortunate because I don’t like being away from my peeps for this long 😉
And the neuropathy appears to still be here. It took waaaaaaay to long to write this.
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