Back in the Saddle Again

Alrighty... I am officially settled back in the saddle in Chicago. Okay, not quite a saddle... more like a trend-setting device that allows me to raise the head or foot of my bed with just one touch of a button. And this time I am really settled. I've decided to make my saddle more comfortable by suiting it with some 400 thread count sateen sheets. They keep snapping right off this cheap, crappy mattress, but at least they have been a popular discussion topic with the nurses.

For those of you who don't know, sores in the mouth are one of the main side effects of radiation. They are called mucusitis. They told me this would happen and I signed off that I had read and understood about the side effects of my radiation. This list is deceiving. Rather than listing "mucusitis" as one of the possible short-term effects, they should just write "your mouth and throat will loak and feel like a piece of raw meat." This has honestly been the hardest part of my treatment thus far. These sores make it incredibly difficult to chew and swall. The only releif I get is from a numbing mouthwash. This only alleviates the pain for about a half an hour. Fortunately, Dr. Vokes seemed pretty concerned about this side effect and lowered the dosage of each of my 3 chemotherapy agents.

We also realized that my skin is definitely sensitive to tagaderm, one of the clear dressings they use to keep needles and tubring secured to the skin. I get itchy and my skin will often blister up. We finally found another dressing that seems to work without the allergic reaction. YEAH!

I want to give a huge thanks to those of you who have been helping out by providing rides to and from Chicago and especially to those of you who have taken time of your professional/personal lives to come stay with me in the hospital. It has been an enormous help to alleviate a burden of fear and loneliness. These first few weeks have been quite scary. I am so grateful that I haven't had to "go it alone."

Just keep praying. Everyone keeps asking how they can help. That's the best thing we can all do.