Halfway Point!
An important milestone today (Thursday), as I've crossed the halfway point. I've now finished 18 radiation sessions (out of 35) and four chemo infusions (out of 7). It feels good to know that I can start counting down. The doctors say that I'm doing well and looking strong. However, it seems like Thursdays - 48 hours after chemo infusion - is when I feel the most drained and have low energy. I tend to feel pretty normal on Tuesday and Wednesdays, then hit a bit of a wall on Thursday before recovering over the weekend.
One aspect of the treatment that I'm a little surprised by is that there is no progress report or interim updates. They don't plan to take another scan of the tumor to make sure it's shrinking. Right now, I still have the decreased hearing and ringing in my right ear. It's unclear whether that's because the tumor hasn't shrank enough or if it's a side effect of the Cisplatin. A little more clarity on that would provide me with some relief.
Appearance
In terms of my appearance, this may be as good as it gets for a little bit. My skin actually looks pretty good (according to the doctors). If you looked at my face, it looks like I've just come back from a sunny vacation, as there is a good color, but no burn. For those hoping to see me with a month old beard, I'm sorry to disappoint you. A very minor goatee may the best that I can do. The radiation is having an impact on my hair growth. What appears to be a 5 o'clock shadow for some of you is actually four days of stunted growth. In addition to the lack of a beard, I'm now starting to lose hair in the back of my head. At least the hair on the top and sides of my head are still normal, though perhaps a little grayer than before. All of this is normal.
Eating & Cooking
This has been an interesting eating week so far. My mouth has been a bit of a battleground, as I'm trying to manage dry mouth, thrush and mucositis (mouth sores, now grade 2), which is making it painful to swallow. It was quite uncomfortable this past weekend but has improved somewhat during the week.
At this point, I'm still able to eat solid foods, but they require a liquid assist. I am eating much more slowly than usual and have to take smaller bites. I've always been a member of the clean plate club (even licking my plate clean in a restaurant on a few occasions), but that is now under threat, too. My appetite is down from its usual levels. For example, I could only eat 7 Alaskan king crab legs tonight vs. the 9 I had polished off a few weeks ago.
AYCE Alaskan King Crab at Oyster Bah. A return visit to mark the halfway point
I can still taste most things, but the hypersensitivity to spice and acid remains. It's been a process of discovering what I can eat and what I'd like to eat but is too uncomfortable right now to be worth it. This is the first time I've had to place any restrictions on my diet. In a way, it'll be fun and interesting to go back through some of my favorite cookbooks with a fresh set of eyes, as I search for easier-to-eat and nutritious foods.
The diet this week has mostly been soups and fruit. Aiday made a lentil soup, two types of chicken soup, and a borscht with lamb. So, I was and am spoiled for choice (the borscht recipe makes quite a bit). Borscht is supposed to get better in the days after making it. Next week, we may look to do more cream-based soups, in part to keep the calorie count high and keep weight on. I lost 4-5lbs this week. This is my first weight loss since starting treatment, so all-in-all, not too bad.
As far as drinks, I'm on a steady stream of iced sparkling water. This helps to numb my throat soreness and helps with saliva. I did try to take a sip of wine, but it did not go well - it didn't taste the way I remembered and it hurt going down. Hopefully my enjoyment of wine and cocktails will come back after treatment, but I don't expect to try any more until then.