Home Stretch
I'm now entering the home stretch of treatments. There are only 4 radiation and possibly one more chemo session before I finish on Tuesday, 17 July. As with last week, it's becoming more and more challenging, but things could be much worse. While the end of treatment is just around the corner, the symptoms and side effects will persist for a few more weeks before there is an upturn.
On the positive side, my neck and skin are still holding up really well. My neck has responded well to the Domeboro soaks and the continued Miaderm, Aquaphor and Cortizone application. It's considered grade 2, but it feels much better than it did a few weeks ago. Compared to my mouth, the neck is hardly a cause for concern.
My hair from the front still appears normal, if slightly long. The loss in the back is becoming more pronounced. At least it's good to know that I don't have some odd skin patterns at the base of my neck. As for my (lack of) facial hair, I'm not sure if you can tell that I haven't shaved in the last few weeks. Some hairs are growing longer but there is not an abundance of them.
Hair loss is increasing only at the back of my head
Food and eating continue to be a big challenge and the weight loss has continued. My mouth is now suffering from grade 3 mucositis and my tongue has a lot of sores. I've lost over 10% of my starting weight. I'm hoping to stabilize that but it won't be easy. Over the weekend, I went from having thick, frothy saliva, to having none at all. I can only dream of the days when I'd get mocked for drooling during an especially restorative nap. My mouth gets drier much more quickly now, so even talking is hard. Brushing my teeth without gagging a success these days. I've got a routine with the painkillers, Gelclair, Biotene, and mouth rinse that seems to work alright, especially for the first few hours when I go to bed. However, I'm now waking up in the middle of the night because of the pain / discomfort. My doctor did give me permission to increase my pain meds - I've only taken 3x/day, but can go up to 9x, if needed!
You may have noticed a dearth of any food mentions in the last few updates. That's because my diet has become completely one-note. I'm drinking vanilla-flavored Ensure Plus as my only source of calories. It is simply the most efficient way to maximize calories (especially when you blend in a Benecalorie). I tried eating some fruit, but my tongue couldn't handle it. I may try pudding or creme brulee/caramel at some point. Drinking water is hard, so I'm getting a home hydration set up. A nurse will come out tomorrow to show me how to hook everything up with my port so that I can take in 1-2L of fluids without having to drink it. That will help with the dehydration issue.
For the second week in a row, I did not get a chemo infusion. In addition to the concerns about my ears ringing (still persistent on my right side), my blood counts were too low to get treatment. I have to minimize any risk of infection as I don't have much in the way of defense right now. At least I got to watch the second half of France-Belgium game without interruption.
Not sure why I got a bed for fluids vs. a chair when I get chemo and fluids
One last little tidbit I thought I'd share. A mentor told me a few weeks ago that there was a very famous athlete who suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) - Babe Ruth. Here is an article that describes his condition - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/august-16-1948-babe-ruth-americas-greatest-baseball-star-pioneer-modern-treatment-cancer-dies