Chemo Update: Things are going well and a new CT Scan

Things are still going well. My voice is slowly getting better and I can hold a one or two sentence conversation now. My family appreciates that. Without talking I would try to communicate with mono syllable utterances or by pointing. Not only would I be the worlds worst charades player I think at times if I was video taped it could have been a winning entry for America's funniest home video's.

One change is that I am transitioning to a new feeding supplier and type of supply. I was consuming the number of cans of the old stuff per day that I was supposed to but continued to lose weight. I am currently down about 40 pounds. The new supplies should add about an additional 800 calories per day into the mix so hopefully I will level off and even gain a bit a weight. Not too much though. Some of the weight I need to gain back needs to be saved for going to chines es buffets, three chili dog lunches... and so on. The other change in tho feeding supplies is the new stuff is vanilla flavored. For those of you that don't know vanilla is one of my favorite flavors, not that I will be tasting this stuff. The old stuff was more like baby formula. To transition to the new stuff I am adding a can day. My body has been used to the old stuff for the last 4-5 months so I don't want to shock it all at once.

Part of the change I have made is going back to one can at a time feedings. I think this has helped quite a bit with how I am feeling during the day. With two cans at a time the volume was just a bit too much to be comfortable and I would end up having to stay relatively still to avoid setting off any "incidents" The advantage of 2 cans at a time is longer time between feedings. In my case that isn't a problem. The downside to single can feedings is that I have to use the PEG tube 8 times a day just for nutrition and then the additional times that I have to take medicine that doesn't fit into the feeding schedule. There have been days that I have used the PEG tube over 10 times. Its very disruptive because the setup and break down for doing the feedings is a few minutes. All in its 10-15 minutes per feeding.

Yesterday I had another CT scan done. This was planned awhile ago and it just a status check by the radiation oncologist. I see him on Thursday for a check up. The CT Scan was of the throat only. I can't feel any more lumps in my throat but that is what the CT scan is for. (Keep in mind this whole thing started because I thought I had a severe sinus infection. :-))One thing I am going to have to get used to over the next several years is the lag time between having a test done and getting the results back. I have no reason to think anything will show up on the test but occasionally I do have some apprehension as I wait for the results.

Unless something comes up my next post will be after I get the test results on Thursday and then when my last chemo treatment starts at the end of March. Yes... there is indeed an end in site and its coming soon. Yippee!