Week 4, Day 1, Monday 6/2
Up roughly every two hours last night. Dropped my dog off at doggy daycare and then headed into work. Worked until one then over to radiation and back to work. Done around four and headed home to pick up Koda. Fell asleep on the couch for an hour and a half. He woke me up for dinner. Running low on humor at the moment.
Mouth hurt most of the day couldn’t quite eat much lunch before radiation. Tried to eat a snack bar and it just hurt. For dinner Stacey had made a stew so I ground it up in the blender to make it easier to eat. Pro Tip
Mouth stuff again at night.
Day 2
Still up every 2 hours. Mouth pain at a 5 and throat at 4. I can feel the low burn in my throat. The pain meds dont seem to be cutting it right now.
I can tell that I’m losing muscle mass even though my weight is relatively stable at this point. And I’ve got a tan line with dark spots that runs from roughly my eyes down to my collarbone and from upper neck to shoulder blades in the back. A bit of a last of the Mohicans look. So there’s that.
At the chemo doctor and my weight is now 161 down 4 pounds. Getting ripped, I have to start taking the calorie shakes now. And now that I don’t have any facial hair, the nurse said I looked way younger. Not better, just younger…
The doctor said that everything I’m feeling and the weight loss is pretty much expected at this point. And now is the time to get as many calories as I can so protein shakes, etc.
I am aware that my girls and I have a strange relationship… I just texted Taylor,Yay, It’s flaming butthole day. And of course, she replied with. I hope it’s a sparkling good time.
And again, just streaming thoughts here… Like racing in the rain, cancer is the great equalizer… Black, white, rich, poor, gay, straight… doesn’t matter. We’re all the same laying on the table with your face bolted to it. Not a great analogy, I’m aware. But it made sense (to me) at the time.
Checked into chemo at the usual place and they tell me I’m scheduled at the main building today… oh, ok, where is that? Skybridge takes you right there. So 1/4 mile walk later and I’m at the right place. This side is not quite as nice as the other side. Not sure who I pissed off. 162 at this place so maybe didnt lose as much as we thought.
Ohhhh, flaming butthole again… me no gusta… me no gusta alot…
They serve turkey sandwiches and chips for dinner in chemo. My mouth is like hamburger and I can’t eat it so I guess I’ll figure that out when I get home.
4 hours and i’m out at 8.
Thanks Rene again for picking up and taking care of Koda. I do appreciate it more than you know.
Also, for everyone that has reached out, I really am humbled with the gestures.
When I got home I tried to eat the ground up stew from last night and just couldn’t get it down so I slammed a 350 calorie ensure drink.
Mouth care and bed early. Exhausted
Day 3
I woke up this morning feeling oddly not too bad. Had one of my normal fruit with Greek yogurt, blueberries, bananas, protein powder smoothies with ensure. You know… the weight thing.
Chemo doc, weight 161, that’s actually the weight I started at before beginning this adventure and doing a 3-week power gorge.
Radiation at 130… the machine broke at roughly 1/3 of the way through. We had to move to another one and restart everything. I did not care for that. Back to work. If an assassin is ever trying to get a bead on me, I am 1000% predictable right now.
Picked up the boy and then home, nap, and dinner of the chopped-up stew.
I am aware that this post doesn’t have as much funny as the last ones, some of that could be just the place I am now in the process or that I used up all my funny too fast coming out of the gate. Probably the latter.
Either way, know that I have lived a pretty charmed life. Things always somehow seem to work out for the best for me and I’m certain that this will be no different, whatever that is. So let’s not consider this a negative post. Just a Terry ran out of funny post. My bad…
Back to work and picked up my dog on the way home… same routine, nap on the couch, feed the dog and myself and then in bed early.
Day 4
Slept ok I guess, still tired. Same breakfast smoothie with an ensure drink. Then off to work.
Radiation at 1245. Then back to work.
I do have this constant burn in my throat and am having a hard time swallowing.
Soup in the blender for dinner and an ensure drink just to make sure there is more calories.
Regular nightly stuff then off to bed.
Day 5
I was up pretty much every hour last night between my mouth and peeing. Very thick saliva right now. Its gross.
Smoothie for breakfast.
Had a hearing test and I’ve lost some at the top probably from chemo. Then radiation. Really tired today. Went to get a hulk smoothie again for lunch and took a call for 45 minutes on how we bid wind, solar and battery assets into the market from my truck in the parking lot. Got home and made myself one with the couch.
End of week 4, 4 chemo and 20 radiation treatments in. The current schedule is for 7 chemo and 33 radiation treatments.
Around 6 pm my mouth started hurting. Pain was a 6ish and constant. Stacey ran to CVS to pick up a hydrocodone prescription. That brought it back to a 2ish after about an hour.
Mouth care stuff and off to bed.
Saturday and Sunday mostly bolted to the couch, trying to put out the fire in my throat and mouth. Another Pro Tip... peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… even when you can’t eat other solid food, this still seems to go down.
THE NEW NORMAL 