Can it get any worse?

I’m getting a bit tired of the routine and I’m looking forward to the end of treatments. I’ve received what I believe is the final schedule for both my chemo and radiation treatments and the last one is 30 March. I can’t wait.

No real change to this weeks events, Tuesday went a bit smoother. I decided to just go to the chemo treatment clinic at 7:00am and get in line for my blood to be drawn. I was the second one there, but it still took almost 45 minutes. Then it was down to the basement for my radiation treatment. No x-rays, I guess they were busy. Back up to chemo. I got plugged in and didn’t have to wait for the lab work to come back. Nurse Sandy came around to evaluate me and see how the treatment was going. I told her about the rash and acne, it’s subsided a bit on my face but still pretty prevalent on my chest and upper back. She gave me some ointment and a prescription for an antibiotic. I’ve used the ointment and it seems to be taking care of the acne. I haven’t used the antibiotic; I’d like to limit the number of drugs floating around in my system if possible. I also mentioned I was starting to get a bit nauseated in the mornings, so she gave me a prescription for that as well.


On Wednesday they took x-rays during my regular radiation treatment. I saw my radiation doctor and listed my side effects I was starting to experience. He took the blame for anything happening in my mouth and throat, but said I’d have to talk to the chemo folks about anything else. He said the dry mouth was going to get worse and my throat will start giving me trouble soon.

The rest of the week things started getting worse. My tongue now hurts all over and I have a couple of new sore spots in my mouth. Eating is getting to be uncomfortable and I’m starting to shy away from things that need a lot of chewing or that are dry. You know, pretty much everything. Fruit is off the list, too acidic. It won’t be long and the only thing going in my mouth will be liquid and mush. This is distressing because I really like to eat. I’ve been the cook in the house for about 35 years and during my travels I’m the Tony Bourdane type and will try just about anything once. Not being able to taste and eat my favorites is going to be torture.

This brings me to last weeks comment about asking my wife out to dinner, bad idea. At least I didn’t take her out to a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse or something as equally expensive. We just went to one of the local TexMex places. I ordered chipotle enchiladas and a beer. I like spicy food and the enchiladas just tasted bland and a bit sour/bitter. Mouth feel is pretty strange now as well. For those of you that know me you know I’m somewhat of a beer aficionado. I like bold big flavored brews. Ordering a beer was a mistake, for one I couldn’t taste it period, and number two the carbonation and alcohol went straight to the sore tender spots in my mouth and throat and made it quite uncomfortable to drink. I of course being a cheap son of a bitch drank it anyway. I should have known better, but I haven’t had a drink since the 7th of Feb and a beer would really have been nice. I’m not sure what is going to be worse, not being able to enjoy the things I’ve been used to eating and drinking all my life or the pain I’m going to have to endure over the next several months.

Ok, that’s the mouth/throat issues, now on to the others. The rash/acne thing on my face is under control, but it spread to the chest and back, that’s a bit uncomfortable. I’ve now got some kind of dry cracking spots on the corners of my mouth which isn’t too bad until I open my mouth to put something into it. I’m beginning to get cracks around some of my fingernails and thumbs, this isn’t too much of an issue yet. The nausea got worse this week and I started taking PROCHLORPPERAZINE in the morning. The nausea doesn’t seem to bother me when I’m sitting around home or at work, but when I start moving around or I’m in the car, it shows up and causes some queasiness. I was given a prescription for PROCHLORPPERAZINE a antipsychotic, a group of psychoactive drugs commonly but not exclusively used to treat psychosis, which is typified by schizophrenia and the manic and mixed states associated with bipolar disorder, as well as many other conditions like nausea. I’m thinking they know more about me then they are letting on.

I enumerate these issues not to illicit sympathy, but to document for other throat/tongue cancer patients the side effects of the treatment. I got the idea for this blog from Mike Shafer who is a 3 ½ year throat cancer survivor. I learned a lot from his blog and recommended web sites. My side effects are tracking along pretty much like his and this can be educational for others and provide reassurance that we’re not alone in our trials and tribulations. Mike also has a line somewhere in his blog where he is enumerating his side effects that goes something like, “the side effects keep mounting and getting worse, I expect to walk out to get the paper one morning and my roof will be covered with frogs and my yard infested with locust.” This cracked me up and reminded me to keep a positive attitude, the effects will subside and life will get back to some version of normality in due time. And of course there’s also that quote, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.” With that in mind, I expect to be a superman when this is all over.