Well I’m on the road again sitting in Frankfurt airport, Germany, waiting for a flight so I figured this would be a good time to provide an update. I know it’s been awhile, but I guess that’s good news.
I recently had a Positron emission tomography (PET) scan done and I’ve seen all of my doctors within the last few weeks. The PET scan came back negative for cancer, so I’m good to go there. It’s been 18 months since my last treatment and I’ve now had 2 negative PET scans. My new Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) doctor is happy with my status, but still requires a visit every 3 months. My Chemo and Radiology doctors are happy to see me at 6 month intervals now.
One down side, I had blood drawn to check my cholesterol level and my thyroid hormone level is low, so I’ve been put on thyroid medication. I go back for a blood test in a few weeks to see if the medication is set at the right level. I had no symptoms tipping the doctors off that the hormone level was low, and I’ve been on the medication for 2 weeks and haven’t seen a change in anything. Probable cause is the radiation treatment, it’s known to damage the thyroid and cause low hormone levels.
My weight is up a bit, I’m now at 168. That’s a 26 lb gain since my low of about a year ago. I don’t necessarily mind the weight gain, I just wish it was more muscle mass than fat. I need to spend more time in the gym and less time at the table. A year ago I could eat anything I wanted and not worry about it, now I need to watch the high calorie stuff.
Physically, other than the weight gain, not much has changed. I’m sleeping better and not waking up too often for a drink of water. I still suffer from dry mouth and have to carry a bottle of water around with me. I still have junk in my throat when I wake up, but once I’ve eaten breakfast it seems to clear it away for the most part. I can taste pretty much everything, but that doesn’t mean it all tastes right. I still have a hard time eating most meat, it’s too dry. Meat is also fairly tasteless, so the idea of enjoying a good steak is out of the question. Almost anything with a sauce is enjoyable and the flavor seems to last longer than something dry. I haven’t given up eating anything in particular or changed what I cook at home.
I’m looking forward to fall; we’ve had a record number of 100+ degree days so far this summer in San Antonio.
That's it for now, I'll check in again in a bit, hopefully with even better news. Until then, y'all take care.
Cheers,
Miller, out
I recently had a Positron emission tomography (PET) scan done and I’ve seen all of my doctors within the last few weeks. The PET scan came back negative for cancer, so I’m good to go there. It’s been 18 months since my last treatment and I’ve now had 2 negative PET scans. My new Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) doctor is happy with my status, but still requires a visit every 3 months. My Chemo and Radiology doctors are happy to see me at 6 month intervals now.
One down side, I had blood drawn to check my cholesterol level and my thyroid hormone level is low, so I’ve been put on thyroid medication. I go back for a blood test in a few weeks to see if the medication is set at the right level. I had no symptoms tipping the doctors off that the hormone level was low, and I’ve been on the medication for 2 weeks and haven’t seen a change in anything. Probable cause is the radiation treatment, it’s known to damage the thyroid and cause low hormone levels.
My weight is up a bit, I’m now at 168. That’s a 26 lb gain since my low of about a year ago. I don’t necessarily mind the weight gain, I just wish it was more muscle mass than fat. I need to spend more time in the gym and less time at the table. A year ago I could eat anything I wanted and not worry about it, now I need to watch the high calorie stuff.
Physically, other than the weight gain, not much has changed. I’m sleeping better and not waking up too often for a drink of water. I still suffer from dry mouth and have to carry a bottle of water around with me. I still have junk in my throat when I wake up, but once I’ve eaten breakfast it seems to clear it away for the most part. I can taste pretty much everything, but that doesn’t mean it all tastes right. I still have a hard time eating most meat, it’s too dry. Meat is also fairly tasteless, so the idea of enjoying a good steak is out of the question. Almost anything with a sauce is enjoyable and the flavor seems to last longer than something dry. I haven’t given up eating anything in particular or changed what I cook at home.
I’m looking forward to fall; we’ve had a record number of 100+ degree days so far this summer in San Antonio.
That's it for now, I'll check in again in a bit, hopefully with even better news. Until then, y'all take care.
Cheers,
Miller, out
