Open Wide

I have a love/hate relationship with the dentist. I hate sitting there with my mouth wide open for a half-hour being poked and prodded by all kinds of sharp instruments of diabolical torture. But I love the feeling of having clean teeth.

I was warned before radiation treatments started that I may face some dental problems caused by the radiation.

Well there's no doubt about it. I'm guessing I've got at least two cavities.

I've been waiting for a point where I felt like the radiation has done as much damage as it's going to do. And this Thursday I'm off for the dentist office to see how much damage has been done exactly

I'll grin and bear it. And then just grin when the work is done.

The fatique caused by the radiation treatments continues to improve. I certainly am in for a long rehabilitation. I'm supposed to start feeling like myself by mid-July, and slowly I am. But I also know from others who've experienced this process that it can be months and months to regain the strength and energy needed to get through what would be considered a normal day.

The nausea from the radiation and the interesting digestive woes from the chemotherapy are both being treated effectively by medicaton and generally under control.

Probably the most frustrating ongoing challenge is the loss of appetite. I've gone from someone who absolutely positively loved to cook and eat, to someone who just eats to survive. It's a strange thing, because it's not nausea, it's loss of appetite. Most food simply does not seem appealing to me, sight, smell or taste.

I don't quite understand the physical factors behind loss of appetite. But then neither does the medical field. There is no known treatment for it.

From what I can tell, my appetite has gone back to infancy again, and I'll have to build it up to maturity over time. For example, the things I can eat right now are things like apple sauce, fruit, yogurt - you know, baby food.

I know my wife Barb talked about possibilites of having a child before the cancer was diagnosed. I'm sure to remind her now that she's got herself a 6'4", 220-pound baby boy!