Kevin's Dead Cat

After surgery sliced off an entire tumor and 1/3 of my tongue, plus six weeks of radiation therapy, I've been re-learning how to eat, drink, and talk with my newly re-constructed tongue and coping with side effects. But the cancer came back and I don't know what's going to happen next.

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Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

I don't want life to imitate art. I want life to be art.

Saturday, March 26, 2005

More side effects

I don't know if it's a coincidence or if I'm stressing myself out. This past week, a few side effects have popped-up. At first I thought I was fighting a cold because my throat has been phlegming up. But some of the survivors on the PlanetCancer message boards complained about the same thing after radiation.

My jaw is tightening up again, too, and I'm having problems swallowing. My saliva is tasting a little metallic (the way it was supposed to while I was still in radiation) and I'm producing a lot of it in my sleep. Is this normal???

Most nights I don't need codeine to fall asleep, and the meditation has been working well for pain management. Anger management, too come to think of it. Romaine from Kaiser's Social Services department still hasn't called me back. See, I only get love from Dr. McNicoll's office. What's up with that?

I stopped using the electric toothbrush this week. It was making my gums ache so much. I'll start using it again next week, I'm just not accustomed to using it. That thing is a jackhammer with bristles.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hear you on the toothbrush thingy... It took me a few tries to find an electric toothbrush that I like. Some of them are just WAY too rough on you. I use an Oral B electric toothbrush and I love it. Its the kind with the small round head. It works well. It has two speeds and it even tells you when to stop brusing as to avoid "over brushing" which tends to wreck your gums. That's my 2ยข anyway.
hugs & bunnies - John L

March 28, 2005 9:34 AM  

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