10/8/10

It's been a while since I've posted. All is going very well. The swallowing is not there yet but the pain is gone. Hopefully next week I will be able to do mashed potatoes and malt-o-meal on an everyday basis. The taste buds are trying to make a comeback but that is slow also.
I have 3 doctors appointments scheduled over the next few weeks starting today with my radiation doctor. Doctor Neuschatz still can't get over how well I'm progressing with the throat. He was also pleased that my weight has stayed steady. Today was the first time that he used a tongue depressor to get a better look at the tongue and throat. He said he could still see irritation on the left side which worried Mary and myself that the cancer was still there. He assured us that the cancer is gone and that what he was seeing was just irritation. Whew! Mary questioned him on the feeding tube removal and he said probably another 2 months and that it could be done as out patient at the gastro guy. All they do is pull it out from the outside, no going down the throat. I see him again in 3 weeks and he will scope my throat to see how things are. He will also schedule my pet scan to see if the cancer is gone. Dr. N has cleared me back to work on the 26th of Oct.
On Monday I am going to my regular doctor to fill him in on "What I did on summer vacation" and get a refill for a script.
Two weeks after that I see Dr. Chen my medical oncologist for a check up.
Hopefully after her, my appointments will be few and far between.
Oh, I almost forgot the 4th specialist that I have been having phone consultations with every Friday. Dr. Lenihan. I couldn't have gotten through this without this great medical staff.