Dr. Andrew Hope - Princess Margaret Hospital
SECOND WEEK AT THE LODGE
The lodge is an amazing place and I will do one section with photos later on. The people who stay there and the staff who run it are without a doubt truly great people and this makes my stay so much easier. Also the Princess Margaret Hospital staff are so well organized and friendly and always willing to chat or offer advice to help make this journey easier. Dr. Andrew Hope is a Radiation Oncologist and an Assistant Professor and quite an amazing guy. I sense that like his name, he gives people Hope for the future. Thanks Doctor.
RECOGNIZING LIMITATIONS
Both treatments have the tendency to make you tired and I have found that I can doze off while working on my computer or waiting for an appointment.
SALIVA CHANGE
Mouth and throat radiation gradually changes the Saliva glands and they stop producing the normal flow of saliva. As a result the mouth becomes dry and always seems as if it is coated with mucus like paste. Rinsing the mouth with a baking soda and water mix and drinking lots of water seems to help. Night is the worst as I find I am constantly getting up to rinse my mouth.
TASTE CHANGE
The other gradual effect of radiation is taste. By the end of my second week of treatments I found that most food has a metallic taste which is quite unpleasant and really spoils the whole process of eating.
MAJOR PAIN (Sore throat and mouth BIG TIME)
The final thing so far is an ever increasing sore throat which makes it very hard to swallow. The doctor has prescribed liquid CODEINE every 4 hours and a mouthwash called MUCOSITIS which numbs the mouth and throat enough to allow you to eat, if you can swallow some of it without gagging. The other problem I have encountered this weekend is small canker sores on the side of the mouth and tongue. I tried ORAJEL on one and after I climbed down off the ceiling it did seem to help for a while.
SIDE EFFECTS
Most drugs have some side effects and for CODEINE the side effect is constipation. To counteract this, the doctors recommend a daily dose of SENNA LAXATIVE and DOCSATE SODIUM a stool softener. Up until this journey, I thought a stool softener was a small pillow.
glad you havent lost your Lawrence sense of humour. You have done really well so far John. Love Sis x
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann - Or should I say, thanks Dad
ReplyDeleteGod, thank you for all the doctors and staff at the lodge that have dedicated their lives to cancer. Thank you that you have placed wonderful, caring people in John's life during this journey. Please make it all bearable for John when his throat is sore, dry and full of cankers. Please pour on tons of mercy and grace that you stockpile for times like this. I can't even imagine what this must be like for John. I thank you for the education he is providing for all of us. It's a world all of it's own. May he never feel like he is going through this alone. Please comfort his daughter, son and other family as they watch their dad go through this. I can only imagine all the emotions this must stir up within them. God, show yourself real to each one of us but especially John as he walks through this every second of his day. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning and I know you don't mind if John uses up all his 365 fear nots cuz you have lots more where that came from. Amen ♥ Sharon Packard
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