Dilation number 6 went off without a hitch. My swallow is back again. Unfortunately chemo residuals are still hanging on so appetite is still small and food tastes are not yet back to normal. My visit with Dr. Scott went well too. The CT scan showed no new growth in the liver and no masses or evidence of lymphoma anywhere. So he wants to continue the chemotherapy for another two rounds.
Here is another thing I discovered. I've been complaining so much about the daily Xeloda chemo pill I've been swallowing and it turns out I've been taking only half the prescribed dose. It was supposed to be 2 pills twice a day and I've been taking 1 pill twice a day. It's right there on the bottle. Take 2 pills in the morning and two at night. So starting on Monday, chemotherapy restarts and I'll be taking the prescribed dosage. Duh.
In the mean time, I'm hoping my appetite returns before I have to go back on. My sister-in-law, Margaret dropped off some amazing looking Jambalaya and I can't wait to dig in to that.
I really miss eating food, a lot. I had a brief conversation with my Nurse Navigator, Coralyn, to ask her some anatomy questions. Specifically I wanted to know what I could expect regarding stomach capacity. Will I always eat like a little bird or will that stomach stretch out to a pouch so I can eat a whole sandwich, for example? Answer: I'll always eat like a bird. My wolfing food days are over. A restaurant portion of anything should be good for a meal plus three extra meals in the doggy bag. One slice of pizza will be enough. Half a beer if I want to skip a meal. I'll permanently be a real skinny guy.
3 comments:
will save on your food budget too!!
My sister recently got me addicted to a smoothie with vanilla almond milk, a dollop of almond butter, banana, blueberry, raspberry or strawberry, kale and carrots. It's not a huge meal, but good calories and packs good nutrients. It might help stimulate the appetite, too. Just a thought.
If any of you are reading between the lines, like I am, THIS IS GOOD NEWS! I know that Chuck realizing he has to take 2 pills instead of 1 trumped the test result news - and I get that.
On the flip side, Dr Scott wanted him to take more pills regardless of how many he had been taking.
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