The Long and Winding Road

Patience hasn't always been my strongest of virtues and right now I'm struggling. I was warned repeatedly that the recovery would take a very long time. For some with head and neck cancers it has taken years to make a full recovery. Not being able to eat foods I love, being very tired, and being on medications really aren't getting to me but throwing up that's another story...

I had a slide backwards last week when I began throwing up again. Most mornings I would feel fine then all of a sudden around 4:30 the nausea would hit. I'd throw up until 1:00 a.m., go to bed and feel okay in the morning. Finally on Friday (Dad Chang's Birthday)I gave in and went and got fluid at the Oncologists office. Four hours later I was feeling a bit better. Yesterday was a good day and today seems even better.

I'm doing a lot of finger crossing that this is the start of many good days to come. In fact I have been able to start eating solid foods. They don't quite taste the way they used to but that will come. So far I've had lasagna, chicken noodle soup, fruit loops and jello. I've been able to drink G2 Gatorade, Sprite and juice, water still tastes terrible. It is now a battle to just get in enough calories as I've lost nearly 30 pounds since this all began. I may have to start a "Buy Mr. Chang some Jeans that Fit" collection... It's amazing how bony my butt has become.

On Thursday I head back to the ENT for a scope of my nasopharynx to make sure everything is looking good. In April I'll have a CT Scan of my head and neck to get a better picture of the prognosis. Right now everyone is pretty confident that there will be no surprises and that the treatment has done what it's supposed to have done.

Well, I'm off to see what kind of trouble Baby Chang is getting herself into. Please keep your fingers crossed that the vomitting has ceased 11 months has been more than enough.