Was an o.k. day today. An official day off of work which means I didn't have to take a sick day or wheedle anybody to cover for me. I'm fortunate that I can work from home, and have great co-workers that will cover a few hours in the middle of the day if necessary for me to disappear for a doctor appointment. It's tiring though, keeping track of where I'm supposed to be, keeping all my doctors up to date, keeping track of future scans and appointments and trying to keep my job.
Today I spent about an hour and a half at the dentist prepping for head and neck radiation. Radiation in this area slows down or stops the salivary glands so that your mouth gets dry. This increases the chance for subgingival caries which is fancy dentist-speak for cavities appearing under the gum line. They're more difficult to deal with and more prone to infection, which is very bad for a radiation patient with a low white blood cell count. The dentist made up some dental trays that I'll wear at night during my radiation treatment that I'll fill with some goo that's full of fluoride to help protect my teeth. I also walked out with prescription mints (seriously!), a little bottle of fortified mouthwash and another type of fluoride treatment that I'll brush with after dinner.
By the way, the magic ingredient in the mints is Xylitol, a type of artificial sweetener that also promotes saliva production. I think this is the gimmick in the gum that 4 out of 5 dentists recommend. The simple act of sucking and chewing on gum increases saliva production and the xylitol in the gum promotes it that much more. All that saliva helps wash the food particles off your teeth which helps prevent tooth decay. Another industrial secret exposed!
After the dentist and lunch, I went back to LRCC for another blood draw to prep for my guided needle biopsy -- some sort of clotting test. I'm not really looking forward to this biopsy. If they don't put me to sleep for this, I'm going to ask for tranquilizers or sneak some Jack Daniels into the OR. There's got to be some kind of primal resistance to having needles stuck in your neck -- its just not natural!
Here's what you're in for...
This is a chronicle of my experiences, observations, and feelings as I experience treatment for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC). The goal is to give anyone going through chemotherapy and radiation for MCC (or any other cancer for that matter) an idea of what to expect. Of course I'm a unique individual just like everyone else, so what happens to me may or may not happen to you. Your mileage may vary.
I'm a pretty reserved guy, so most of these posts will be straightforward, just-the-facts-ma'am entries. I may occasionally get maudlin, but cut me some slack -- I could die from this.
i'm right with ya on the primal resistance to needles stuck in your neck. for me, nov. 21 08, rt neck, word back dec. 5 08 "mcc". rt neck dissection august 26 09 in Texas, radiation rt neck, surgery area, from rt ear down and across rt clavicle all of nov. and 1st week of dec. 09 in Seattle, just one year ago. elected no chemo, found support with Dr. Nghiem in Seattle. so far so good = no recurrence. i have a one-page soliloquy i wrote after my rt nk biopsy (FNA = fine needle aspiration) and amazingly before i heard the results, i could send you it, but i'll wait till yer smoke clears and/or you ask for it. my mcc initially retreated! in early august 09 i had two US (ultrasound) guided FNAs, both positive, which prompted the ultimate surgery.
ReplyDeletei am your companion on this journey, and on mccGG (the merkelcell google group). marty c in seattle