The Weekly See #2

Last night left much to be desired. I had a case of terrible dry mouth which was not at all pleasant; I even got up and did a rinse. It was as if my salivary glands went to sleep; fortunately this morning they have awakened but I wonder for how long. I know that this is one of the side effects but I was hoping it would occur much later. But enough of that.

Today I'm on my own. The water sheriff is not here and I have been entrusted to drink the 5 bottles during the day. Of course, I will give it my best effort. I changed my Radiation appointment to 2:00 where they will fit me in.The reason being is that  I have my Weekly See with Dr. Beadle at 1:00 and I really wanted to avoid two trips to MDA. This is number two of seven and I'll let you know what transpired when I return.

According to Dr. Beadle I am doing well, maintaining my weight, doing my rinses, drinking the dreaded 5 bottles of water and using the fluoride. She did give me a couple of prescriptions for sore throat and one for constipation to counter the effects of the throat medicine. She just wanted to make sure I had the medicine when I needed it. I guess the bad news is I will need the medicine and the good news is I will have it. Having concluded my Weekly See with a gold star I then headed to Waiting Area J and my afternoon session with good old #97.

I forgot to mention that while waiting for Dr. Beadle I spoke with some folks in the waiting area both of whom have the same cancer that I have. Intellectually I know that no two cancers are identical and the same can be said for the patients so it makes me nervous to equate what I have, with someone else. I know that the one constant is the side effects, the unknown is how my body will react to them. Little tidbits are always picked up along the way and the best advice I was given today was to stay ahead of the pain and not stint on the pain medication. Since stoicism is not one of my virtues this shouldn't be too hard for me to do.