Recovery Day 5

I met with both the chemo and radiation doctors today and things are looking good. The PICC line was removed (now I have to be extra careful to drink enough fluids!). I've been OK'd to drop the pain med dosage down each time a patch expires (they overlap and expire every 72 hours). Finally, I have been told what the requirements are for getting the feeding tube removed.

To remove the feeding tube I need to eat on my own for two weeks without using the tube and without losing any weight. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! Without my taste buds working and also given that I'm limited in what I can swallow (my throat does still hurt) it is going to be very challenging finding high nutrition foods to take the place of the formula. (drinking the formula does count but the stuff I'm using isn't very tasty)

One doctor said the taste buds could take as long as a year to come back. The other doctor said 2 to 3 weeks at the earliest. That's a big difference. Both doctors agreed that some of the taste buds may never come back.

The family is on drip patrol. Apparently the end of my nose was in the path of some of the radiation. I have no sensation when my nose is dripping. So everyone is reminding me when it's time to find a kleenex.

It's past time for my nap so I'm done for now.