Sorry I haven't updated you in a while. The first week after treatment was harsh. Todd's voice was rough and raspy, he was very fatigued and it was very hard for him to keep anything down that he drank (he was on liquids only). As a result, he was very discouraged, and because of that I decided I would take some time off work to support him and his recovery. It wasn't going to be good for him to be home alone all day (during his treatment weeks he spend large chunks of the day going to and from UCSF), and trying to work and take care of him and the kids was going to be way too much.
Monday, April 13 was going to be my last day for the month but I couldn't even make it to the office during the day as Todd needed me here. And when the kids came home from school, they needed attention as well (they've been getting so little), so I waited until 9:30 pm when they were nearly in bed to drive the ten minutes to work. It was blessedly quiet (except for the short time the cleaning guy came in to vacuum), and I read and sent a pile of emails, updated all my PSAT files, finished off designing the summer mailer, and several other items. I finally left the office at 6:06 am, feeling a weight gone off my shoulders! When I got home, I was still wide awake, so I made the kid's lunches and got them up at 7 a.m. Suddenly I started feeling sooo tired. I called Christine to switch carpool mornings so I wouldn't have to drive Dash and the boys at 8:00 a.m., and fell into bed next to Todd. I slept until 11:00. I made it through the rest of the day pretty well!
We are now in the 2nd week post-treatment. Everyone has said that the first 2 - 3 weeks after treatment are rough, and so far that has been the case. However, I am already seeing some improvements. Just last night I realized that Todd had his Todd voice back! It still gets raspy when he talks too much, but for the most part he sounds like his old self, a wonderful thing! His neck looks great; it is still pink, as if from a sunburn, but all the dry skin and scabbyness is gone. Since we dropped two of his meds this last weekend, he is much more alert, much more "himself." And although his throat is sore, and gets worse the more he irritates it by drinking his Ensure or Instant Breakfast, he does not have the nasty raw mouth sores the doctors were expecting as a result of the radiation.
On the down side, he is very restless (he definitely has a case of "happy feet") and it is still a major chore for him to get enough calories. He is down to 162 lbs from his regular weight of 182-184 and his pretreatment "cheesecake" weight of 192. He has lost a lot of muscle and definitely has well-defined cheekbones. We are hoping that in the next few weeks as his throat slowly heals, we can get more calories into him. He has tried baby foods, carrot soup, yogurt, sweet potatoes, pasta with cream of chicken soup, mashed avocado, ice cream. Right now he has decided to stick with the liquid diet as it has the most calories for the work involved it getting it down.
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Hey Todd and Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your treatment is over. Hang in there as every day passes you will continue to heal. I can sympathize with your frustration, as I can remember expecting to feel better once the treatment sessions were through. This will come.....one day at a time. We miss your emails and neighbor diplomacy at the soccer club. I am also looking forward to a many spectacular referee efforts in the future (and a little abuse). Good luck on the fattening up. Pat
Todd, I hope you have continued to see improvement this week. Bonnie, taking some time off from work sounds like good therapy for both of you. Take care and enjoy this beautiful weekend!
ReplyDeleteKristie
And the trek goes on, huh? Baby steps up the hill now, at least it is on the upside of the hill (or to me it seems like it would be a mountain).As you said there are small signs that Toddles is returning. The hero who guided us through all those concerts and tequila shots will soon be mending and getting that great sense of humor back. Bonnie, Dear, you are truly amazing! But you need to find your minutes whenever and wherever you can and do some mending of your own. So keep the faith and know I am thinking of you guys with love and prayers that it won't be too many more days until peace returns to your lives. Love you, Dona Mae
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