Muscling through Mucositis

Thursday - July 5, 2012

Sadie,waiting in the morning light

Goodbye, dexamethasone -  steroid extraordinaire!  It's been six days since my last dose in the hospital and this potent steroid may finally be dissipating from my body.  Eight hours sleep, folks!  Happy, happy day!  I awoke to sunshine rather than darkness and to a house that was beginning to stir with activity rather than one where everyone (but wide-awake me!) was burrowed down for some well-deserved ZZZZZs.  I arrived downstairs so much later than expected that Sadie was patiently waiting for me in her dog bed with a tail wag, a body shake, and a lovely dog smile (what richness and happiness these dogs bring to our lives!)

Yesterday I focused again on wrestling this disruptive mucositis into some degree of control.  The number of sores themselves has certainly plateaued.  Food choice has helped.  While I am eating very soft na'an and bananas, frozen yogurt is ideal for swishing around my mouth and easing the hot pain of these raw ulcers.   Sorbet, juice bars, and yogurt also help but nothing works as well as a dose of COLD COLD creamy frozen yogurt, ice cream, or custard.  Added bonus:  I am able to taste these strong flavors.  Not a bad remedy for combating chemo  :)  I am on the same food regimen today.  Anything I try to open my mouth wide enough to eat must pass muster:  no seeds, sharp bits, small items that I will need to painfully clear from my teeth, gums, and sores.  If I am correctly reviewing my timeline of chemo cycle #1, I hope to be able to indulge in some great meals next week.  Dreaming of Thai ...  Indian ... and some great French Onion Soup at Blue Talon.  Food fantasies while on a restricted diet are somewhat masochistic but nonetheless invigorating!  Can't help it!