I Survived!!!

[Ozman1944]

Discharged after four days in Hospital; Couldn't talk, chew, swallow, eat or even drink water- it was like Battery Acid!; Total inflammation of the Mucosa-the Doc said(?)
When I doubled over on the floor (O yeah, breathing.....) making a noise somewhere between the mating call of a Moose and Madonna's latest CD, and flopping about like a very ill Seal, I was whizzed off to the ER last Saturday. The Chemo had struck again, with a vengeance.
After four days of agony, blood transfusions and lots of Morphine(Wheeee!) and other drugs, I was finally 'let out' Tuesday night.
All is almost back to normal, just the sides of my tongue and cheek are still a bit raw.
At my interview with my rather nervous Oncologist this morning, he finally blurted out that he had never seen such a violent reaction to Chemo in his life. He really hadn't expected me to survive it.
I told him that if he imagined Me of all people was just going to quietly lay down & die, well he didn't know who he was messing with!

O yes, scratched my jaw yesterday and my Beard fell off! Followed by what little head hair I had left, and Someplace Else is now rather bare, (Well, we DO have ladies on this Forum too)
So I now look like either;
a. A rather large 7 year old boy. Or
b. a 64 year old E.T. who's still trying to phone home... So far my eyebrows are holding on.
I'm also a great hit t the Radiation center; they love the Kilts! and the Techs like the easiness (for them) ; just flip up & shoot the rays.

[McMurdo]

Through it all you've kept your humor, glad to see you're out, keep us up to date.

[Sionnach]

Yes, thank you for sharing your humor and your courage. All the best wishes for your speedy recovery.

[Southern Breeze]

Glad to hear your out of the hospital with your humor intact. We're continuing to pray for your speedy recovery.

[gilmore]

Neutropenia isn't fun. The raw mouth can be treated with something called magic mouthwash. As I recall there were four ingredients. It is swished and gargled for pain, and before eating so that the food doesn't hurt.

Wikipedia says this:
"Magic mouthwash
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Magic mouthwash may refer to a number of different formulations to be used as a mouthwash. Depending on the specific formulation, a magic mouthwash may treat infection, inflammation, and/or pain. Typically, magic mouthwashes are prescribed to treat the pain associated with oral ulcers caused by radiation therapy or chemotherapy. In rare cases, generally in the military, pharmacies will occasionally administer this as a preventative measure for gonorrhea of the throat.

Magic mouthwashes are typically compounded in a pharmacy from a number of ingredients specified in the prescription. A recipe should always be specified in a prescription, since there is no definitive recipe for "magic mouthwash". Before preparing a magic mouthwash, one should check for interactions between the ingredients.

Common ingredients include:

Diphenhydramine - an antihistamine to reduce inflammation
Glucocorticoids - to reduce inflammation
Lidocaine - a local anesthetic to relieve pain
Maalox - an antacid formulation which acts as a coating agent
Nystatin- an antifungal for candidiasis
Sucralfate - a coating agent
Tetracycline - an antibiotic
Erythromycin- an antibiotic"

The one I used had lidocaine, maalox, benadryl and something else. It worked quite well. I was able to eat things other than mashed potatoes.

Google shows quite a few hits, some of which may be useful:http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...earch&aq=f&oq=

[BruceBC]

Glad to hear you are feeling better - kilties are tough characters!!!

[Arlen]

Glad that you got through it and that you aren't taking it laying down. Good on ya!

[English Bloke]

That must have been awful but I'm glad to see your chin is still firmly "up!"
Quick recovery Stan!!

[vmac3205]

Keep your head down and your powder dry. I admire your spirit.

[GDub]

Bravo!! I have a very close friend who went through a similar routine--and took it all with a sense of good spirit and humor. He's now 5 years cancer free!

Kilt onward!