87 Nerves

19 March 2017

I was talking to my family doctor about treatment for the nerve pain I am having in the right lower jaw and cheek. The pain is not constant but at times is very severe and the narcotics don't help. He said an appointment with a neurologist would take about 9 months and treatment another 9 months. So, I asked if there was any other option and he suggested I increase my dose of Gabapentin. The effect of Gabapentin is to shut down nerve transmission and is useful for epilepsy and neuropathic pain. In high doses the side effects are sleepiness, being dizzy and fatigued. It's too soon to tell but it seems to be helping.



Cheryl has a simpler diagnosis and believes it is just a simple case of Pain-in-the Neck and the solution is to smarten up.  Maybe I'll give that a try if the Gabapentin doesn't work.


My feeding problems have mostly been resolved with help from my excellent dietician, Nadia. She has changed me to a four times per day feeding and this means each meal is a size my stomach can handle. It seems that more than 400ml causes bloating and slower digestion. The only problem with four feeds per day is that I have little free time. Each feed take about 90 minutes and there is prep and clean up time as well.

Some good news about swallowing is that my ability seems to be improving. I can now drink about 100ml per minute without aspirating. This rate is still slow but much faster than a month ago.

More good news is that today despite it being only 6 deg C I went for a ride on my new motorcycle!  I only did 42km because of the cold. My orange suit is certainly not cool but it was my rain gear on top of my regular leather to stop the cold wind. It will take some getting used to compared to my last motorcycle since this one is a lot faster.

86 Happiness

9 March 2017


Most religions teach that happiness doesn't result from having material possessions. Well, I have definitely proved them wrong. The proof is just 20 metres from where I am sitting. It would be a lot closer but Cheryl forbade that. She didn't actually forbid it but I have become quite good at reading her expression and the look of horror and disgust was a sure warning of trouble.

Yesterday morning I got a phone message that my motorcycle was ready for delivery and so it arrived at 2.00pm. It isn't allowed in the house so I will be moving into the garage. It's not too bad because I have experience with Winter camping and Spring is coming. I may still sleep in the house.

The photo is very appropriate because the milky white aura that surrounds the wonderful machine is much the way I see it.

The passion some people feel about two wheels is interesting and I suspect it has been genetically selected over many generations. It probably started out as horse riding which conferred a great advantage in speed and power. Just think of the most powerful warriors in the middle ages. The knights in shining armor on their magnificent steeds. Also the native American tribes who depended on riding horses to hunt Buffalo. Over many generations riding conferred survival advantages to individuals and groups. So I think it's a little more than coincidence that the favourite leg-ware for motorcyclists is a pair of Kevlar Genes.

85 Troubles

8 March 2017

I must apologize for the long delay since my last blog but I have been a bit distracted by some challenges I have been facing.


Firstly, my new diet formula is working well but I am having a lot of difficulty with slow stomach emptying. As a result I am only able to consume 5 boxes of the formula per day without serious bloating. The problem is that I need at least 6 boxes to maintain my body weight and as a result I am losing weight.  There are several possible causes for the slow stomach emptying and I don't know the solution. I am meeting with my dietician Friday to look at possible options.



The second and more serious issue is that the pain in my right jaw and cheek has escalated. This nasty pest is likely called Trigeminal  Neuralgia (Mandibular branch). If you want more info check out    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia). It seems I have had the atypical type for a while but recently I have also had the Typical type which is extremely painful but thankfully brief. I will be exploring treatment options and it may even be a temporary stage in the recovery from radiation. I am already taking the recommended medications and as expected, the narcotics don't seem to help.


I find that my creativity tends to dry up when I am uncomfortable so I won't be doing many blogs for  a while. I will post one a soon as I have some news to report. Just remember to be especially nice to Geoff in this difficult time. Also any cash donations are welcome and income tax receipts will be issued.