I was at my family doctor recently and I noticed how thick my file was. When I joked about this with the secretary she said "that's not funny; this one is volume two". My file had been quite thin until recently so it was quite a shock to find it so massive. I read somewhere that most of a person's medical costs occur just before they die so by that reckoning I have been dead for about 2 years. I find it's not so bad really but it does resemble that Catholic concept of limbo. I think this cartoon is a good example of the male image of what limbo must be like. My personal example is being forced to accompany Cheryl on an extended walk around our property while she describes in detail every plant and shrub. Not so bad you say but, every evening!
Last week I had a typically frustrating meeting with the oncologist. There were two positive outcomes though. He will be referring me to the palliative oncology pain management team. The previous week I learned about the pain management program from the speech pathologist and she had made the recommendation to the oncologist. He also scoped my throat to investigate the cause of my coughing up blood the day before. It was very interesting watching the video monitor and we found some red patches that could have been burst blood vessels. My constant cough could have irritated the area enough to cause the bleed but he didn't consider it a serious problem.
Two weeks ago the speech pathologist did another swallowing X-ray video to assess my progress. I didn't do too well and the results showed that I probably have a Cricopharyngeal Bar (green thing in the picture). I told the speech pathologist that this likely explained why I really enjoyed my daily half glass of beer! This type of Bar however actually prevents drinking and it may be possible to surgically remove it. So I will also get a referral to my "feeding tube in tummy specialist".
I am continuing to do a little better with my food intake but the new medication is not solving all the difficulty with slow stomach emptying and indigestion. My weight has stabilized at 141 lbs and I seem to have lost all that long distance biking muscle. The advantage is that my bike rides are now much more like Cheryl's preferred distance and speed so we are riding together several times per week. Sometimes she cheats by using her electric powered bike and either humiliates or inspires me on the climbs.
That's about all the news for this month I have an appointment at the pain clinic in one week which I am so pleased about because the neuropathic pain is hard to manage and my recently increased dose of Fentanyl does not seem to help with that type of pain. My lengthy tube feeding prevents much traveling but our home is much like a cottage retreat and last evening we were sitting on the beach enjoying the tiny waves lapping gently on the shore. I don't feel much need to travel; I feel that I have arrived!
Have a great June :)
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