Week Five

How is it already the end of week 5? How is there only 1 week to go? And why didn’t the first 3 weeks go by this quickly?

Actually I’m not sure these weeks have gone by all that fast after all. I think I’ve just gotten used to what’s going on and lowered my expectations as to how I’m going to feel.

This week has been some sort of weird hybrid between week three and week four. It hasn’t been totally terrible but it hasn’t been rainbows and sunshine like last week was either. I woke up last Saturday morning with my ear totally clogged up and we we’re supposed to be heading to Race for the Cure by 8:15. Needless to say that didn’t happen, and I’m still a little sad about it because it’s one of those obnoxious daughter things I do every year to celebrate Mom, but we will have our own Race for the Cure soon to make it up.

The ear issues continued through the weekend with no relief after trying literally everything (including standing on my head) so I wrote Dr. Spencer and she had her resident Dr. Nikolaev take a look Monday and prescribe me some steroid/antibiotic drops for an outer ear infection. By Wednesday, I had decided that the ear infection part was slightly better, however the inside of my ear was drier than the Sahara in July and felt swollen to the size of a coffee straw. So, I’m still a little wonky, but I’m praying really hard that there’s not hearing loss and it will clear up after next week.

My neck is starting to look a little ridiculous (or red-iculous) and feels much more like leather than skin and has blistered in a few spots, but thankfully it’s not terribly painful yet. Since I got the lily white Norwegian genes instead of Dad’s olive skin Italian genes, sunburns are kind of expected when I go outside so I knew this part wouldn’t bother me too much. I’ve become quite the bed buddy of your dreams though…face slathered with Glucan ointment, and propped up on 6 pillows so I stay in one place so I don’t smear my goo all over the bed. Sexy.

The worst part is definitely the taste in my mouth that makes absolutely every food taste like I’m licking the trash can, but I’m figuring out ways to help with that the best I can. Unfortunately it has limited the things I can eat a little more so I’m basically stuck with nutrient shakes and soup and some other solid food here and there, but praise the Lord I’m not restricted because my mouth and throat are torn up with sores and ulcers. That part is still very mild.

So, we have 1 week to go: 5 more treatments, 5 more times to walk down the hall half neked in a gown, 5 more times to shove that wretched mouth piece in my mouth, and 5 more times getting bolted down to the table while being hit with radiation beams. And I. Can’t. Wait. Even if I feel like junk next week, I WILL be running the halls like a fool and acting ridiculous once I crawl off that treatment table for the last time on Friday. And my promise still stands…free hugs for everyone.

Here’s to the final sprint.