Dick Foster - My 2010 Challenge

Love, hope, joy are powerful healers.

Dad Had a Good Day – May 22

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Mom and I went to see Dad today at the nursing home and he was doing very well today 😉 He was awake, alert, and talkative. He was surprised to see me with less hair than he has. The last time I was there, Dad was so sleepy he would not open his eyes. Since I’ve started chemotherapy I’ve not been able to visit each week as in the past. It was great to see him doing so well.

We played bingo and I called the numbers. Dad won one game. Residents take their bingo seriously. When there are ties, the first one to yell bingo wins, and not everyone agrees who was first to yell bingo. So it can be difficult making those close calls.

After bingo, we called my brother Dave since Dad had not spoken with him for awhile. We caught Dave on the golf course so our conversation was a short one. Dad enjoyed hearing Dave’s voice.

When Dad was served his dinner, he called the tech back to the
table and said he wanted to ask the blessing first. So Dad repeated our normal blessing and then added extra thanks for having a very good day. Yes, Dad had a good day!

Oh heah, I had a great day too 😉

Dental Work Completed

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It feels like I’ve just completed a major construction project in my mouth. Over the past few weeks I’ve had nine old “silver” fillings removed. Six fillings were replaced with new, modern porcelain fillings and three required crowns (“inlays” actually). Well, all of that re-construction is now completed and my mouth is cleared for my upcoming radiation treatments.

The final step today was to permanently install the inlays and replace the last old filling – about 3 hours in the chair 😉 Dr. Sonia and her team of hygienists kept me informed along the way and, most importantly, made the experience pain-free! Crystal, Teresa, and Dr. Sonia are a great team – professional, competent, and engaging. Thank you very much for making this experience as pleasant as possible.

Thankfully I’m feeling very good today. I’m especially glad to have no mouth sores during all the tugging and probing inside my mouth!

Clinical Trial Ends – Plus Weekly Oncologist Visit

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Today was my final day of using the clinical trial mouth rinse to minimize mouth sores. I’ve been using the rinse once a day for the past 14 days. A home health nurse has been coming to my home each day to monitor sores in my mouth, take vital signs, and observe the 30-second mouth rinse procedure. Today, and last Tuesday, I used the rinse at The Vanderbilt Clinic. Amy swapped my left and right inside cheek areas to obtain samples for testing. Also, 90-minutes after using the rinse, they drew blood samples.

I don’t know if I can attribute my minimal mouth sores to the trial mouth rinse or not, but my mouth and tongue have been better this round of chemo. I just hope the other preventative steps I’ve been taking will minimize/eliminate mouth sores during my next round of chemo.

I also saw Dr. Rachael, oncologist, today. Dr. Barbara is on her honeymoon this week and next week. My white blood cell count was up even higher this week to 12.3 from 10.8 last week. However, this week my red blood cell count was slightly below normal like it was two weeks ago. Other than that, everything was okay.

Feeling good today and eating well. As long as I don’t run up and down the stairs, I’ve not been fatigued today.

Eating Well-May 16

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I am very thankful that I’ve been able to eat solid foods each day during this second round of chemotherapy.  My appetite has been good.  Today I ate a healthy 3000 calories. This has allowed me to maintain my weight, or even gain a couple of pounds. They say I will need this extra weight when I get to the radiation phase of my treatment regimen.

Thanks to Mary’s research and advice, we’ve added a new medication and I have been taking another medication prior to getting symptoms of sore throat and esophagus. All of this is based on what we learned during the first round of chemo. Hopefully, this will hold true for the next round of chemo that starts next Wednesday.

Fabulous Friday – May 14

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Today is a good day. My energy level is higher today than yesterday. Still eating well. Speaking of eating, Mary’s Mom fixed one my favorite meals tonight – fried catfish with home-made cole slaw, corn on the cob, and baked beans. Hummm, hummmm, good! Wish you were here to enjoy dinner with us 🙂

Mary was at Belmont University most of the day and evening. It’s graduation time so Mary and the rest of the faculty get dressed up in their colorful, professorial regalia to witness the graduation – graduate degrees tonight and undergraduate degrees tomorrow morning. So yes, Mary missed her Mother’s wonderful catfish dinner.