Three and a Half Years

...and counting.

I went to Omaha today.  Not that it's such earth-shattering news since we go there about once a month.  This trip was to see my oncologist and (thankfully) get another examination and "come back in 6 months" report, because everything looks just fine.  I like this doctor.  He asks about a lot of other things that might be going on in my life and how I'm handling them, not just if I have any possible cancer recurrence symptoms.

This visit was different than all the other ones because the scope they use to look in my sinuses is now connected to a screen so the doctor is doing his work looking at the screen instead of through the scope.  I got a change to see what the inside of my sinuses looks like.  It looks like a great big hole.  I was interested in seeing what the condition of the skin looked like in there.  Since the radiation there it is rather unstable, slow healing skin.  

My doctor always has his PA or a resident examine me first.  I like this because they are always interested and bring up things I haven't thought about.  This one remarked that my mouth didn't open very wide.  I knew that of course, and it was brought home to me in a real way this month after my second mastoidectomy when the dental hygienist couldn't get the x-ray thingys in my mouth.  I could not open my mouth wide enough. The muscles have loosened up a little since then and it is better now.  When I went back again for the x-rays they got those things in with a lot of work.  My mouth didn't open wide enough to bite a banana before that last surgery, and after surgery it was worse.  I think it is going back to it's previous size, which still isn't very wide.  

Radiation damages muscles and creates scar tissue which makes those muscles tighter which is why my mouth doesn't open like it used to.  

There are so many things that change after having chemo and radiation.  They are really drastic treatments that can take away a lot of what you had before.  

The main thing it took from me is the cancer, and I can deal with the rest of it.  

I have a different body to deal with and some things are annoying and difficult, but I would still choose this over the alternative.  

Life is still full of many joys, not the least of which are three little boys.  

They love to feed the chickens.

Zane and tee-ball.