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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Cancer / October 2006How are you doing, Janet?
Haven't seen your posts for awhile and I'm wondering how you are feeling? Gail > Haven't seen your posts for awhile and I'm wondering how you are feeling? > Gail I am still alive. It's a rough time. I still have a lot of painful mouth sores from the radiation and very little taste ability. The ostomy and the open wound need a lot of attention. I am pretty much subsisting on high protein Boost supplement. Swallowing, thank goodness, is not a problem. Missing teeth are. I've lost a lot of weight and I'm not very strong. I have good days and bad days. I have a lot of trouble sleeping for more than an hour at a time so I am always tired. My family doc just put me on anti-depressants but they take a few weeks to work. My neck is 98% healed from the burns and that's a good thing. Every one thinks I look nice and slim. I am very self-conscious about the bulge in my belly where the ostomy bag is so I wear baggy pants and loose shirts when I go out. In retrospect, I should never have had the radiation. I had a clean path report on the margins after the surgery and a clear PET scan. The quality of my life has been so effected that I feel I would have been better taking the risk of recurrance. It's too late to go back in time so I'll have to fight the good fight and hope that I get better. This ordeal has taken more out of me than I think I had to give. I wish I was as brave and strong as some of you. Janet  SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life Thanks for the update. I am pulling for you, Janet, and know that you can come out on top of this. Nurture yourself and concentrate on getting a little stronger each day. Gail >> Haven't seen your posts for awhile and I'm wondering how you are feeling? >> Gail [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Janet Janet, Give it time. You have been through the mill. You can better judge your decisions a year or two from now. Colostomy is a temporary thing? Although having surgery again is probably very far from your mind right now. Hope things will be better soon. Alex >> Haven't seen your posts for awhile and I'm wondering how you are feeling? >> Gail [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Janet > Janet, > Give it time. You have been through the mill. You can better judge your [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Alex Colostomy is temporary. Hoping to have it reversed by year's end. I'll know more in November. Janet SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life Janet Wilder said... > > Haven't seen your posts for awhile and I'm wondering how you are feeling? > > Gail [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > high protein Boost supplement. Swallowing, thank goodness, is not a > problem. Missing teeth are. Hang in there ol' thing - it's still early days. > I've lost a lot of weight and I'm not very strong. I have good days and > bad days. I have a lot of trouble sleeping for more than an hour at a > time so I am always tired. My family doc just put me on anti-depressants > but they take a few weeks to work. They shouldn't do, they should start to work pretty well immediately. > My neck is 98% healed from the burns and that's a good thing. Every one > thinks I look nice and slim. Two good things! Come on, that's really positive :-) > I am very self-conscious about the bulge in > my belly where the ostomy bag is so I wear baggy pants and loose shirts > when I go out. That's fair enough. Have a look at the link Kathy posts here from time to time regarding ostomy discussions. You'll meet several people in your situation, most of whom will have advice and support for you. > In retrospect, I should never have had the radiation. Whoa there. It's still early days. How long is it now? You're having a rough ride but you will come through it. > I had a clean path > report on the margins after the surgery and a clear PET scan. The > quality of my life has been so affected that I feel I would have been > better taking the risk of recurrance. <Scold> Nonsense. </scold> <Hug> > It's too late to go back in time > so I'll have to fight the good fight and hope that I get better. You will. > This ordeal has taken more out of me than I think I had to give. I wish I was > as brave and strong as some of you. Janet, what ARE you talking about? You reckon everyone else is somehow braver and stronger than you are? Why? Because you're going through a rough patch at the moment? Come on, you've read what my mother's had to say on the subject of all this and of how she's suffered - and she's now more or less fine. She's still losing a bit of weight - I reckon she's passing it on to me. Grrrrr - but in general she's doing reasonably well. She has to be careful what she eats, but that's as much because her jaw is so fragile as anything else. <Tough love> Cut out the pity party and smile. </tough love> <Gentler> Give it some more time. You're going to have bad days and not so bad days for a while yet - and then you'll be fine, honest you will. {{{{{hugs}}}}} SignatureEm > Janet Wilder said... > My family doc just put me on anti-depressants >>but they take a few weeks to work. > > They shouldn't do, they should start to work pretty well immediately. The doctor said they could take up to 3 weeks. As I understand it, most antidepressants take a few weeks to kick in. It's the nature of the drug. >>I am very self-conscious about the bulge in >>my belly where the ostomy bag is so I wear baggy pants and loose shirts [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > to time regarding ostomy discussions. You'll meet several people in > your situation, most of whom will have advice and support for you. Already lurking on ostomy groups. >>This ordeal has taken more out of me than I think I had to give. I wish I was >>as brave and strong as some of you. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > well. She has to be careful what she eats, but that's as much because > her jaw is so fragile as anything else. Sorry, I am just so very, very tired and it is hard just getting through the day. > {{{{{hugs}}}}} Thanks for the hugs. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life Janet Wilder said... > > Janet Wilder said... > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > The doctor said they could take up to 3 weeks. As I understand it, most > antidepressants take a few weeks to kick in. It's the nature of the drug. Since posting that I have learned that although some antidepressants do indeed start work almost immediately, there are some that don't. > >>This ordeal has taken more out of me than I think I had to give. I wish I was > >>as brave and strong as some of you. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Sorry, I am just so very, very tired and it is hard just getting through > the day. I know love, I know. You /will/ get through this though, truly you will. > > {{{{{hugs}}}}} > > Thanks for the hugs. You're more than welcome. Plenty more where they came from. >> Janet Wilder said... > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Thanks for the hugs. Janet, Hang in there. Things will get better. Your situation sounds very similar to what I went through. Reading your posts reminds me of how difficult it really was. But I'm feeling (almost) like my old self. Until fairly recently I would not believe I could say that. You will get better. You are through the worst of it. Have you heard of a medicine called Actiq? It's sort of a "lollipop" and dissolves in your mouth. It is actually something called oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate. It comes in various doses or strengths. It might help your mouth sores. I've been told that reading psalms helps in the healing process and I know one which I'll recite for you. David Azose > Janet, > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Until fairly recently I would not believe I could say that. You will get > better. You are through the worst of it. Thanks for that. > Have you heard of a medicine called Actiq? It's sort of a "lollipop" and > dissolves in your mouth. It is actually something called oral > transmucosal fentanyl citrate. It comes in various doses or strengths. > It might help your mouth sores. I did not hear of it. It isn't sugar based, is it? I have to be very careful of sugar and dental carries. > I've been told that reading psalms helps in the healing process and I > know one which I'll recite for you. Thanks, David. Janet SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life > I am still alive. It's a rough time. I still have a lot of painful mouth > sores from the radiation and very little taste ability. The ostomy and [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > ordeal has taken more out of me than I think I had to give. I wish I was > as brave and strong as some of you. I hear you, Janet. You seemed to be doing so well, recovering from the surgery in June. Just for the record, for the casual lurker, I'm pretty sure that: Your back home ENT told you surgery was all that was needed. Steph told you RT to the neck for your stage (based on pathology report you posted). And I think you had RT to the tongue? Is that what caused the mouth sores? Does the lidocaine mix help (the mouth sores)? Or straight lidocaine on a q-tip? Might be able to find some online (less expensive), if a doctor would give you a prescription for it. Hugs J >>I am still alive. It's a rough time. I still have a lot of painful mouth >>sores from the radiation and very little taste ability. The ostomy and [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > Steph told you RT to the neck for your stage (based on pathology report you > posted). ENT recommended radiation when the tumor turned out to be bigger than he suspected. Local Onco doc sent me to University of Texas MD Anderson. > And I think you had RT to the tongue? Is that what caused the mouth sores? > Does the lidocaine mix help (the mouth sores)? Or straight lidocaine on a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Hugs > J I have lidocaine. I have several prescription and non-prescription preparations. Time is probably the only thing that will heal them. Thanks SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life >>>I am still alive. It's a rough time. I still have a lot of painful >>>mouth sores from the radiation and very little taste ability. The [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > > Thanks I hate hearing you sound so down, Janet (but know you don't have to put up a brave front for us). Maybe it's time to start thinking Christmas (if that's a holiday you celebrate) or something around that time. Fast- forward to something you enjoy like maybe going out to look at the lighted decorations or a certain party. Now imagine yourself as you will be then. Colostomy gone, burns much improved, maybe some dental work done, You feeling good & looking even better. Stamina enough to enjoy the evening. Friends telling you how glad they are to see you healthy & glowing. You enjoying a holiday treat. You singing holiday songs & maybe a little dance to go along...Can you imagine those things happening - less less than 3 short months away? Many hugs, Fig > I hate hearing you sound so down, Janet (but know you don't have to put > up a brave front for us). Maybe it's time to start thinking Christmas [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > a little dance to go along...Can you imagine those things happening - > less less than 3 short months away? My son, his wife and my new little granddaughter that I met in late august at Houston airport while they were changing planed from Guatemala are planning to come right after Christmas. Our friends who winter here are coming in late November and early December so I do have something to look forward to. It's pretty much what's keeping me going. My son puts the baby on the phone and she laughs. It goes straight to my heart. I know I will probably make it. I just need to feel better and that is taking so long. Thanks for the support. Janet SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life You will be feeling better soon. Hopefully a year from now this will be a bad memory and you will be able to enjoy your new grandchild. Alex PS it doesn't help to play the what if games, meaning you made the best decision at the time, don't be too hard on yourself > You will be feeling better soon. Hopefully a year from now this will > be a bad memory and you will be able to enjoy your new grandchild. > Alex As they say: From your mouth to G-d's ears. > PS it doesn't help to play the what if games, meaning you made the best > decision at the time, don't be too hard on yourself You are right about that. There is no going back. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life You will be feeling better soon. Hopefully a year from now this will be a bad memory and you will be able to enjoy your new grandchild. Alex PS it doesn't help to play the what if games, meaning you made the best decision at the time, don't be too hard on yourself You are indeed brave. I have read your posts and marvel at your outlook and stamina. We are all pulling for you and hope that light at the end of the tunnel is nearer than you now believe. Blessings. > You are indeed brave. I have read your posts and marvel at your > outlook and stamina. We are all pulling for you and hope that light at > the end of the tunnel is nearer than you now believe. Blessings. Thanks. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life >> You are indeed brave. I have read your posts and marvel at your >> outlook and stamina. We are all pulling for you and hope that light at >> the end of the tunnel is nearer than you now believe. Blessings. >> > Thanks. Come on Granny, where can I send the batteries so you can find the light. This healing stuff dosen't move fast enough for me either, but there are fish and crabs to be caught! New daisies look good today but it is dropping to 30 on Sat? We will see if they are tough as advertised. Get on it! Betsy > I wish I was > as brave and strong as some of you. Funny you should say. I was thinking the same about you. SignatureMore abuse of eminent domain! http://www.villagelandgrab.com/ >>I wish I was >>as brave and strong as some of you. > > Funny you should say. I was thinking the same about you. Thanks for the compliment, Clifto, but I hardly think I'm as brave as some of the folks here. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life > I am still alive. It's a rough time. I still have a lot of painful mouth > sores from the radiation and very little taste ability. The ostomy and the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > so I am always tired. My family doc just put me on anti-depressants but > they take a few weeks to work. <<<<<Janet>>>>> Hang in there, you'll make it. Believe it or not, you'll get better after having the radiation done. Rob felt like garbage for about a month after his radiation was done, then started acting normal again. We all have missed you and am pulling for you to be one of the lucky ones. Pam S. > <<<<<Janet>>>>> Hang in there, you'll make it. Believe it or not, you'll > get better after having the radiation done. Rob felt like garbage for about > a month after his radiation was done, then started acting normal again. We > all have missed you and am pulling for you to be one of the lucky ones. > > Pam S. Thanks, Pam. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life |
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