Third Week Ends, First Weak Begins

Hooray! Today marks the end of my third week of treatment. Almost halfway there.

To mark this occasion, the side effects of the radiation have taken things up a notch. Real fatigue hit me for the first time yesterday -- it was all I could do to keep my head upright. Today, my tongue has developed a nasty sore that's making speech and eating difficult. Fortunately, I now have a anesthetic mouthwash that numbs the pain. No, that's not a euphemism for alcohol.

Yesterday I used the ol' feeding tube for the first time at home without problems. Taking in food in this way will become more and more important the sorer my mouth becomes. Today's weigh-in at the hospital revealed that I've lost three pounds since last week. Only in the topsy-turvy world of health care is such a revelation not accompanied by cheers and a commemorative plaque.