1 March 2019.
Of to the Dentist, then some education.
OK kids, I've been diagnosed with cancer at the base of the tongue in my throat. Not a good thing, but every medico I've spoken to has been extremely positive and told me it is totally curable with treatment.
I'm not shopping for sympathy, but I'm not much of a talker about private stuff (much to Suzanne's dismay) so I'm writing this the keep family and friends up to date, and save you all a bunch of phone calls and emails. Maybe this will also help out someone who might go through the same thing somewhere down the track. It's always good to get the story from the horse's mouth, even if his tongue is a bit munted. 😃
I was told that if I required any dental work, I should have it done before I have radiation therapy. Quite a few years ago i had a very bad experience with a dentist (I think he was either drunk or high), and I've avoided them since. In the meantime I've broken a couple of teeth and lost a filling. Time to toughen up.
I went to Dentistree and met Neil the dentist. Neil is another one of those people who immediately instil a feeling of calm and confidence when they speak to you.
Neil explained that the reason they asked me to see a dentist was to identify any teeth that might need extracting in the next five years. If there are any, they need to come out now. Why? Because after radiation therapy the jaw bone may not heal, and this causes all sorts of problems. Oh goody, more good news.
Neil had a poke around and happily told me that all was good, apart from my broken toothypegs, He suggested we fix one, and leave any other work until I'm through the therapy. I said "Fine, let's book it in for Monday". Neil's reply was "I can do it now if you like". There's no time like the present so lets go. Neil did his job, and we were done in no time. I can honestly say this was the best dentist visit i have ever had. I'll definitely be going back to see Neil and have everything else sorted out later. Thank you Neil.
The it was time to make the trek to The Alfred again, this time for a Chemotherapy education session. I met Astrid, who talked me through the whole scenario of what to expect during the treatment, and what I needed to do to minimise the impact. There's lots to think about, but I won't cover it all here because hopefully I won't suffer all of the side effects. I'll update what happens as we go.
The one thing I took away was that I need to drunk PLENTY of water. About three litres a day during treatment. Wow! The main reason is because Chemo can cause kidney damage. Drinking lots of water flushes the kidneys and reduces the possible impact. Sounds good to me. Where's my Camelbak?
We've travelled to and from The Alfred about five times now, and it's a bit of a haul. I though I'd found a solution by grabbing a ride with someone, but apparently that's a big no no! Astrid said if I need that, then I had big problems. I was disappointed...I love helicopters, and it would be so handy.
At this stage, all the fun starts on Monday.
Of to the Dentist, then some education.
OK kids, I've been diagnosed with cancer at the base of the tongue in my throat. Not a good thing, but every medico I've spoken to has been extremely positive and told me it is totally curable with treatment.
I'm not shopping for sympathy, but I'm not much of a talker about private stuff (much to Suzanne's dismay) so I'm writing this the keep family and friends up to date, and save you all a bunch of phone calls and emails. Maybe this will also help out someone who might go through the same thing somewhere down the track. It's always good to get the story from the horse's mouth, even if his tongue is a bit munted. 😃
I was told that if I required any dental work, I should have it done before I have radiation therapy. Quite a few years ago i had a very bad experience with a dentist (I think he was either drunk or high), and I've avoided them since. In the meantime I've broken a couple of teeth and lost a filling. Time to toughen up.
I went to Dentistree and met Neil the dentist. Neil is another one of those people who immediately instil a feeling of calm and confidence when they speak to you.
Neil explained that the reason they asked me to see a dentist was to identify any teeth that might need extracting in the next five years. If there are any, they need to come out now. Why? Because after radiation therapy the jaw bone may not heal, and this causes all sorts of problems. Oh goody, more good news.
Neil had a poke around and happily told me that all was good, apart from my broken toothypegs, He suggested we fix one, and leave any other work until I'm through the therapy. I said "Fine, let's book it in for Monday". Neil's reply was "I can do it now if you like". There's no time like the present so lets go. Neil did his job, and we were done in no time. I can honestly say this was the best dentist visit i have ever had. I'll definitely be going back to see Neil and have everything else sorted out later. Thank you Neil.
The it was time to make the trek to The Alfred again, this time for a Chemotherapy education session. I met Astrid, who talked me through the whole scenario of what to expect during the treatment, and what I needed to do to minimise the impact. There's lots to think about, but I won't cover it all here because hopefully I won't suffer all of the side effects. I'll update what happens as we go.
The one thing I took away was that I need to drunk PLENTY of water. About three litres a day during treatment. Wow! The main reason is because Chemo can cause kidney damage. Drinking lots of water flushes the kidneys and reduces the possible impact. Sounds good to me. Where's my Camelbak?
We've travelled to and from The Alfred about five times now, and it's a bit of a haul. I though I'd found a solution by grabbing a ride with someone, but apparently that's a big no no! Astrid said if I need that, then I had big problems. I was disappointed...I love helicopters, and it would be so handy.
At this stage, all the fun starts on Monday.
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