Day 12 - More of the same

I woke at 5am, not wanting the day to start to be honest. I dreaded having to get back into more treatment.

The day was going to get quite warm, but at that time of the morning it was cool, and the sun wasn't up yet. Apart from my dry mouth, I actually felt quite good. I didn't have the headache I'd put up with over the weekend, so I decided to go for a run. Feeling good again, I decided to go for a longer run this time over a different route. I took off in a different direction to my previous two runs, but soon found my stomach feeling a bit odd, and had to change my plans. Diarrhea is a common side-effect and I didn't want to get caught short. I redirected back onto my original route, which ultimately meant the run was a little short at 4.5kms. I was still happy because I was able to run.

I had noticed a slight metallic taste emerge in my mouth yesterday and this was present in the water I drank and food I ate. It is a side-effect I was told about, but I like everything else, I was hoping it would not impact me too early in the program. Wishful thinking.

Having this metallic taste in my mouth was annoying as heck, because I was drinking loads of water, and eating heaps, and it tasted metallic. I could still taste the flavours but it was underpinned by this horrible metal flavour. To overcome this, I started drinking flavoured mineral water, which was really good, especially with ice making it cold. So that I wasn't drinking carbonated water all day, I added a small amount of cordial to my water bottle, which made it easier to drink too.

I can see how easy it would be to give in to the treatment and lie down and do nothing for the duration. I know the worst is yet to come for me, but I still held onto one of my original goals to continue to work rather than rest. I'm not sure how I'm going to go but with this frame of mind I arranged to meet a client today at 11am. I made the appointment over a week ago before the side-effects started to kick in, but I felt good and with the salt solution helping the rash on my face, I felt comfortable going to see him. I explained the rash and my treatment when I got there because I wanted to be completely honest. It was noticeable, so he would have wondered. It occurred to me to let him know and get past it.

A couple of hours later, I was pretty drained as I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I purchased a couple of ham and cheese rolls from a nearby IGA after I left my client's house. Like everything else, it too tasted metallic but it was edible. It satisfied my hunger at least.

I drove directly to the Cancer Centre for an appointment with a Dietician. I was waiting for this meeting because I had so many questions about food and the way to continue to eat healthily to not only support my body during the treatment, but also to achieve my fitness goals and aid recovery after treatment.

The meeting with the Dietician was excellent. My questions were answered and she even advised what I needed to do if I stopped eating altogether. Apparently, this is a very real outcome because food and drink no longer hold any taste and neck cancer treatment affects your throat, so it is painful to swallow. I have all this to look forward to - oh joy!

During therapy, your body uses an enormous amount of energy, hence the reason I am eating so much all of a sudden. She mentioned that this was quite normal. However, the tasteless or metallic flavour to everything, a sore throat making it painful to eat, and a lack of saliva, means many patients stop eating altogether. Combined, this means dramatic weight loss. Weight loss greater than 10% is a concern.

I can feel my throat getting sore, but it hasn't prevented me from eating so far.

It seems the key to maintaining weight is to make sure I eat plenty of carbohydrates and protein meals. If solids cannot be consumed, then Sustagen apparently is a favourite, so is a good protein powder in smoothies. Fortunately, I have some friends who, in my view, make the best protein powder I've ever used and tasted. Thank you ProBOOST Premium Protein Powders.

I had my radiotherapy session at 3.20pm, and this was followed by a short meeting with a Therapist, who checked my mouth for colour and sores. Apparently, any loss of colour, like your tongue looking white, signifies a problem that must be reported to a Doctor. Any pain, sores or ulcers in and around my mouth are also referred to a Doctor for remedial treatment. Fortunately, at this stage, I haven't any of these side-effects, yet.

I went home with my headache back and pounding away. As I hadn't had anything to eat for a few hours, I ate a fair bit when I got home. I was very tired, so after eating, completing my M&T Routine, I laid down and had a snooze.

I woke about 6.30pm and helped Vicki make dinner. Corned beef and steamed vegetables. The Dietician I spoke with said this type of meal is great when blended smooth by our Nutri bullet.

Vicki and I watched another couple of Outlander episodes, before I went to bed around 10.30pm after completing my M&T Routine.