SEVENTEENTH TREATMENT TODAY

Mornings are the hardest.  I know I have to eat something but I'm not hungry.  First off I have to brush my teeth and scrape all the mucous out of my mouth.  Then I go downstairs and put 4 oz of water down my PEG tube.  Now it's time to decide what I am going to try to eat.  Today I took a few bites of scrambled eggs and drank some chocolate milk.  I should have had a protein drink but they taste so bad I just keep putting it off.

For lunch I had broth and 4 more ounces of water down my tube.  I was feeling weak so I decided to go to Smoothie King and try one of their high calorie and high protein drinks.  Got a small one, 20 ounces, 964 calories, and 25 g of protein.  I tried to eat a few bites but it was grainy as it had strawberries in it and it hurt my throat.  So I may try another one without berries.  Just when I though I had found something I could tolerate I realized it had 125 g of sugar.  There are some smoothies with less than that so I'll just have to try some different ones.  I did feel a bit more energetic after about 30 minutes.  

Went to the center and had my treatment.  Today was the day I see the Oncologist.  He asked about my PEG tube leak and I said no more problems with that.  This is week 4 and he informed me that it was time to start using my PEG tube for feedings.  

I told him I was not in any pain and he said if I needed something for pain to get something over the counter.  I let that slide for today.

I told him my biggest discomfort was the Mucositis.  I explained that I gargled every hour and still had to dig in my throat with my finger and a paper towel to clear it out and that was barbaric.  I asked for a suction machine.  He said he had not ordered a suction machine in over 20 years and for me to ask my ENT doctor.  He then looked at my throat and admitted that there was a lot of mucous in my throat.  

In fact, I actually coughed while in treatment on the machine where you are supposed to remain still.  I told him that I had asked my family doctor for an order but he said that it would be up to my Oncologist.  Now my Oncologist is passing the buck to my ENT doctor.  If they weren't so expensive I would buy one myself.  He could have at least recommended Mucinex 1200 liquid.

I just wanted to leave his office and go home.  Didn't even ask for a liquid nausea medicine as the one he gave me makes me gag while it melts on my tongue.  Why give a person who is nauseous something that tastes awful and which takes an hour to dissolve on their tongue?  It makes no sense.