Hi folks.

I guess I am pretty lucky, compared to most in treatment. I have 6 more doses of radiation, and one more whack of Cisplatin, but I am still eating more or less normally. I can't taste any of it, and most nights, sitting down to dinner is a grim slog akin to "shoveling the driveway" for those who live where it snows: I must shovel and shovel until the area is clear, then I can rest. I do get hungry, but much less than normal amount of food solves the craving. I am augmenting with higher fat in general: whole milk in my cereal, light cream in coffee instead of half fat half & half, etc. I also do Ensures with a couple scoops of coffee ice cream in between, and have kept my weight within 10 pounds of starting weight. I am starting to get some strange throat symptoms: normal pills will sometimes get stuck while swallowing. This elicits a gag reaction and loud "gack!" which, curiously, resolves the issue by sending the med down the right way.

Also, I'm getting to be "Colonel's Extra Crispy" looking round my neck from the rads. What I thought was dirt on my neck was a layer of skin sloughing off. Yesterday it looked like it was going to blister, but calmed down after a dose of Aquaphor & Eucerin.

Most food is flat out tasteless. My sense of smell is pretty normal, and I could smell some great fresh pineapple, but could taste no sweetness, though my wife assured me it was "right on the money" --same with watermelon or other fruits. We bought a NutraBullet, but I never use it, as fruit or yogurt are both pretty awful right now. I do use it for ice cream & Ensures once or twice a day.

I was feeling energetic the other day and cooked a "Beef & Beer" Italian stew. My wife assured me it tasted great, and I have to take her word for it. It was tolerable to consume, but devoid of usual pleasure I'd get from it.

All in all though, reading here, I think I'm luckier than most.