Belated introduction - 08-17-2012 01:41 PM
Hello to everyone, and thank you all for such a wonderfully supportive forum. I am now 7 months post treatment for LBOT SCC HPV16+, and doing well. I found this site as I was beginning to get past the worst of the treatment effects and found answers to all my questions. I usually spend so much time reading posts here that I end up too tired to get my thoughts together to do this introduction, but I thought it was time to put that right and join the community.
My worst problem during treatment was mucositis giving me very painful mouth ulcers made worse by thrush, so I was unable to eat for several weeks, (very relieved to have a gastric tube). My return to normal eating seems to be a slow process. I still have a dry mouth and swallowing is difficult so I�m still mainly on juiced fruit/veg, soups and smoothies and a couple of Fortisp (similar to Ensure) bottles a day. I do make myself eat small portions of more solid food each day washed down with lots of water. In the last month tastes have improved a lot so some foods are becoming more enjoyable, but I would say that eating is still more of a chore than a pleasure. I lost about 30 lbs from when my eating problems started when my back teeth were removed. This has brought me down to a nice size that I am very happy with, top edge of normal BMI. I have managed to stabilise at that only through carefully calculating my intake using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. Without that I would never remember to eat enough. I am now trying to increase my exercise levels which does make upping my food intake more challenging.
I have a wonderful partner who was able to take time off to be at home with me while I was going through treatment. We were both able to keep a fairly positive attitude to dealing with it, mainly by not dwelling on the negative thoughts and taking each day at a time. I have learnt an awful lot about how much family, friends and workmate care about me and about appreciating my life. A book that has really helped me is �Anticancer: a new way of life� by David Servan-Schreiber. I learnt so much from it so would recommend it to anyone new to facing the horror of cancer. In fact I have a few friends who have now read it who are not facing it themselves but are interested in a healthier lifestyle.
I am back at work part time and my energy levels are pretty good. So all in all I am feeling pretty lucky with my life. Though when I�m tired in the evening I do still get upset when food insists on sticking in my throat needing several mouthfuls of water to wash down! But I�m hoping there is still time for more improvement on the eating front. I am also beginning to eye up what others are eating with jealousy, which I take as a good sign that my interest in food is returning!
I have been very encouraged by the amazing stories of others here, so I hope I can help to provide some encouragement to other who find there way to this forum.
Sally
My worst problem during treatment was mucositis giving me very painful mouth ulcers made worse by thrush, so I was unable to eat for several weeks, (very relieved to have a gastric tube). My return to normal eating seems to be a slow process. I still have a dry mouth and swallowing is difficult so I�m still mainly on juiced fruit/veg, soups and smoothies and a couple of Fortisp (similar to Ensure) bottles a day. I do make myself eat small portions of more solid food each day washed down with lots of water. In the last month tastes have improved a lot so some foods are becoming more enjoyable, but I would say that eating is still more of a chore than a pleasure. I lost about 30 lbs from when my eating problems started when my back teeth were removed. This has brought me down to a nice size that I am very happy with, top edge of normal BMI. I have managed to stabilise at that only through carefully calculating my intake using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. Without that I would never remember to eat enough. I am now trying to increase my exercise levels which does make upping my food intake more challenging.
I have a wonderful partner who was able to take time off to be at home with me while I was going through treatment. We were both able to keep a fairly positive attitude to dealing with it, mainly by not dwelling on the negative thoughts and taking each day at a time. I have learnt an awful lot about how much family, friends and workmate care about me and about appreciating my life. A book that has really helped me is �Anticancer: a new way of life� by David Servan-Schreiber. I learnt so much from it so would recommend it to anyone new to facing the horror of cancer. In fact I have a few friends who have now read it who are not facing it themselves but are interested in a healthier lifestyle.
I am back at work part time and my energy levels are pretty good. So all in all I am feeling pretty lucky with my life. Though when I�m tired in the evening I do still get upset when food insists on sticking in my throat needing several mouthfuls of water to wash down! But I�m hoping there is still time for more improvement on the eating front. I am also beginning to eye up what others are eating with jealousy, which I take as a good sign that my interest in food is returning!
I have been very encouraged by the amazing stories of others here, so I hope I can help to provide some encouragement to other who find there way to this forum.
Sally