Hi, friends.

Just an update.

Today was worse. I feel like I did when I was in the midst of radiation treatment. I can barely talk, swallow, and could not even have Ensure because it stung my tongue so badly. The Ensure also seemed too thick to swallow and seemed to be coming back up before it could go down. The only way I can swallow is to instantly chase something with a sip of water and clear my throat.

I called my surgical oncology fellow this morning. I told her what was happening and I thought I might need to be seen. She opted for the "wait and see" and continue to take the Augmentin. Well, I had to crush that horse pill and mix it with apple sauce this morning and I threw it back up within a half hour. I cannot eat enough for some of these meds so that they don't upset my stomach. She said that she would call in some magic mouthwash for me, but I think that she must have forgotten because it never was filled at the pharmacy and they had no record of any of their stores getting the order. Of course, it was after hours when my (awesomely supportive) hubby went to pick up the script and he found out that it was never faxed in.

Dan, (my hubby), got home with the kids around 6:15 and told me the bad news. He also said that he had to go back out to get me some Ensure because he was running out of time to get the kids from daycare/preschool. He made the kids a quick dinner and went back out to the store to get it. I tried it when he got home and I couldn't drink it...not 3 sips without nearly bursting into tears.

I decided that I could not wait until tomorrow to talk to the doctor again. I had the head of my medical oncology team paged. She was very nice (always is, but I never know whether to page her or her fellow). She agrees that it seems like thrush, but didn't think that I necessarily needed to come in just yet. Since my rapid strep came back negative, she told me to discontinue the Augmentin, especially since I couldn't tolerate it and it could possibly make my thrush worse, if that is indeed that correct diagnosis. I hope it is, because she said the the Nystatin should get me feeling somewhat better in a couple of days. She faxed in some liquid Nystatin and the Magic Mouthwash (which is no longer covered by most insurance plans because it contains some medicines that are OTC (gotta love insurance, but you've gotta have it). A seven day supply of the mouthwash cost $65! Still, I'd pay for it, but it seems a bit ridiculous.

I was able to dip some white bread with a bit of Smart Balance melted into it) into some water and slowly, but painfully chew and swallow. I wanted to have some food in my stomach before I took my nighttime meds (pain meds and a few others, plus the Nystatin). It certainly stung at first, but if it's going to do the trick, I'll push through it.

I just hope that this is the problem that can simply be solved. From what I learned about thrush, it can come about due to chronic drymouth, but also the hormonal changes with pregnancy.

As always, I am grateful for you help and welcome any feedback or shared experiences. I will certainly keep you posted.

xo,
Kerri