Hi Rose!

I cant believe how well you are doing at only 7 weeks post rads!!! Thats absolutely wonderful!!! Most patients have not gotten as far as you in such a short time. I certainly was not anywhere near your level of recovery that quickly.

Alcohol normally burns like crazy after rads. Ive only taken a couple sips in 12 years and it still isnt appealing to me but I never was much of a drinker anyway. You may want to have a chat with your doc about alcohol. This subject has been discussed many times so Im sure if you did a quick search you could pull up several long threads seeing what many other OC patients have done post rads. Alcohol is known to be one of the things OC patients should avoid to reduce their chances of a recurrence. Ive asked many top US doctors over the years and most tell me its not worth risking a recurrence for a drink. Unfortunately, those who choose to drink and/or smoke after going thru OC usually arent around very long if they return to their old habits. Being young has been a gigantic advantage for you... just look at how quickly you have advanced in your recovery!!! The younger the patient, the faster they bounce back.

Since you gained some weight, thats a really good sign!!! My docs told me if I could maintain myself for 2 months without losing weight and not using the tube at all then I could get rid of it but unfortunately for me thats not possible. Its so much better to keep it and not use it than to need it and its not there. I hate to be negative about anything but Im always honest with what I tell everyone... during recovery, set backs can happen and they can come out of nowhere. A patient is doing great and all of a sudden they have one bad day that turns into 2 bad weeks of going backwards with their recovery. Hopefully you will not have this happen to you but almost everyone in recovery (especially during the first few weeks of a 2 year recovery) has gone thru this and it is NOT fun at all. Its not easy to handle mentally seeing such great improvements then to go backwards and to again work so hard to get back the great progress they've made.

In time your swelling should go down to where you can see a noticeable difference. Its still very early in your recovery. Im sure in time you will improve. It can take a full year to have inflammation subside. At your next check up, ask your doc about this too. With how great you're doing I cant wait to hear your 6 months post rads update and the 1 year and 2 year ones too!!!

Best wishes with everything!!! Keep up the great work