Hey Sheldon, I think most of us bounce back and forth after radiation treatment, kind of a three steps forward, two steps back type of thing.
I got my taste back pretty quickly (maybe 1-2 months post IMRT) but something is still somewhat "off" now that I'm six months post-radiation (the first round that is). There are just some of my former favorite foods that turn me off now. I think my tongue is on fire everytime I drink something with carbonation.
I, too, did the pain patches and have had two runs now with hydrocodone (once during/after radiation over the winter and once after my second surgery in June). Both times, I remember feeling "blue" and "down" for a couple of days after my last dose of the hydrocodone. I tapered off the hydrocodone for good this past Saturday and I was an emotional wreck the following day. Everything made me cry -- the Lance Armstrong Nike commericials, watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, watching NBC's emotion-grabbing coverage of the Ironman Triathlon, every post on this board, etc. It took me a couple of days to realize why -- my body wasn't getting that narcotic "lift" anymore...
What fun stories we all have to tell... Hang in there, Sheldon, you are getting better week by week.
Eric