Hi Nelie --

I thought it was you who had had the fevers post-treatment -- and I believe I read someone lese's ad was hopistalized woith same sort of thing.

Anyway, thankfully, Barry's temp is now normal and has been since Monday -- we spoke to the doc today and I think they will "spring" him tomorrow. The blood culture was negative so no staph, he definitely had a slight pneumonia per xray and chest sounds but still waiting on sputum/nasal cultures.

I can't believe how much better his mouth has gotten in last couple of days (maybe the three antibiotics have helped, if so, how much of folks' post-treatment mouth problems and slow healing involve latent infections for which they are never tested?) In any case, he ate mashed sweet potatoes for lunch with no gravy, which he never would have been able to handle this past weekend. But the spicy soup they gave him was out....

This all might be his body's trying to deal with healing and recovering from the radiation...we are not expecting immediate results and are taking things as they come...

Thanks for the help,
Gail

Just a short update, Barry home yesterday, feeling fine but having to swallow two HUGE Augmentin tabs every day. Doc said that his pneumonia was improved in chest xray taken Wednesday but that it might be some weeks before complete resolution --

They thought this had been around for a while but kept "down" by the gatifloxacin he took for blood infection, and they further felt it might have started by aspirating food or fluid back when his throat was worse. Which is a problem, esp, if folks gargle with rinses containing numbing materials.

Well, have to go as we have to call Barry's mum in England, who is celebrating her 99th birthday today!

Best,
Gail

Hi --

It's been a while since we had an update -- it is one month exactly since Barry ended his treatments. He is gradually improving, really the only thing that remains a problem is pain when eating -- he is eating well but sticks to soft and bland things, quiche, soups, eggs, mac and cheese, etc. Maybe he has an unhealed area further down his throat than I can see using a tongue depressor and light (the upper oral cavity is nearly 100% healed). Guess they will check that out in early November when he goes for an evaluation and swalloqing test. But he is eating much faster and more easily every day, not needing to wash things down so progress is certainly being made.

He has no coughing or phelgm to speak of, and his energy, although not up to pre-treatment levels, is good -- Friday we went to a seminar and expo on the Medicare prescription plan and then went home and off to chase after a rare bird that had been found about an hour away (we saw it).

His goals for the next month is to get his weight back up (which he's started to do a bit, since he's eating more), and to get out more for exercise, yard work and just regular stuff.

Our next big milestone is December when they check to see how well the treatments worked so keeping our fingers and toes crossed!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Gail

Gail,Hi.Good to see your post.Good for Barry! A non cancer question-did you learn anything good at the Medicare prescription seminar worth repeating? I am trying to find the time to evaluate the plans and am realy struggling. Need to decide next month. Wonder if there are others here old enough or otherwise to be interested in this.? Amy

Maybe we should start a topic in the "insurance issues" forum -- anyway, in Maryland the state will pick up some of the monthly premium and they have a computer program where you enter your prescriptions and it tells you which ones are covered in each of the 22 (!) approved plans in the state. For Barry it was only 2-3 of the plans that covered all of them, and for these, each had some of the drugs in a different "tier" -- that is, how much he has to co-pay. He doesn't take many prescriptions now that he's essentially through with the treatment, the one drug that a lot of the plans do not cover is primidone which is for his benig essential tremor, nothing to do with cancer. It is a Medicare-approved drug, so not sure why...

You may wish to check with your state to see if they have information available on web or in hard copy which will help oyu sift through ll the options...

Gail