Hi Everybody
I saw the surgeon Monday. The ulcers in my mouth are still there but improving all the time. The surgeon has set me up for a PET/CT scan on 3/20/06. He feels the ulcers in my mouth will be healed enough that I will be able to lie on my back for at least a half hour without spitting or choking.
Now that my mouth and throat have healed a lot, I decided to begin trying to swallow again. I have been unable to swallow. The water will not go down. Some was aspirated while other parts of the water came out my nose, all from trying to swallow small sips of water. I also saw the speech therapist, Monday, about this problem. She had set me up Thursday for a scoping. This is where they will put a tube up my nose and down my throat so they will be able to see what’s going on with my swallow, voice box, throat and whatever else is down there.
Thursday came along with the scoping. I have a very strong gag reflex which doesn’t work well with nose and throat scoping. The speech therapist had big plans of watching, through the scope, while I swallow water, milk, juice and pudding. She inserted the scope and asked me to say a few letters of the alphabet. This was to see what my vocal cords are doing. We never got to the rest of the test because I kept gagging and eventually threw up on myself and on her. We looked at the recording of the scoping and saw that things look normal, yet swollen and red. Much of the swallowing problem seems to be attributed to my body and mind blocking the swallowing of mucous and food over the past 4 months. I need to retrain my body and mind that it is OK to swallow again. I am doing this by constantly swallowing or trying to swallow an eighth to a quarter of a teaspoon of water. The good thing coming out of the scoping is that I can now burp again. I have been unable to burp for months. The air would come up but was unable to be let out.
My voice is still hoarse. Talking for any length irritates my throat and makes it swell. . When I spoke with my doctor, he says I am right on schedule and healing nicely.
Randy
posted by Randy @ 12:46 PM
12 Comments:
Hi Randy - you really have been through a lot with this. Thank you for always letting us know how you are doing. Keep up the hard work and great progress...You are getting there!
Chris
Randy--I can't wait to hear that your PET is clear on 3/20. You are doing great! Jacque
Randy:
Glad to hear you're continuing to improve even with the continual bumps in the road. Try to look at the bright side - I consider burping to be one of the pleasures of life (just ask Susan), and now you're back on track!
Hang in there, Mr. Fine. Looking forward to hearing the good news about the PET scan.
LG
Randy:
Glad to hear you're continuing to improve even with the continual bumps in the road. Try to look at the bright side - I consider burping to be one of the pleasures of life (just ask Susan), and now you're back on track!
Hang in there, Mr. Fine. Looking forward to hearing the good news about the PET scan.
LG
Good to hear that things are getting better. The Culman/Dupree family was glad to get a chance to talk with you and the family (even though it was at a sad event).
Burping is good, how are the farts coming (this is the stuff I worry about). LG must have really liked his comment, since he sent it twice.
"The newly and once again unemployed" Barry.
"....right on schedule and healing nicely." Perfect ending to a crummy post. Keep up the strong work.
beat it
Glad to hear the med people say you are "right on schedule"....but exactly who's schedule remains a mystery. Too bad it can't be YOUR schedule!! I will be only too happy to hear your "burp" once again, however I draw the line at noises from any other orifice, we'll save that for a future golf trip. PET scan....schmett scan you'll ace it baby...as Gene Yoon said to Homer once, "Prepare for your happiness". Keep your chin up and comfort yourself when able in all the kind thoughts and prayers you're receiving from all those who love you.
Loveya,
Hunt Valley Jacksons
Slow and steady...will you hurry up already! It's good to heal, makes you feel better..it's something to look forward to, as is burping, cause, why fart and waste it when you can burp and taste it.
Alan
Randy - I'm always happy to see good news on your site. I must apologise as I only now, finally, understood that the food burning problems you were having were through your feeding tube and not through your throat.
The swallowing routine is a long and hard one to get back in to. All I can say is push yourself to swallow as much as you can and as often as you can. But you don't need anyone else to tell you that...
I too have a very bad gagging reflex. My ENT couldn't finish his full exam with me either. The anesthesia he made me gargle with and the anesthesia he shoved up my nostriles on cotton for a few minutes allowed him to do the tube exam up the nose and down the throat. But the last part of the exam was squeezing the tip of my tongue between his fingers while trying to shove his finger in to the back of my throat to feel what was going on. I gagged and gagged and he was smart and experienced enough to stop before it got messy.
My ENT told me to take a relaxant, like Xanax, before my next visit.
Good luck with your next scan... but you won't even need it.
Keep it up!
Hi Randy...glad to hear you're feeling better. Thanks for all the big-boy clothes. I hope some day to be able to pass them down to some other "husky" boy...when you're up to it, maybe we can have a "spritz and burp" party or something.
Hope each day finds you feeling better and better.
Ken
Randy - I'm keeping an eye on your friends.......
LG - click the button once, please like Barry said
Barry - again??
Joe C.- typo
Yours truly,
Chris
TB,
You are on your way! Glad to hear that everything is improving slowly but surely. Just so you know, there is a BIG bottle of the Captain in the closet just waiting for you to crack it open!!! It's been great seeing you guys a little more frequently. Keep up the good work!! We love you!!
Joe & Becky
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