I'm Back!

Well, I’m back.  Yeah, I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but my Muse kind of abandoned me after I got Throat Cancer. It’s been a little over a year since I completed the Radiation and Chemo and things are looking a lot better.

My throat and mouth were totally fried from the Radiation and one of the consequences of that was my Taste Buds and Saliva glands stopped working.  You all know from some of my past ramblings that I love good food. Imagine my chagrin when suddenly I could no longer enjoy even the simplest things, like soup.

Besides not being able to swallow anything with any kind of texture, food tasted weird. Things I knew weren’t salted tasted so salty I would gag. This drove my wife nuts because she couldn’t fix anything I could eat.  My sense of smell went into overdrive and food smells made me nauseous.  Even Bacon! And don’t get me started on Garlic.  I loved to cook with fresh whole garlic and when I would try to make something for my wife and son I almost vomited.

I finally went on a liquid diet after I passed out in the bathroom when I tried to bathe and had to go to the hospital to get checked out. They told me I was under nourished and dehydrated.  They tried to get me to eat solid food and I told them to take a look at my mouth and throat so they could see the scar tissue. My tongue and mouth were brown from the dead, burnt skin and my throat was swollen almost shut.  I WAS able to swallow some liquids as long as they were bland, so they put me on Liquid Diet of Ensure.  My stomach had shrunk so much I couldn't drink very much at a time and that limited me to three 8 oz. cans a day.  This went on for about six months and as I would feel a little better, I’d get adventurous and try some other liquid foods. OH Hell No!  Big mistake! Food began to taste even stranger than before. I can no longer stand the taste of Ice Cream or (gasp!) Chocolate in any form, Sugar tasted bitter and yogurt was sheer torture.

When I began this sojourn back to health I weighed approximately 465 pounds, with my average being in the neighborhood of 450.  Funny thing happened, I began to lose weight!  My clothes no longer fit me and hung on me like sacks.  Even my underwear was falling down when I managed to walk the short distance to the bathroom.  I’ve had to get new clothes to fit me so I could look at least halfway presentable. I still can’t walk very far or stand for very long but at least my clothes didn’t hang on me anymore.  I went from a 65” waist to a 54”! Hey, I was looking good again!  Even the wife said I was getting my SEXY back!

Long story short, since I began, I have lost over 200 pounds and my waist size is still shrinking as is my once humungous backside.  It’s almost flat again!  My taste buds are working again so my semi-liquid diet has flavor again.  I mostly eat Grits and Eggs for breakfast and cottage cheese for dinner. Every now and then I eat soups that I use a stick blender on in order to be able to swallow them to get other proteins to keep me alive.  My Battle Cry has been “I WANT A CHEESEBURGER, DAMMIT!” but that will come when my saliva glands start working again.

I want to thank all my friends and Family for all the support they’ve given me throughout my ordeal, because without them I would have been depressed and probably suicidal.  They convinced me that I was stronger than anything that was thrown at me and that the world still needs me. I Love You All!

Stay tuned and I will try to update you with the things going on in my renewed life!  Who knows, maybe I'll post some pictures next time out...