Well, Oral cancer has most definitely become the gift
that keeps on giving with no end in sight. When I left you all last
month, life was good. Cancer free, working, pain more managed, wedding
planning, and the good has continued! Owen and I moved out of mom and
dad’s house two weeks ago into his childhood home. It has been exciting,
stressful, and a very hopeful time with lots of plans and ideas. Max
and Ellie settled right in and love their new yard and couch more than
us I think.
Unfortunately
my health has once again complicated the happiness. On my MRI last
month, one of my teeth in the area that was most highly radiated showed
as an area of concern. For those of you that don’t know, many people who
undergo oral cancer treatment lose their teeth or elect to have them
removed prior to treatment to avoid the pain and decay that may likely
follow. Because my teeth were young and healthy when I started
treatment, obviously the concern was far less. But now extra vigilance
for life in the result. I see a dentist every three months for routine
cleanings, have special toothpaste and mouth wash to use a few times a
day, and battle dry mouth with my companion biotene spray that never
leaves my purse or bedside. Despite all that, I am still prone to
issues. After a maxilofacial CT scan, dental visit, and referrals to the
periodontist and endodontist, the results are in. My teeth are all
healthy, miraculously in fact considering all my mouth has been through.
The the bone density loss caused by radiation is actually regenerating.
The bad news is that my back problem tooth has zero protection. Because
of the location of my tumor and all that was removed during my surgery,
there is no viable gum line surrounding my molar and it continues to
recede, exposing the roots to bacteria and making it increasingly
sensitive and at risk for infection. To put it in perspective, average
healthy gum lines have a flexible depth of 1-3 millimeters. My problem
tooth allows for 11 millimeters of exposure to the elements. Since the
inside of my mouth is so complex and part of my bone was removed with
surgery, there is no reasonable way to build up the gum line to protect
the tooth from all of those risks and the only option is to have it
extracted. Simple right? Unfortunately not so much in my case.
The
right side of my mouth was very highly radiated which resulted in
killing off the blood supply and limiting the oxygen available to the
area. In order to heal safely and properly after the extraction, blood
supply and oxygen are essential. Thankfully, there is a solution.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment. Yep, the machine they use for divers with
the bends is going to be my new best friend for the next two months.
Essentially, they are going to flood my body with 100% oxygen which will
allow the damaged blood vessels to heal, redevelop, and supply affected
areas with the oxygen necessary to heal. Starting may 7th, I have to go
to to St. Luke’s every morning, 5 days a week, 2 hours a day, for 4
weeks. Then they will pull my tooth, which will be followed by ten
additional treatments to ensure I am in the best position to heal well.
The positive is that the growth of new blood vessels is permanent and in
the future I will not need as much treatment to heal in that area. All
for one tooth that is perfectly healthy, but has the potential to cause a
lot of trouble down the road.
As
you can all imagine there have been a lot of emotions this month.
Wedding planning is exciting and happy, but time consuming and difficult
to focus on with so much other life happening. Moving into a new home
with the love of my life is amazing, but a huge change to wrap my mind
around after all that we have been through at my parents house. April is
also Occupational Therapy Month, which makes me want to celebrate the
fact that for over a year now I have been able to tolerate being back to
work part time and feel like I have a true purpose again. It’s a chance
to focus on improving the quality of life for my patients and not have
to focus on my own health and challenges. April is also Oral Cancer
Awareness Month, which is a cause I never thought I would be connected
to. I want to celebrate my life and all that I have overcome, and that
has been difficult with the ongoing side effects that effect my daily
life and the change to my routine that is about to happen. Thankfully,
along with my loved ones, Good Shepherd is the strongest support system I
could hope for, from managers/friends/coworkers, to patients, in
helping me to schedule my work hours to accommodate for my treatments
while allowing me to still follow my patients and work part time.
As
I have tried to do all along, I am taking this all in stride one day at
a time. Although it’s impossible not to feel angry and overwhelmed at
times in a “fists shaking at the sky” type of way, I have to remember
that I am lucky to still be here to be fighting this battle, as many
people don’t have the opportunity to make it this far. Throughout this
journey I have been lucky enough to not have to walk it alone. There are
people fighting this same illness who are the only ones who can truly
say they understand when I talk about my excitement at opening my mouth
wide enough to eat a sandwich or mention the fact that I can’t whistle
anymore. Unfortunately, my dear friend and coworker Rick who began his
journey the same time I did, has had a much more trying path, after
years of surgery, radiation, chemo and clinical trials, he chose last
month to end treatment and pursue hospice care. He and I have exchanged
gifts and letters, words of wisdom and humor, and support that I will
forever be unbelievably grateful for. I ask all of you that as you send
up your powerful prayers for me, you also send some up for Rick and his
family during this time of transition, to bring them all peace with his
decision and to keep him free of pain and suffering after all he has
already been through.
So, I know this has been a
long one, so thank you to all of you who hung on to the end of my
rambling. I truly hope that when all of this passes, I will not only
feel stronger and healthier, but Owen and I will also be able to focus
full steam ahead on the wedding, honeymooning in Hawaii, and building
our life together.
Love and Thanks <3
Devin
