Happy June!
A month ago my mind
couldn’t even picture this day. I expected my 20 hyperbaric treatments
to take forever and for my schedule to be exhausting. Truthfully, I kind
of already miss it :). I think that’s more a testament to the wonderful
staff at St. Luke’s wound center who made the process seamless,
comfortable and even fun!
Thankfully, aside from
a rude parking attendant who refused to believe I was a patient for a
month, it has all gone as planned so far. I had my last dive of the
first round this morning. Basically, for the last month I have gotten
up, gone to the hospital for an 8am dive, changed into my 100% cotton
“luxury” hospital gown, had my ears, lungs and vitals checked, and then
enjoyed 110 minutes of me time in a clear tube. Unfortunately I wasn’t
able to make myself sleep, I think I was just too nervous about making
sure my ears would adjust appropriately. So it was a good chance to
watch a boat load of movies I hadn’t seen in a long while. I would
usually get out of the chamber around 1015, change, and then head off to
work for the day. Initially the days were long, but the adjustment
happened faster than I expected and it quickly just became part of the
routine. I don’t feel hugely different, but I can say that my energy
levels are a bit better, and I actually made it through a handful of
days at work without additional pain meds so that’s win win for me! Now I
have about three weeks off from the chamber, will have my tooth
extracted on June 25th, and will hopefully resume hyperbaric the
following day as long as I am not bleeding. I will need ten more
treatments to promote the best possible healing, along with a diet high
in protein which I’m already very used to. There is a chance that my
periodontist will have a cancellation and I will start this all sooner,
but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Other than
hyperbaric, I have had a few appointments with good outcomes. My thyroid
continues to be an issue so I am following up with an endocrinologist
this month to figure out how to correct it before it becomes a real
issue. Fingers crossed for a good plan! I also saw a new physical
medicine doctor at Penn since my last one left in March. I absolutely
love her. She is very open to my concerns about being on certain
medications and believes that we can get me on a regimen that will not
only be safe for me long term, but will also allow Owen and I to safely
try to have children down the road. I know a lot of people don’t like to
air their fertility issues, but I think it’s a vital part of where we
are headed in this journey. It would be silly for me to share every
other detail and not that when, for someone my age, there are
complications that average head and neck cancer survivors don’t have to
address. It seems to be a constant battle to remind my physicians that I
have a lot of life left to live and there are things that need to
happen to make it the one we want. I have a feeling self advocacy will
be something I have to keep in mind forever.
Aside
from the medical issues, life is good :)! We are settling into our new
home well and the wedding plans are moving along faster now the closer
the big day comes!
Thank you all so much for your
constant care and support. And a special shout out to my Good Shepherd
family for never ceasing to surprise me right when I need it the most
and always reminding me that they are there to help me stay #Devinstrong
even when I’m tired and don’t feel like being that person anymore.
I love you all and appreciate all the positive thoughts and prayers you keep sending my way!
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