28 days after

It has been a month since I was last irradiated or chemo infused. I am recovering some taste and appetite and thus gaining some weight and getting my strength back. The pain is still very pronounced but I am weaning myself off the drugs. I was taking a dozen pain pills a day and a pain patch every three days. That was about two weeks ago. I am now down to about 3 or 4 pain pills a day and no patch for a week!
The primary source of pain is my shoulder and neck. The removal of the sternocliedomastoid neck muscle and the removal of cranial nerve XI mean that two of the muscles that stabilize my neck and left shoulder are out of action. That is also the same shoulder that I broke and dislocated years ago. The peripheral neuropathy is also a variable that makes thinking kind of hard without a chemical to reduce some of the sensory input.
I have been exercising and working in the yard. This drives up my appetite but since I was so inactive over the last few months I am weak. I have been increasing the intensity and duration of my therapy sessions. Slow but steady wins the race. Today I was out in the back yard and I found a Supermodel fishing. She let me join her. It was awe inspiring to be alive and with my lovely bride doing something other than going to the doctor. Thank all of y’all for your support and prayers. I go to the doctor next week for an update.