Health and Meds

Although Dr. Girard gave me a whole barrage of new medication I haven't started taking any of them.

The morphine-based painkillers are going to knock me out for 3 days and then "just make me tired" for the rest of the time. At the moment I'm not willing to make that sort of sacrifice of my time as I finally feel as though I'm just starting to be able to do things again. I feel as though I'm able to do more and more, even if it is ever so slightly, each day. I'm not willing to take so many steps backward in my evolution. I can't say I don't feel the pain or that it doesn't bother me. But I have become accustomed to it and it is more than bearable.

The liquidifying syrup he gave me (Maxilase) does what it says it will. It turns my thick saliva in to liquid which I then spend a good 10 minutes coughing up. This irritates my throat to no end but does get rid of the saliva. However 45 to 60 minutes laters it's back sitting there as a big lump at the back of my throat. I'm almost getting used to that as well. I stopped taking this at the end of the first day.

The medecine he gave me for "reflux" doesn't appear to have any great effect on me as that doesn't appear to be part of the problem. There's nothing going up and down in my throat. There's just the thick lump of saliva constantly sitting at the top of my throat which is caused by my impaired salivary glands. I didn't taking these.

The only medication I'm left taking is my corticoid (Solupred) of which I am at the end of the treatment. It's one of those where the treatment has to end very gradually. I'm down from 2 tablets per day to 1/4 of one tablet per day and should be finished in about 3 more days. The only other medication left is the sleeping tablet of which I take one-half every night. As I'm sleeping reasonably well I'm not willing to stop this one quite yet.

I still have difficulty swallowing and it still hurts. However I'm getting used to it. I know it's only temporary and that eventually it will heal. None of the medication previously prescribed would do anything for the actually healing process.

I still have practically no voice. That too will eventually heal and it more than likely directly related to the throat constriction itself as well as the lack of saliva. None of the medication would help with my voice either.

My taste buds are still very confused. That too will pass with time. I'm learning to be patient. But damn I really miss a good glass of wine!

I dream of the day when I can guzzle back a glass of water, swallow after swallow, without even thinking about it.