More about the teeth

    2-3 Later that evening

    I must admit the teeth will take some getting used to. I suppose the fit isn't all that bad, but a mouth full of acrylic just ain't natural. But then again, what hasn't taken some getting used to. From the feeding tube in my stomach, laying on a table with your head and shoulders bolted down for twenty minutes a day, living without teeth, quitting smoking and drinking, etc. I think you get the idea. This past year has had a lot of things to get used to, for both Teresa and me. But then I hope that no one ever gets used to cancer. Especially not the doctors or the research scientists that are looking for the various cures.

   My first meal with them was meatloaf, spinach, and potatoes. I decided to stay on a modified soft diet for a bit while I get used to the new choppers. I have an extremely good gag reflex ( as the dental assistant found out yesterday, I tried to warn them ) and when I get too much food in my mouth along with a mouth full of acrylic, well you know. This, much like all of the rest of it has been a learning process. I have learned to take smaller bites but the one good thing is my saliva glands have kicked in a bit more. Dentists will tell you that this is a result of having something foreign in your mouth. Try finding a small smooth pebble, wash it, and then put it in your mouth. Your saliva glands will try to supply enough moisture to wash it down. This is also an old survivalist trick that works when you're out of water unless you are really dehydrated.

    2-4

    Today was more getting used to the new teeth. The dentist gave me some super grip goo to hold them in and after my experience last night trying to clean the crud off of them, I decided to try it today without it. It seemed to work fairly well, even when eating. One thing I have figured out is that they will have to be cleaned after eating. There are small gaps between the base of the plates and my gums and small pieces of food get between them. It gives a whole new meaning to brush after every meal.

    2-7

    It's been three days with the new teeth and the uppers are doing fine other than me trying to get used to my speech patterns. Try chewing up two pieces of bubble gum and layering it over the roof of your mouth and you can approximate the feeling of these dentures. The bottom plate still has a way to go, but I'm trying to give it time to either settle in or find the spots that need work before I go back for an adjustment. We stopped at Whataburger yesterday since I had been lusting after one for about eight months. For the uninitiated a Whataburger is a bit bigger than Mickey D's or Burger King and for me it is the closest thing to the hamburgers that my neighbors made when I was a kid. They had a burger joint and we would go there about once a month or so. Anyway, I found that although it tasted about like I remembered, but I wasn't quite ready for prime time. I could get through the fries just fine, but the burger was going to have to be cut up into small pieces. I wound up taking all but two small bites home to finish since fast food places don't seem to have actual flatware, and if you have ever tried to cut anything up with a spork, you'll understand. I did eventually finish it, but it served to push my schedule back for the steak at Outback quite a bit further out.

    2-9

    Tonight we had smoked sausage and squash. I almost amazed myself at how much I ate. I'm finally getting used to how to move food around in my mouth and how to chew with the new teeth. I had been without for so long I've had to remember how to chew. This morning I had bacon for the first time in about a year. That in itself was just about a hallelujah moment.

    2-10

    This morning we went to Cypress near Houston to see a doctor about Teresa's hiatal hernia. We had heard about him from her brother who had had the surgery a year or so back. We had heard that you wanted to find a surgeon that was more than just familiar with this type of thing ( as for pretty much any surgery ). The news there was good, we liked the doctor and he seemed very knowledgeable. He set it up for an endoscopy for tomorrow morning to see how bad it is. We stayed with her brother and sister in law and later they took us out for mexican food. Since it had been over a year since I had had mexican food I was all in. A bit later I found out that I should stay away from the chips since they have a tendency to get under the plates and dig holes in your gums. But the food was great and we had a good time catching up with them and they offered to put us up when she had the surgery.

    2-11

    Up at 5:00 to head to the hospital for the endoscopy. The actual procedure only took about twenty minutes, but there was a whole lot of waiting before, and more after. The doctor said that about 40% of her stomach was pushed up past her diaphragm so the surgery is definitely very necessary. We got back to her brothers house a little after 10:00 and after a bit more visiting we headed back home and finally got there about 5:00 PM. Along day to be sure.

2-13

I'm almost used to my teeth, but there are times it's just easier to take them out and eat something soft. They have helped my dry mouth out immensely.

    2-16

    I hope everyone had a good Valentines day. While ours wasn't terribly romantic, at this stage we're just happy to be together. This past weekend our friends came up from Houston and for once the weather cooperated. It was in the 70's all weekend, but now it has reverted to it's normal February self, cold, bleary, and just plain yucky. This time of year the weather brings both hope and resignation, beautiful spring days, followed by a freeze that makes you wonder what you did to make the weather turn on you. ( Hmmm, reminds me of an ex. )

Next week I go in to have the PEG tube removed and I'm not really sure how I feel about that. On one hand it's a minor pain to deal with it, mostly trying to keep the out of the way while I'm getting dressed. On the other, I may have to take chemo again and it's a good way to get nourishment if you don't feel like eating. And from what I've read they just pull it out. The type that I have has a butterfly looking thing on the end that's inside and I'm hoping that it just comes off to be passed on through the system. Otherwise I don't see how it will come through the quarter inch hole in my abdomen.

Well, this thing is long enough so it's off to the internet with it. I know several people have had difficulty trying to leave comments so if any of you have a mind to, you can email me at                       idctrk2842@fastmail.fm

Happy New Year !!!

    Well, it's already February and I'm just getting around to putting this together. So much for a jump start on the new year. I had been waiting for some better news, but waiting on the VA is like waiting for Christmas when you're 6 years old. On with the show.

    It's 2015 and Christmas is over. I can't say I was happy to see it leave. We saw many of the relatives, but there were many more we just couldn't see due to distance or sickness. Teresa wound up with a nasty cold, leaving me to be the caretaker for a change. Winter has come to this part of the world which means colder temps, overcast days, and rain. I suppose I should be grateful that we aren't living in Wyoming or some such. I would like to reiterate the fact that I'm not missing the snow or traffic at all.

    I am eating mostly solid food now and I have to admit a couple of things. First, the food is tasting better and I'm learning what I can get down. Second, my digestive system is finally coming around and getting used to solid food again. Just about anything that doesn't really have to be chewed a lot is fair game. The tricky part is that although I'm eating again, I really have to remind myself to eat. My stomach still doesn't send the “ I'm hungry “ message like I'm used to. It is waking up though and if I go long enough without something to eat it will send up the signal.

    1-22

    Well, it's a week later and I'm only using the cans as a supplement when I really don't have time to eat. We spent the last week in the north forty. The weather was promised to be moderate and it didn't disappoint. One day was actually in the mid 70's and we were able to work outside. One of the projects is a greenhouse that we bought from a neighbor and I disassembled last summer. This thing is about 8' X 10' and the problem with it is that when we took it apart we had the intention of bringing it up here and reassembling it within a month or so. Of course life got in the way and now here I am trying to put together a puzzle with only holes drilled here and there for clues as to what piece goes where. It's a really nice one with a steel frame, built in heater, three windows, and a full sized door so I want to get it back the way it was. Not to mention the truckload of plants that Teresa has that will need a warm hangout when we move.

    2-1

    Last week I had another appointment, this time back with chemo. They wanted to talk to me about starting another round of chemo on what they perceive is more cancer in my lungs. After a PET and a CAT scan they have identified several of what they call nodules of suspicious nature. One of the doctors said that one of the nodules was possibly large enough to aspirate some fluid to identify whether or not it's cancer. However, I had been told by another doctor that even if it is, there is no harm in letting them go another month or two as the treatment would be the same.

The procedure to aspirate a nodule involves more scans and thankfully being out for the procedure since they will be putting a needle through the chest wall and trying to find the center of the nodule to aspirate it. I say trying because it's like trying to hit something half the size of a grape that's in the middle of a cantaloupe. You have a pretty good idea of where it is, but you're never positive if you're in it or not. If you get in it, you can properly identify whether or not it's cancerous. If you miss, you will always get a false negative which just sets you up for another test later.

    2-3

    Some very dear friends of ours came to visit this past weekend and decided I had been without teeth long enough. We had gone out to eat with one of their friends who had been in the service and had had dentures through them. He said to be prepared for another six months before I got them. After them seeing me and how much weight I had lost they told Teresa to make an appointment for me and they would pay for them. So today I went in for the initial exam and this afternoon I had teeth. They look really good, but it will take time to get used to having this big hunk of acrylic in my mouth all of the time and learning how to talk with them in. I had almost gotten used to the way I sounded without teeth (almost ) and now I have to start over. Dentists will tell you that one of the best ways to get used to new dental appliances is to sing along with the radio. Or I suppose you could just answer out loud to the voices in your head. ( Is that just me ? )

    At any rate, I'm going to post this now so you can see pics of me with teeth. Here's hoping you all have a great and prosperous new year.