When I was a child in Queens, New York, the final day of the school year was June 30th. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Can you imagine how much I hoped for June 30th to arrive each year of my childhood? But it’s\u00a0not even close to\u00a0how much I have wished for the end of June this year.<\/p>\n
The good news is that after\u00a0June 30th, Nick will have just ten more doses of\u00a0radiation and two of\u00a0chemo remaining. Treatments end\u00a0on July 15th. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The challenges: the acne on his chest and back doesn’t concern us. The incision on his neck, once onorous, also seems minor now. His \u00a0declining weight is a\u00a0more serious\u00a0issue.<\/p>\n
Nick\u00a0has always been thin. Nick’s college friend Bill used to host an annual summer clambake in Maine. \u00a0At one of the clambakes, I met a friend of \u00a0Bill’s named Marcy. Marcy told me that when she first met\u00a0\u00a0Nick\u00a0right after college in the late Sixties, he\u00a0was so thin \u00a0that if\u00a0\u00a0he stood sideways and stuck out his tongue, he would look like a zipper!<\/p>\n
Now Nick is\u00a0\u00a0very thin. He has to take a \u00a0pain pill to enable him to swallow liquids\u00a0including\u00a0Boost or a shake, \u00a0and “solids” such as pudding or oatmeal. Maintaining his weight is far from easy.\u00a0\u00a0 His doctors want to install a feeding tube, which he doesn’t want. His logic is that he only has two more weeks of treatments. That’s not logical to me. I’m certain that he won’t be back to eating regular food\u00a0on July 16. \u00a0His medical staff\u00a0can only guess when that will happen, but they are certain that it will be a slow process.<\/p>\n
Here are some positives: yesterday we sat outside for the first time since the treatments began. Nick had enough energy to weed\u00a0\u00a0his small corner flower garden. \u00a0We played Scrabble for the first time in months. And this morning, he felt hungry and was able to eat some oatmeal (thanks, Jeff). I almost hate for another week of radiation to begin if it will bring back its\u00a0side effects.<\/p>\n
Here’s some new, great news from Nick’s radiation oncology department: Nick’s amount of radiation per each dose will be reduced from here on in! \u00a0His voice “should” return,\u00a0as\u00a0\u00a0“should”\u00a0his sense of taste. I guess that means that there are no guarantees, but for now, the goal is to get Nick through the treatments. On July 16 we will start focusing on his recovery.<\/p>\n
More\u00a0great news from the radiation oncology department: Nick did not lose any weight this week!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I was a child in Queens, New York, the final day of the school year was June 30th. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Can you imagine how much I hoped for June 30th to arrive each year of my childhood? But it’s\u00a0not even close to\u00a0how much I have wished for … Continue reading June 30<\/span>