On Tuesday I accompanied Nick to his appointment with his ENT surgeon, Dr. C.H. Dr. C.H. told us that it had been six months since Nick’s lymph node surgery! How our lives have changed during those six months! In general, Dr. C.H.  said that Nick is recovering very well. In response to specific questions:

Voice: Nick’s vocal cords are fine. His voice should improve in time.

Edema: Nick’s neck is swollen because lymph nodes have been removed, and the lymph must figure out how to eliminate itself without the nodes. The swelling should decrease in time.

Saliva production: this, too should increase in time.

Taste: Nick’s sense of taste may never be what it was, but it should improve.

All good! All we need is patience! My dear friend Carole used to have a sign in her office that said, “Lord, give me patience, but I want it right now!” I want it now, too!

Snoring: we got distracted when talking about this, because we told the doctor we were going to Italy, and he replied that he had just returned from a bike trip through Tuscany. He began to show us photos on his phone:  the olive trees, the grape vines, the cathedral in Siena… did that ever get us in the mood for our trip!  He said that  if Nick if wants to eat gelato every day, that would be  fine and he even made recommendations for his favorite gelato shops.

On Friday I went with Nick  to his  appointment with his internist, Dr. R.H. Dr. R.H. congratulated us  both on getting through this very challenging experience. He too, said that more time is needed for a more complete recovery, and said that Nick looked and sounded much healthier than he did at his last check-up three months ago. He said that we should give the snoring issue more time before pursuing it. I welcome suggestions as to  how to help me sleep through Nick’s snoring while we are in Italy!

During the two week period after we return from Italy, Nick has appointments with his dentist, his eye specialist, his oncology radiologist, and his medical  oncologist. Let’s hope all the reports will be positive, giving us a very special Thanksgiving! And again, our thanks to everyone for the prayers and good wishes that have helped us get through this experience!