Getting Your Teeth Into It!

As the title says, the phrase refers to really getting into  a project, and that's just what I am doing, literally! So far, I have been able to dodge the lung operation as the "spot" has been decreasing in size. Am in the middle of another 4 week waiting  period to see what that "spot" is going to do next. If I have not told you, the option of a bone marrow transplant is "on the shelf" until the "spot" is gone and my teeth are gone. That brings us to the next part of this story. I just finished a 5 day stay in the hospital during which all my teeth were removed, what a experience that is!  They removed the uppers on Tuesday and the lowers on Thursday, home on Saturday. Having has gum diesease for many years, there was a lot of bone loss, so in order to be able to stitch the gum tissue back together, more bone had to be removed to make room. Under local anesthesia, the cracking and popping noise as the teeth are removed is amazing. I currently feel like I have a pocupine in my mouth with all the short ends of the stiches poking me, they are supposed to dissolve eventually.

The low blood counts associated with MDS required a total of 4 units of blood and 3 units of platelets to be administered over this time period. There were 2 days that I ate very little if anything and combined with the morphine administered for pain control, one nasty case of constipation occured, fortunatlely with the wonders of modern medicine, it eventually worked out OK (did it ever). During the entire hospital stay, was receiving an IV of antibiotics every 6 hours and now will continure those in oral form for the next 4 days. Needless to say this was NOT one of the best experiences of my life.

It is amazing how much you miss your teeth, the way you form your words, the connection between fluid talking and the brain, not to mention the abrupt change in diet consistancy. Will be at least 8 weeks before dentures may be fitted and as long as 6 months if a bone marrow transplant is done.  Back to the doctor on Thursday to start chemo again and get a roadmap for the next leg of the adventure.

Try ing to keep things light, and continueing my anaolgy of the Brer Rabbit........Now you know, it's a comman fact that when a rabbit is petted, and is content, it will softly grind it's teeth. Things are no different with my analogy of Brer Rabbit (me) and Brer Fox (the diesease) as told on the Tales of Uncle Remus. Brer Rabbit sure ain't contented and even though being petted don't have no teeth to grind. Is that somthin like not havin an axe to grind? Cause this rabbit sure ain't got no axe to grind. Folks round bout the VA hospital in Portland, Oregon could not be nicer, why I betcha theyd share a possum wif ya if they had one.....that's if ya had teeth. They try to feed ya what they got, but sure aint like I bin used to, well folks is folks, ya know, and you got to be thankful. So this rabbit is thankful and ole Brer Fox, well he just grind his teeth cause he bin set back agin, but I don't think I done seen the last of him. Anyway I is back in the Briar Patch where the air is claen the water sweet and the food is good.

I will be glad to answer any questions that are emailed to me.