Another Monday in Portland

Happy Monday everyone. Today we traveled to Portland again. It is becoming a very familiar 2 hour drive (each way). Dr. Dierks said my neck looked much better, although he said he "wanted a better scar for me, but we can deal with that later." He is a plastic surgeon, too, so maybe it means he can do a touch up after radiation. The culture showed nothing exciting and it the infection seems to be cured. I thought I had thrush in my mouth from all the antibiotics, but it just feels like it because different parts of my tongue are at different stages of numbness. I won't see him again until about 2 months after I finish radiation.

When we got home, there was a bill from his office. The bulk is 'insurance pending.' I found it interesting that his fee for the whole four hour surgery, with two assistants, was $7,500, but the fee for spending less than one minute poking a syringe into my neck to drain the wound was $1,100. He'd clearly be better off billing by the minute...

Tomorrow I go to get my face mask made and have the extensive CT scan the radiation oncologist will use to set up the computer map for the radiation machine. In theory I should start radiation about two weeks after that. However, they are waiting on a mammogram and chest x-ray, too. Because I won't be getting enough radiation in my body in the coming weeks.

Everything is getting less numb, except my right ear. The feeling may never come back there. My shoulder is pretty tweaked, too, but he says it will come around. I am feeling better every day and my speech is much improved. I still get more tired than I would like. I'm not good with in between. Either I'm all sick or all well, none of this grey area stuff for me.

So, radiation plans, swim team, speech evals, school year winding down, Bat Mitzvah plans, housework, yard work, and two sick kids... life does go on.