The mucus one...

Ok, I have been talking about mucus for a long time now. Promising the full story. So I guess this is the time. If you don't like mucus-talk, stop reading now.

When I read all the tonsil cancer blogs, everybody seemed to agree that the worst thing about the experience was the mucus. So, for instance:

Clearing my throat can be tough, and the mucus frequently makes me gag. Especially when I’ve been sleeping or napping. I’ll wake up with a great deal of mucus and have to make dash to the bathroom so I can breath normally. UGH. The swish and swallow helps, but the mucus remains a real bummer at this point.

I had a problem with the mucus causing gag reflex issues and vomiting even with using the pump and the rinses.

I have to sleep in a chair or I wake up with mucus flooding my throat and I end up vomiting it up.

So, I knew it was coming!

Essentially, it is a byproduct of mucositis, which is an inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the digestive track. In the case of radiation of the throat, the mucositis is generally throughout the mouth and throat. It gets worse over time and peaks after the treatments are over (cause the throat is still "cooking"). It really wasn't bad at all until the hospital, but now it is as advertised. If I had never gotten sick, I am sure it wouldn't have gotten as bad as it has, but that's life.

The mucus just pours out of the mouth most of the day. Usually it just oozes out in a foamy form and it is easy to clear through spitting into a cup or tissue. I go through about 1 ½ rolls of toilet paper a day. It's annoying but really not that big a deal.

I fill up a couple of bags a day of mucus-filled toilet paper

But then there are the bad times: a really a thick mucus in the throat. As I try to cough this stuff up, sometimes it won't come up (hence dry heaves) or sometimes it comes up in rather massive quantities that are sort of amazing, sometimes with accidental vomit. People on the blogs call it “ropey mucus” because it certainly does stick together well. It is very unpleasant and these attacks have been happening two to four times a day. As the mucositis clears, it will clear. But, the mucositis doesn't tend to begin to clear for a couple of weeks after the last treatment. Again, I should start improving around July 1^st.

Beyond the toilet paper and the cup to spit in, I also have a suction machine to help clear the mucus. Whatever I use, it remains very unpleasant.

Sucking it up with my toilet paper roll always nearby...

One of the biggest problems is that food makes it worse. So, it is a powerful disincentive to eat. And, of course, I am completely uninterested in food in any case except intellectually. I don't have an appetite. But, I know that I really need to eat to rebuild my strength. This dilemma weighs on me every day. Mucus attack? or Nutrients?

Eating is really, really tedious. It takes at least an hour to eat a meal. It isn't that it hurts. It is just that I have to psych myself up for each bite. Plus, if I eat too fast, the "accidental vomit" will more likely happen.

I try to have all food eaten by around 5 pm so the mucus can calm down before I go to sleep. I generally knock myself out with a "PM pain reliever" and an Ativan. So far, I sleep through the night and haven't woken up with mucus problems at night like many people. In this way, I am quite lucky.

The reason I haven't really wanted visitors is because of the mucus attacks. I really don't want to be around anyone when I have them. (Leslie is so used to them that she is an exception, though I don't like her to see me going through it, of course.)

Sorry if this is an anti-climax. Earlier on, I had thought about taking some really gross pictures but decided that was too disgusting. I think this gives you enough information.

Anyway, the good news is I am up and about. I even mowed the lawn yesterday. So, I am getting there! Really I am. I will let you know when this part fades away. I am doing everything I can to speed recovery along but it just takes time.