One Step Forward, One Step Back

This sore mouth business is not much fun. I have adapted by drinking my meals, since my tongue is so sensitive, even icing sugar feels granular. So all is not lost, and it is forcing us to be creative about what I eat - I mean drink. At left a picture of my Jack LaLanne Juicer.

A friend sent me some information about the benefits of asparagus for cancer patients, and I have since taken asparagus everyday as one of my meals. Apparently the asparagus has to be cooked, so to make things easier for my personal cooks, Chris and Christelle, we are using canned asparagus. They put the contents of the can in the blender and it creates a rather thick fluid. They mix 4 tablespoons of this asparagus juice and chicken stock, heat it up a little, and then I drink it. It is delicious, always provided you like asparagus, of course. I have also discovered I can eat cheese wedges. It is smooth enough that it does not hurt my tongue. Other cheeses do, so I am very thankful for creamy cheese wedges.

So much for the forward steps. Initially, my doctor gave me something they call the miracle mouthwash. It deadens the mouth, but I think I told you before, if I eat right after taking the miracle, I can't taste anything. Then they said perhaps I have a yeast infection, and prescribed a medication designed to heal candidiasis or yeast infection. For a week or so it seemed to help, although it really burned my mouth when I swished and swallowed. Then yesterday, I started throwing up everything I ate, and being the good, informed patient that I am, I read the materials about the medication onnline, and found that this medication can cause nausea as a side effect. A phone call to the doctor, and now I should discontinue this yeast medication.

They also prescribed a third medication to counteract possible ulcers. Usually they use it for patients with stomach ulcers, who are to swish and swallow for ulcer relief. I should just swish and spit, not swish and swallow, because I might have ulcers in my mouth, definitely not in my stomach.

The Mystery of the Sore Mouth is a saga that will no doubt continue, and I will keep the story going. I hope it ends after another episode or two, but there is no denying that it might, just might become a soap opera that carries on and on and on. It seems the doctors don't really know and are making educated guesses.

I sure hope their guesses are educated.

In the meantime, the juicer is running and Chris tells me I am to have peach-carrot-apple juice for lunch, with a triangle of creamy swiss cheese. Yum!