Parotid RT

Monday I told the nurse my ear was plugged. While I was on the table being treated she set up an appointment upstairs with a doctor. I went up and gave the receptionist my name. She looked me up on the computer and said "oh, you're in treatment". It was like rolling out a red carpet. They walked me straight into an exam room. The doctor showed up, looked in my ear and told me it was not plugged with wax, but a tube was swollen shut. He told me this is common with head and neck radiation patients and it should clear itself up after the treatments end. It's not painful, I'm simply deaf in that ear. In extreme cases, they will put a tube in.

All in all, these radiation treatments are not as bad as I had anticipated. I had imagined myself struggling to drive home each day and possibly staying over at a hotel some nights. One of the nurses had signed me up for the Hope House my first week. But the fact is, I'm not tired and the radiation actually seems to energize me each day. I couldn't take a nap if I tried.

So I'm getting off easy. The doctor told me my skin would not get any worse. I'm simply a little red, lost a little hair behind my ear, my beard stopped growing, and my taste is gone. I'll post some pictures after my last treatment.

My last treatment is this coming Monday and the doctor has set up a follow up appointment one month from my last treatment. Giddy up.