Doctors, Doctors Everywhere

It is 8 PM and Ernie and I are both propped up in the bed exhausted.  We got up at 5:45 AM so that Ernie could "eat" and we could be at the hospital by 7:15.  He started with a blood draw followed by an MRI with and without contrast, an appointment with his surgeon, an appointment with his medical oncologist, an appointment with his radiation oncologist, more blood drawn for a research study on scleroderma and, finally, an appointment with his scleroderma doctor.  Whew!

Here is what we learned:
1.  Ernie's white counts are still low so he must continue to "be careful."  This means wearing a mask on airplanes, and continuing to stay away from sick people. 
2.  The MRI was encouraging.  It is very early for this test because Ernie still has a lot of swelling which can "light up" like cancer on the MRI.  While there were some spots that did light up, there were no obvious masses.  Also, Ernie's lymph nodes--where the cancer had metastasized--were back down to the normal range in size.  The definitive test--a PET/CT--will be on January 30.
3.  The thrush was less apparent and may be gone.  The doctors took a culture to see for sure, In the meantime, Ernie will stay on the antibiotic.
4.  The exterior of his neck healed extremely well.  However, his lymphatic system was damaged by the radiation.  This is common and presents itself as externally visible water retention in the throat and neck.. There are therapists that specialize in this area so we are to look for someone locally to help us.  This condition usually resolves in about 6 months. 
5.  The interior of Ernie's throat is still swollen but the open sores have healed.  Although he still has swelling and a lot of mucous, the doctors said Ernie can start to recline more when he sleeps.  For more than three months he has had to sleep siting completely upright.  He can now recline as much as he wants as long as he keeps his head above his heart and doesn't choke.  If he chokes, he needs to sit  more upright until he finds the point where he no longer chokes. 
6.  Ernie can start exercising again. He will be working on strengthening his neck and back, which suffered from his forced sleeping position. 
7.  The chemo drugs seemed to keep the scleroderma at bay as the oncologists thought they would.  Now that the chemo drugs are being purged from Ernie's system, he is experiencing the return of some symptoms, especially swelling in his hands.  The scleroderma doctor told Ernie to monitor his skin and blood pressure and to alert her immediately to any changes.

On another positive note, Ernie continues to add new foods to his repertoire daily.  Today he ate a large bowl of clam chowder and declared that parsley tasted like parsley. This is excellent news especially considering that many people don't get their taste buds back for six months or more.