Reflection 31: Declaration of War!
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, ('Pele'), May 2006
Yes, the great Brazilian, Pele. He is probably the best soccer / football player the world has ever produced. He scored with this thought.
With people as in the affairs of nations, there are times of peace, progress and a sense of direction. In darker times, there is only war, turmoil and a sense of lost direction. To an outsider the signs are few; for the war is within self. We chose when to be happy; when to be complacent and when to throw caution to the wind and take up arms and fight the invader.
My personal War on Dry Mouth is declared.
Simply put, I hate eating because of Dry Mouth. I prefer not too eat, thank you very much.
Consequently, I have not been eating enough protein. Best nutritional practices suggests that for an adult Canadian male recovering from radiation treatment up to 95 grams of protein daily is needed in this phase of the war against my type of cancer. That is a lot. Protein is needed to rebuild cells that have been maliciously and indiscriminately denatured or outright slaughtered by either cancer and / or radiation.
I confess. I don't eat enough because I don't like to eat anymore. That has not always been the case. Prior to my operation on 2 June, I enjoyed eating as much as anyone else. As an older person, it became one of the few simpler pleasures left in life. My dear old mom always said, "Wukong has always been a 'good' eater." That was her euphemism for he ate too much. One of my favourite expressions: You can call me whatever you want, just don't call me late for dinner! Ah yes, there was nothing like a good meal.
Not anymore. Now, eating is akin to cajoling a 16-month old to eat Brussels Sprouts for the first time because...because...it is 'good' for the little darling. To me, food is tasteless. It is unappealing because my dry mouth feels like cotton baton and my tastebuds have yet to recover (if they ever will) from the Radiation. After 5 months, the jury is still out on that one.
Dry mouth is turning out to be my Achilles Heel in my recovery campaign. Silly me! In my misguided logic I thought my 'problem child' would be my right ear, or the absence of hearing on that side. But it is not!
Allow me a moment to explain. My brain ceases to amaze me. I mean, when I woke from my surgery by the shrill voice of a Health Care Worker ("Time to wake up Wukong! I have given you an extra 15 minutes sleep!"), I was very much aware of the loss of equilibrium that loosing one of my ears created. Sound was lopsided. So it should. Not realizing it at the time, I was now categorized as a deaf-on-one-side person. I walked around for at least two or three weeks trying to live in this fashion. I think that even my head was cocked to the right. Then something marvellous happened. My brain adapted.
My brain managed to rewire itself. It corrected the equilibrium. Now, I actually have to think about it to understand that I am indeed deaf-on-one-side. What an amazing organ that it can actually do such a thing. Oh if only I could reproduce that formula, capture it in a bottle and label it 'Amazing Learning Formula,' (No, not Snake Oil. That label has been tried many times.), I would be a very rich man. Indeed.
So what about this Dry Mouth Syndrome (called hyposaliviation or xerostomia)?
I struggle...and grumble. On some occasions I want to simply scream. I am exasperated too often than not.
Oh I have gathered some weapons against Dry Mouth.
0- Sipping water.
0- Crockpot dishes.
0- Smoothies. Many tell me about this one. However, I have found that it takes longer to clean the blender than it does to enjoy the smoothie. That alone persuades me not to bother.
0- Sugarless gum.
0- Sugarless candy. To date, a favourite.
0- Acupuncture. Well, maybe. I have not talked to anyone about this one.
All take time and effort. All are contrary to my normal behavioural pattern. I hate change. (A normal behavioural response.) So the search goes on. What I am really interested in is finding an acceptable stimulus for the little saliva I am generating. I have taken to starting a list of foods that help according to the rules that I have set for myself.
Don't get me wrong. Research is fun! I am an academic. I enjoy it. My next two research options are to:
0- talk to my General Practitioner to see about drugs that may be better than over-the-counter types that stimulate the production of saliva. The commercial brand that I have been trying is not too effective. It is a very short-lived solution. And
0- Discuss this problem with a person who understands Eastern medicine and perhaps acupuncture. (Western medicine does not have a monopoly or corner on health and wellbeing. Wrapped in their chauvinism, Westerners just think they do.)
In the meantime, I will be concentrating very hard on what is really happening when I do eat. This will help me develop a strategy. Also, I must keep searching and grumble (quietly) about the cotton baton in my mouth.
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