DIET

I've been on the chemo diet a little over two months.
Came in at 164 lbs. at my doctor's office today.

This all started when they took out my tonsils on April 1st. I weighed close to 190 lbs. then. So I've dropped about 25 lbs. And the drawers are a droopin'. None of my pants fit.

I didn't want to lose 25. Sure, maybe 5 or 10. But I'm scared to think what my Mom will say when I see her next month. She thought I looked thin at 190.
And I'm tired of being hungry. I've been mildly to moderately hungry most every day since April 1st. This must be what it feels like to be Keira Knightley.

Here's pretty much how it goes:
- I eat like a horse my first two days in the hospital.
- The final two days I'm slightly nauseated and everything smells bad. I force down what I can.
- The first three/four days I'm out of the hospital everything tastes like a big pile of salt. I eat a little, but hate the fact nothing tastes like it should. Except potatoes. Potatoes taste like they should.
- Then my tatste buds recover, but I can have other problems. For instance, the drugs made me constipated after my first round of chemo. I think it was the first time I had ever been stopped up in my life. It was rough. I couldn't eat much of anything for days.
- After my third round, I had sores in the back of my mouth. This is a very common side effect. The back of my mouth was so swollen I could barely open my mouth wide enought to eat.
- After my fourth round (currently), I have sores on the side of my tongue. So everythime I swallow or talk, the sores rub against my teeth. It's worse than you would think.
- Then I feel good for a few days, before they send me back into the hospital to start the cycle all over again.

Only I'm done. No more chemo scheduled. Which means, while I'm sitting here starving while I write this, looking forward to my liquid lunch.. I will be eating like a horse in a few days. And I won't have to worry about any impending nausea, salt-mouth, constipation or sores.

I just need to heal quickly. I'm driving home next week. And if I can't enjoy a giant shrimp po-boy while I'm on the coast, I'm gonna be extremely cranky.