Hi Gary,

The concert was great!  I can't believe how good he is at 67.  I'm not sure about Brighton.

The coast road there was a traffic jam all day. Even on Sunday, and prices for hotels and

meals somewhat expensive.

Its nice to think that almost all the people on this thread will be back to good health, relatively

speaking by christmas.

Next week we go to a book sale held by the local cancer support group. They themselves are well supported

by the ex-pat community. I am not involved as I am hard to understand .

Colin

Colin hes a legend like you mate! Get up to Scouseland kidder! Hotels not cheap any more mind you!

Hi all,

Just wanted to pop on here to say hello and that I'm now up to 20.5 mins of exercise per week now during my Energise course to help fatigue! Chuffed with that! I had a birthday recently and managed to eat out a couple of times to celebrate and have a few drinks which definitely helped the weight increase but weight seems to have gone back down again now. Still stuck at six stone 1. I was eating something recently (can't remember what it was) and realised I was eating something that I never would have dreamed of eating only a couple of months ago. I do have a question though....if people ask any of you "what can you eat?" or "what can't you eat?" Or "can you eat normally now?" (these questions have been the bane of my life for a few months now) what do you say? How do you answer? I find it difficult to sum up my dietary requirements without going into great detail, which sometimes I don't want to do. For example, I can't eat anything spicy or dry or 'bitty' as in rice, sweet corn, cereal, and everything also has to be the right consistency so I find it difficult to answer such questions.

Simon, so pleased you managed to enjoy a holiday, it must have boosted your confidence, I know my confidence has taken a bashing and I feel anxious about going places since being ill. I tried the deli boxes, I enjoyed the cheesy pasta one. Also got a blender recently and have been making fruit smoothies which is great as I can't manage to eat any fruit now. I must make some cheese sauce too, it goes with so many things, well done to your wife for doing that for you. Did you have any ice creams on your holiday? I can't have ice cream, just can't taste it anymore which is annoying. I've commented on Vatch's thread too, he would have for the results by now, I hope all is well for him.

Guzzle, you always sound so chirpy, glad to hear all ok with you. I did search you on FB but couldn't find you there were too many of you! Lucky Colin getting away for the winter, but he deserves it after all he's been through. How have you found being back at work? I start next week.

Another question for you all...have any of you suffered with hearing loss since the radiotherapy? Although my radiotherapy was to my mouth and throat/neck, my right ear would have been in the firing line and I was warned of tinnitus, which I was lucky enough to escape, but a hearing test today revealed quite a degree of hearing loss compared to before the cancer treatment. I now have to see my GP with the results who I was told may refer me to ENT. I laughed and said I am already well known at the ENT clinic!

Speak soon,

Nicola xx

Hi Nicola

Good to hear that you are enjoying the fitness stuff although at 6 stone you had better be careful on thosw windy days

Im going backwards and forwards with food at the moment ... its not helped by having the biopsy on my tongue..... but I am back on the blasted PEG as i just can not get anything down at the mo ... too sore ... I m hungry, starving infact, but for what i don't know ... oh i know i would love a cheese and pickle sandwich, but i know i would not be able to eat it ... and thats beginning to annoy me

no news from my biopsy yet either

as for hearing my hearing has got more sensitive, but i also get tinitus in my right ear, the right hand side of my face took most of the radio therapy

But i have one question for you all ... i have really bad paind on the right side of my face, i though i had an infection, but when i mentioned it on my review this week, the told me it was the nerve endings regenerating themselves ... made me feel like Dr Who .... did any of you have such pains

Nic try to pm your name and Ill search. Gary Jones is a common name which is appropriate really for a common chap. Glad you and Vatch on mend. I can eat anything except very spicy. Been lucky thus far. Had scan results. Only 3/4 had downloaded and that bit looked OK. Quack noted chest and shoulder muscle getting back.Still 13 st 7 from 15 5. Cant run as far or fast yet but up to 10 k. Good on a bike as feel light as a feather. Done my UDT refresher last week and could tell that whilst functional still weaker than before. But still here - lite version. Tough to put weight on run most days, cycle weekends, eat like horse. Avoid weights as I dud have tendency to bulk up but may go back. At Harrogate treatment centre w/c 3 nov for another week intensive fuzz, gym, cycling, bleep tests, comp therapies, protein and possibly guiness. There. Mon ti Fri so if anyone fancies trip to Harrogate Ill buy you a beer!

.                yours, Scouse Weakling.

Nic, Im like 2 of u and feel skinny!

Hi all,

Good to hear from you, Nicola. In relation to your question about what to tell people about eating.... I agree that it can get tedious and so my stock answer is that the list of stuff I can't eat is longer that the list of stuff that I can. If I go any further I just tend to say that I can't do anything crunchy, or with spice or black pepper and that I can't take bread or chicken. I then say that I also can't do sweet stuff. By this stage most people have either fallen asleep or walked off, so problem solved.....

I didn't have any ice cream on holiday because I just can't taste it - my wife makes up for me though and if we go to any functions where they dish up puddings or the like, she has mine!

I can associate myself with your weight situation. I used to be just over 12 stone and I'm now 10.2. I put it down to having obviously lost weight during treatment and then the significant change in diet since then, especially no bread, curry or sweet stuff, which has meant that the weight hasn't gone back on. I've now assumed that it won't and so I'm slowly replacing my clothes for smaller sizes - I've gone from a 34" waist to 30" and my suits look huge on me. Because I used to run a lot everyone thought I was skinny in the first place - heaven knows what they think now. I'll really start to worry if I get down to your weight!

In relation to hearing, I did have a slight whistling in my ears but that seems to have gone. Not sure if my hearing has degraded but I haven't noticed any issues. My local Boots was doing free hearing tests so I may get that done out of interest.

Vatch, the face pain is a new one one me. I have had some dental-type pain in various areas of my mouth over the last year but these seem to have cleared up on their own. My neck does feel strange still - I would describe it as a dead, tight or numb feeling around the area of my thyroid gland - it's not an issue for me though.

One slight piece of positive news is that my saliva situation seems to have very slightly improved. I only sip water once or twice at night now as opposed to every 90 minutes or so. Mind you, I only sleep for around 4 to 5 hours on most nights.

Well done, Guzzle, for your exercise routine - you always have been the active one!

Take care everyone.

Simon.

Simon its sometimes a struggle to force myself. Just on train to Birmingham and struggled to get up! Coffee works! Had ringing in ears during treatment but it went. As regards neck tightness found massage helps as do stretches.

Hi All,

Vatch,  I have not heard of anyone having pain after surgury.  They cut into the front of my jaw

then on round the inside of my jawline and then downwards to the bottom of my neck.

The righthand side of my mouth and jaw still feel numb as though I have been to the dentists,

but no pain. I have a lump on my neck where the fluid cannot get past the scar tissue but it

is painless.  I have never had a problem with the PEG, it allows you to get nutrition without

eating.  I never feel hungry and my wife sometimes has to remind me to feed. I used to love

food and wine and my wife is an ace cook.

Simon, like you I lost 2 stone (13 to 11) but I had been working too hard to find the time to take exercise

and now feel better for it. Like you I am deafer since the RT but this may be just be advancing years.

I still sometimes have a dry mouth have a spray I use prior to running. I inhale through my nose to try

to retain moisture in my mouth when running.

Gary, 10K a champion!   When younger and competing I only ran 10miles most days.  Keep it up it

can only do you good. I found I lost a lot of muscle after three weeks in hospital.  My calves were

wrinkled as though I was old. The idea!!

Nic,  Being retired and not having the pressures of a job made it a lot easier for me. I can't imagine

what it must be like to have sole resposibility for a young daughter.   It must be such a relief now that

your future and hers are assured.

Colin