Hair Cut (again)

This is my last weekend before I return to work, and I had my friend Omar cut my hair again, as he was the one who gave me the buzz cut initially way back when I started treatment.  I started to actually get a weird half mullet in the back- it was time.

 Before then after.

As my oncology nurse said to me last time I was a few weeks ago:

Nurse: ... hey it's Dennis!  I hardly recognized you with hair!

Me:  That's because I have eyebrows now.

My hair at my radiation bald spot is JUST starting to grow some fuzz back there- so in about a month or so it should be back to growing normally.  It was the area that got the brunt of the radiation, which takes about 4 months to grow back.

For haircut payment I made mint juleps.  Luckily it was one of the 15 or so actually nice sunny days in Seattle.

They might be a little nervous with me gone 40 hours a week... or maybe glad I'm not there all the time- I can't tell.

Clean Bill of Health + Return to Work

I had my final treatment related doctors visit last week, which my doctor told me "I don't think there's anything wrong with you now."  Which is pretty good news.  I still have to be monitored for the next 5 years carefully, to be sure the cancer doesn't return- which is unlikely.  Although I have to have a PET or CT scan every 6 months for the next 2 years, and once a year for the 3 years after that.  Then at the 5 year mark, I get to announce that I'm "cured."  Only 4 1/2 more years to go for that one.


I'm running about at 95% capacity right now.:

• My lungs have recovered and are strong again.  
• About 98% of my taste is back.  I still have a slight dry mouth, which should get better sometime in the next 3-9 months slowly.
• Almost all of my fatigue is gone, although I get winded pretty easily.
• No longer have dulled tingling in my feet from nerve damage from chemo.
• I have a full mustache now.  The beard on my right side is just now starting to grow back.
• STILL have a huge bald patch on the back of my head, which should start to sprout hair some time in the next 2 weeks hopefully.
• Fingernails are growing a full speed along with the rest of my hair.
• I'm ALMOST done peeling in the areas where I got radiation.
• I have to use sun screen on the areas where I had radiation, pretty much forever now- as that area is more susceptible to skin cancer.
• Neck muscles are still sore and inflamed from radiation.  This will go away in the next 3-9 months.
• I'm due for a hair trim soon.
• Teeth... are not so good.

I'm pretty sure I have an abscessed tooth unfortunately, from radiation.  Radiation does a number on the teeth, and dry mouth doesn't help.  The radiation also changes the composition of saliva for quite a long time as well (again 3-9 more months hopefully), so it's not the best environment for teeth. I most likely will need a crown or an implant for that tooth (!), and lots of little repairs to existing teeth on the side of my face that got the treatment.  My teeth like myself, didn't like getting radiated.  My dentist will love collecting my insurance money when I get the work done.  Hopefully I can get it scheduled before I return to work.

I return to work July 1st!  I need to attend new employee orientation (which I normally give).

Wendy and I celebrated her birthday with a hike to Mt. Rainier.  It was... slow, and pretty short, as I was winded quickly, but still a hike. Sitting and laying on ass for 8 months during treatment didn't help my hiking regiment.  To be fair I hadn't hiked since last September, and I did have cancer.

I have hair (and eyebrows).  Just don't look at the back of my head for a few more weeks.