Almost 5 yr survival

Jackflash22,

And a nice howdy-do-to-you.  I always like it when some of my original gang make an appearance.  I would like to know how everyone is doing, but that is not in the cards or the stars or the H&N member playbook. That is alright, enough of the ones I know do check in and it brings a smile to my face.  I am sorry for the rough road you ended up on, but I am happy that you are ok with the way things are (if you are not ok, tell me and I will correct my post).  It may not be as important to others, but I really like to hear the stories each of the H&N member carries (or drags) along with them.  It is beneficial to me as well as to the new members, who often think they are alone in the nightmare we call H&N cancer.  I agree, I don’t dwell on cancer, but I like to help the new members get their feet  under them and the basic questions I can answer and leave the more complicated ones for their doctor or a H&N member with more experience than I do.

Take off your shoes and try and relax, you are in the Cured Zone.  I have been here a year, it is nice, but I still wonder about life. (Once bitten, twice shy)

Matt

Great news and thanks for your inspiring story.. Thank you. Bill

That was so nice to read. I too am October.  The Oct. 2nd will be my 5 year.  So glad to see your post.

Bill  Oct 2,2013

Wow! So many on the 5 year team! The rest of us are looking forward to joining you. 

jackflash22 said:

Nutrabullet

I use a nutrabullet blender. I make myself what I call milkshakes with ambrosia creamed milk pudding, 1 can a day, half a can peaches, 1 baby rusk, raw newly laid egg, iron+vitimins crushed and top it up with hot water. It's like a hot rich beverage drink. I love it. I have coffees during the day with complan mixed in. I drink tea as is and can crunch lotus biscotti biscuits as they dissolve immediately I sip the tea..the only solid thing I can eat.  It stings my mouth but love the crunch. I started off with my weight 5 years ago at 11st. i Lost weight rapidly...I was on a peg tube and ensure,  after my oesophagus was reopened I got rid of the peg tube, by then I weighed 8st. I've kept that weight for about 4 and a half years, I try to gain a bit of weight cos I look too thin but I can't gain weight but I'm not losing it either. I'm healthy, energetic, don't drink...can't...yukky. don't smoke haven't for forty years. All in all I feel as normal as I did before the cancers. Difference is I don't socialise unless I have to. I'm happy in my own company, my hobbies are painting. Sewing, OOAK fabric doll making, gardening, walking my mini dachshund, I'm very happy. There's life after all the dreadful treatment, just a different direction. Whatever you make it.

Jackie, it sounds like your NutriBullet is working well for you.  I would, however, like to suggest that if you would like to enjoy a greater variety of smoothie meals, that you experiment with the NutriBullet Rx, which is the model (probably their most powerful) that I  use, as I mentioned, when I eat, so to speak, in restaurants.  It does a great job of blending anything that you put into it within 3 minutes, heating the food up in the process.  I always use milk to blend anything that I am eating from waffles to steak, and even salads. I put portions of everything that would be on my plate into the pitcher with some milk and lettt'er rip; seasoning to taste of course. If you are interested in gaining some weight, eating regular meals blended might help, and the blended meals are all so tasty.  Las night I had a delicious takeout meal from a Cuban restaurant of shrimp, rice, black beans, yuca, plantains, with sweet peas from home added for my greenery.  So, I encourage you to check it out for some tasty, nutritious fun.

I also encourage you to get back out there and socialize, if as it sounds, like you did pre beast wars.  After my wars, I was hesitant for a few years to do my PEG tubing in public, but I eventually got the the point of say'in (to me) Just Do It, oh wait, that was hmmmmm who said that before?, and I haven't looked back since, or around when I was tubing, which I did for 11 years.   As I've talked about, probably ad nausium, I am an outdoor activity enthusiast in the world of hiking, camping, backpacking, biking, canoeing, etc. I belong to the Florida Trail Association, Happy Hoofers Chapter, which is a like minded and spirited group that engages in all of these activities, and it is for me, a wonderful experience. I enjoy being out in the wild period, but I enjoy it even more when I am sharing it with kindred spirits, and then there is the conversation, stories, and comeraderie (spelling, who knows, not me) that goes along with it.  We did a 5 miler in Big Cypress yesterday which was beautiful; hiking through a variety of prairie, mixed hammock, and cypress domes all dry until the summer rainy season starts in a couple of days, to a small, scenic, 60 foot deep lake, created by a sinkhole in the limestone topography.  I might mention, so I will, that as I am missing almost all of my tongue, and being a laryngectomy, I am not able to participate in the conversations as I would like to, but I listen, and write on my Boogie Board LCD tablet, so that I am still enjoying the experience of being a part of it all.  Thus, I encourage you to give socializing an experimental try and see how it goes; you may be surprised in many ways.  If I am mistaken about your pre-beast socializing, please disregard all of the above.  Lastly, as always, Keep It Mov'in Forward!  With Love and Smiles,

Patrick