Tuesday we went back for another session of physical therapy on my neck. The therapist was the owner of the facility rather than the 20-question tech I usually have. The guy was really strong, and where he worked, it was a deep massage--almost painful. But he's afraid to work on the shoulder or on the back for fear of activating tumor cells, so although the therapy may help a little, it doesn't cover as much as I'd like. I've worn a neck brace several hours a day for over a month now. I can't turn my head, having to turn my whole body, slowly, instead. I'll do a few more sessions of therapy, but that should be enough.
I have kept thinking that as much running around in the car as we do, one of these days... And Tuesday was the day that a very elderly farmer decided to rear end us. I can't say he ran over to the scene of the accident, but he hurried as fast as he could because he didn't want us to file a police report. He was too late. He also was hoping he could convince the police that this was an old dent. The police weren't having any of his story. Luckily, no one was injured and the damage was minor, but a collision and the complications that follow weren't what we needed at that point. The police were efficient and courteous, and my earlier fears about what treatment Mohamed could expected were unfounded.
Yesterday, it was a time for a return visit to Topeka Ear, Nose, and Throat. Of all the doctors and facilities we have gone to over the last six years, this is our least favorite, and they are the least courteous. They always act as if we are an imposition and they don't really have time to finish a consultation with us but need to rush off to someone else. But my ear had continued to drain more than it should, and my hearing in the left ear was damaged. We had a new doctor, but the old ways continued. By now, the drain had come loose, so he just left it out. He vacuumed a lot of mushy stuff, and then suddenly just quit and said to come back in two weeks. It's still draining this morning. I have drops that soften the mess. But there's a bizarre feeling, and nothing much seems to have changed. None of the other doctors or specialists act concerned, and Mohamed was feeling extremely frustrated in that no one seemed interested in putting the pieces to all these problems together--if indeed they do.
After that unsatisfactory appointment, we killed time with a Heath Bar Blizzard from Dairy Queen (me, not my more virtuous partner) before heading to an appointment with Dr. Hashmi, just for a consultation. Weighing in, I had lost nearly 20 pounds. The last time I had such a result, the fault was with the scale; this time, my appearance indicates that I really have lost the weight. But as always, Dr. Hashmi was pleased as the tumors have not grown or found new homes. The primary cancer looked stable. And then we began going through all the small problems that have made my life difficult--from the runny ears (they're still running) to bone pains to a month-long stiff neck. We could adjust this, tinker with that. Was I depressed? We could add an anti-depressive. But I wasn't really all things considered, so we'll postpone that for a while.
Then I could see that Dr. Hashmi was getting ready to bring things to a close and that Mohamed wasn't prepared to do so yet. So he began asking more questions about how the pieces converged. Wasn't there a pattern to at lease some of the symptoms? And then Mohamed asked me to stick my tongue out, and we had an aha! moment. I have a deviated tongue, and try to treat this fact with some respect, not with snickering. And it's deviated to the left. As are all other ear, nose, and throat symptoms. I'm having trouble with too much saliva, and my speech is sometimes slurred. The most likely cause is a small stroke, or a series of strokes. (Having trouble speaking for someone who talked for a living is very strange.) More serious would be a metastasis of the cancer into the brain. But it does seem there is a connection between my brain and the scattered symptoms that have made the last few months so difficult. And just pressing, pressing your doctor as Mohamed did can finally pay off. Next Wednesday, I'll have a two-hour MRI on my brain and neck.
The revelation was obviously not good, yet in some ways it's good to know what's going on rather than just treading water in a slough of uncertainty.
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