mumps

Having RAI is a lot like having a new baby. You have to force fluids when you're nursing, so you're constantly drinking and peeing. Same deal with the RAI, only moreso. Moreso to the point where I woke up every two hours last night just so I could go to the bathroom -- the broken sleep is another point of similarity. Then I sucked on some Altoids and chugged 16 oz of water before falling back to sleep again. I went to bed about 12ish, woke up 2ish, 4ish, and 6ish and felt absolutely wrecked, so at 6 I gave myself a break and didn't drink all 16oz, and I slept until about 9:30 or so, although I did drift up to the surface when I heard the morning hustle out there.

Since there was absolutely nothing I could do to help, I just let myself go back to sleep.

In that last 3 hours of sleep, all the glands under my chin have swollen up. Yeppers, I'm one of the lucky ones that gets a mumps-like reaction. I'm not surprised, but man, it hurts! It's like TMJ only worse. Every time I open my mouth, tenderness announces itself unpleasantly all along the jawline and behind the joint itself. Ow. I'll have to scout out some Motrin when I foray into the kitchen for breakfast. I can't eat for another half-hour or so because I woke up so late to take my anti-biotic, but that's OK because I'm not hungry anyway, having been swilling candy and water all night long.

I'm about 100% sure that there is more cancer in those nodes, so I'm hoping that the swelling means the RAI is getting in there and kicking some butt. My salivaries are still working great, which is good news. The NucMed dr (Dr L from here on out, I'm tired of typing that out) stressed how important it is to keep flushing them the first day, so I've got to keep up that regimen as much as I can stand today.

It ain't easy. I can see why they'd keep people in the hospital for this, although if I had nurses bullying me to drink and then to pee and eat my candies and whatnot, I would probably want to cry. As it is I've been teetering on the brink but haven't fallen over yet. Wearing my retainer is helping protect the roof of my mouth, so I think I'll keep it in between meals, at least until my mouth heals.

Well, I should see about breakfast. And ibuprofen!