Normally when I sit down to write a post, I look back at the last one to see if there is anything to update. It is quite interesting to just see how things have changed between posts. This time, I'm just going to wing it.
Over recent weeks I've noticed a potentially alarming change in my eating habits. For many months now I've been eating my 3 meals a day and have felt satisfied after each one. Of late, I'm still feeling hungry after my meals and looking for snacks. So, why the change? I'm not doing any additional exercise that would justify the increased appetite, so why am I still hungry?
Hot on the heels of this increase in appetite, I've noticed my jeans seem a little looser than normal. So after a quick trip to the bathroom scales, it seems my weight has dropped another 1-2 kg. I've mentioned before the variations in weight that can occur depending on the time of day you chose to weigh yourself, but this current loss is based on weighing myself at the same time of day.
Eighteen months ago I'd have been happy to have this dilemma - eating more and losing weight. But that was pre-cancer, and now I'm mindful of any and all changes in my body.
At the April clinic appointment Mr Hamilton raised the issue of thyroid changes as a result of the treatments, so now I'm wondering if this explains the current situation.
After both the April and July clinics, I had blood tests to monitor the thyroid levels (April was the base level and July was the comparison) and have heard nothing from the medics to indicate there is anything wrong, but does that just mean the change has only recently kicked in? Or is there something else at play?
I don't want to jump to conclusions or speculate, so logic says it would be prudent to talk to somebody about this. There arises the next little issue.
My next clinic appointment isn't until late October, and Tatiana is on leave until the end of this month, so getting her input is a couple of weeks away. Yes, I could go and see another doctor, but that would mean talking to somebody who isn't across all the history, so I'd rather wait for Tatiana to return than deal with all of that.
Between now and then, I'll just continue to keep an eye on things.
Oh, and did you notice there is now an email notification option on this blog? If you sign up for this, you should get an email whenever I add a new post.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Right is Might
One thing that I keep forgetting to mention when I talk about the changes I've undergone, and the adjustments I've had to make, relates to my eating habits.
I'm not talking about what I eat, but more how I eat. Yes, the limited jaw movement alters how I tackle food, yes the saliva issues affect what I can eat, yes the lack of wisdom teeth means I tend to eat more "centrally" to avoid the gaps left behind, but the biggest change is my dependence/preference to eat with the right hand side of my mouth.
The radiotherapy concentrated on the left hand side of my head, after all it was the left tonsil that was causing trouble, so it is therefore logically the side that has suffered the most "collateral damage".
While I have previously commented on the partial "recovery" (that might be too strong a word, but I'll take every little improvement I can) of the saliva, in reality all the activity appears to be on the right hand side. The left side is undoubtedly still the poor cousin and it is very much an effort to eat on that side, in comparison to the right.
I've been quite happily ignoring this favouritism for some time, but over recent days, the reality finally hit me. Since the "revelation" I've been making a conscious effort to try and use the left side of my mouth more, but honestly, it is a real effort and will take quite some time and perseverance to see if I can make it a viable option.
Being left handed (making the right side of my brain dominant apparently) I therefore find it somewhat ironic that I'm now relying so heavily on the right side of my body for something quite important.
Just goes to prove what a truly wonderful machine the human body is. In my case, it has sort of rewired things to overcome a fault, and while it isn't a perfect solution from a "user interface" perspective, you just can't deny it is pretty damn effective.
I'm not talking about what I eat, but more how I eat. Yes, the limited jaw movement alters how I tackle food, yes the saliva issues affect what I can eat, yes the lack of wisdom teeth means I tend to eat more "centrally" to avoid the gaps left behind, but the biggest change is my dependence/preference to eat with the right hand side of my mouth.
The radiotherapy concentrated on the left hand side of my head, after all it was the left tonsil that was causing trouble, so it is therefore logically the side that has suffered the most "collateral damage".
While I have previously commented on the partial "recovery" (that might be too strong a word, but I'll take every little improvement I can) of the saliva, in reality all the activity appears to be on the right hand side. The left side is undoubtedly still the poor cousin and it is very much an effort to eat on that side, in comparison to the right.
I've been quite happily ignoring this favouritism for some time, but over recent days, the reality finally hit me. Since the "revelation" I've been making a conscious effort to try and use the left side of my mouth more, but honestly, it is a real effort and will take quite some time and perseverance to see if I can make it a viable option.
Being left handed (making the right side of my brain dominant apparently) I therefore find it somewhat ironic that I'm now relying so heavily on the right side of my body for something quite important.
Just goes to prove what a truly wonderful machine the human body is. In my case, it has sort of rewired things to overcome a fault, and while it isn't a perfect solution from a "user interface" perspective, you just can't deny it is pretty damn effective.
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