Getting Well

Things are better every day. My voice is almost back to normal. Those who heard me a week ago marvel at how much stronger my voice sounds now.

I could not break a whisper until about Sept. 20 when I started to get a little bit of timber back into my voice in the mornings. By nightfall it was back to ony a whisper. Now it is strong almost all day.

The coughing still comes and goes and I cannot find any connection. Perhaps it is caused by alergies as one ENT suggested. I will be doing fine and suddenly get a throat tickle that leads to a cough that leads to harder coughing that leads to gut-wrenching coughing. It soon goes away and will not bother me again for hours -- sometimes 12 or 14 hours, sometimes just five or six.

But under any token I am feeling stronger each day. I have a followup with my radiation oncologist on Oct. 4. Can't wait to get the all-clear from him as further testimony to God's healing love.

Gaining Strength

I am getting stronger little by little. My voice is still very weak and my throat still hurst when I swallow. But the pain is less each day, and I feel stronger each day. Or almost each day. If I overdo the activity one day I am under the weather a bit the next day. So far I have ventured into Tryon for a haircut and to some friends' home in Hendersonville for dinner. The dinner trip really wore me out.

I still have coughing spells that start with a tickle in the throat, then progress into gut wrenching coughs. Medication helps but I use it only when absolutely necessary because I don't want too get addicted. It sure is good stuff, though.

Home again

As planned we started home Saturday morning Sept. 2 after a very nice breakfast with the kids and grandkids. We stopped for the night, again as planned, in Caryville, TN and went on home the next morning.

My thoat hurts and I can only speak in a whisper. My voice has no timber at all. I was able to drive about five hours on Saturday and all the way home, four hours, on Sunday.

It is really wonderful to be back hom in my very own bed.

ALL DONE!

The last treatment was at 4:45 p.m. today, Sept. 1. After it was over the ladies at the lab gave me diploma they had all signed. Very sweet of them. We start home tomorrow.
I am glad this is finally over but I will be even happier when the pain is gone, my voice is back and I have the "all-clear" from the doctors.