Ow Redux

Okay radiation is becoming a serious pain in the neck, seriously. I haven't gotten a sunburn or any discernable symptoms on the outside of my neck, but the pain on the inside is just ridiculous. Rather than a normal sore throat, think of a massive canker sore running from the top of your mouth down to the base of your throat. Then pour lava on it. That's about where I am.

For this I'm on a pretty heavy regimen of Tylenol with Codeine, and "Magic Mouthwash," which is a concoction of equal parts Maalox (it coats, and counteracts acidic irritation), Benadryl (as an anti-inflammatory and mucous/goo reducer), Lidocaine (which is sweet sweet numbing relief), and Nystatin (which I'd never heard of but Google tells me is anti-Fungal. Gross, I don't know why I haven't learned to stop Googling these things).

With "Magic" in the title you'd think the stuff would work better.

The good news is that this condition is about the best diet you can hope for. Basically if it involves chewing, or has any discernable flavor, it's out, so I'm subsisting on yogurt and water. I'm really hoping this will help me shed the 'roid weight packed on during chemo.

The bad news is that sleeping is a challenge with a burning inferno in your throat, and OF COURSE another major side effect of radiation is fatigue, so I'm basically a zombie 24/7. Codeine really helps with that too.