Blue masking tape

I haven't updated in a week or so.  Some things are slowly improving, while others stay the same.  One thing is for certain; this is going to be a long recovery.

In the last post, I talked about "dry mouth".  Not being one to sit around and wait for something to change, I took matters into my own hands to solve the dry mouth issue.  This came in the form of a six inch piece of blue masking tape.  Yes, I decided to tape my mouth shut while I was sleeping.

Before retiring to bed for the night, I made sure that my sinuses were as clear as could be.  I blew out whatever would, then sprayed the nasal decongestant into both nostrils.  By the time I hit the pillow, I was breathing freely through my nose.  I securely taped my mouth shut, and quickly fell asleep.

I woke up six hours later, mouth still taped shut, and moist as can be.  My sinuses were just starting to clog up, but six hours of sleep, and a normal mouth, sure felt like a victory to me.

I went through the same routine the second night.  This time I woke up after four hours, which was a little disappointing.  Sinuses were already starting to clog up.  I went ahead and got up, sprayed the nostrils a second time, and went back to sleep.

The third night, I woke up after only two hours of sleep, gasping for air as my sinuses quickly clogged up.  To be honest with you, it scared the heck out of me.  Waking up in a panic, desperately trying to rip the tape from my mouth, for a split second thinking, "Is this how I am going to die?"  How would my grandkids, Quinn and Joe explain their grandfather's demise?  "He taped his mouth shut before he went to bed, and he suffocated."  "Why did he do that?" they would be asked countless times.  "I don't know." would only leave the inquiring person asking more questions.  Eventually, they would simply say, "He died of old age" and leave it at that.

I've given up on the tape idea, and consoled myself to the fact that I'm going to have to wait this one out until it heals on it's own.

I called Northwestern to find out about my follow up MRI and appointment.  They told me that it was my responsibility to set up the appointments.  NW has treated me very well through this whole process, but this was, well, ridiculous.  

I literally had to call Central Scheduling and find out when they could do the MRI.  Then I called Dr. Akthar's office to see when he could see me to review the MRI.  Then, I called Central Scheduling to see if they could do it according to Dr. Akthar's schedule.  We went back and forth a couple of times before settling on June 22nd at 7:30 a.m.  Had I known it was my responsibility, I would have done this four weeks ago.  Is this not about the stupidest thing that you have ever heard of?

I'm very disappointed in how it was handled.  So, the bottom line is that I won't know anything for another three weeks.

Kathie had an eye appointment a couple of weeks ago, and I went to the appointment with her.  I mentioned my situation and asked if they would look at my left eye.  It doesn't look good, and I can't see clearly anymore.  I have an appointment to see the eye doctor on June 15th.  Hopefully, they can tell me whether or not the damage looks permanent.

As of now, the sore in the throat is almost completely healed.  I still have to watch what I eat, but I can eat any type of soft foods.  Breads of any kind just soak up what little moisture I have in my mouth and turn into a wad of paste, securely stuck to the roof of my mouth.  I can eat a burger without the bun.  I am still limited to chewing on the right side of my mouth, although I have been practicing chewing on the left.  

It just feels strange since I still have no feeling in my left teeth, gums, or the inside of my left cheek.  It feels more mechanical.  The sensory input from all of the above, signal when you should chomp, grind, or otherwise, chew your food.  Interesting that our brains monitor all of this action without us even knowing it.

I can taste again!  Well, almost everything.  You never realize what a factor salt plays in the flavor of the foods we eat, until you can't taste salt for a while.  So, salt flavor is back!  That's a huge plus.  The reason I say that I can almost taste everything is that I remember things tasting a certain way, and they don't taste quite like that anymore.  I'm sure Janine, the nutritionist, will tell me to cut out the salt for my general health.  She's right, but not right now.

No signs of the hair on the left side of my face growing back.  I have been rocking the half goatee for a while now.  We were wearing masks for the longest time, so no one could tell.  Then it became an ice breaker to start a conversation.  But, yesterday, Quinn asked me to shave it off since it looks "silly".  Leave it to the wisdom of a six year old to put things in perspective.

My strength is almost 100%.  But wow, am I out of shape.  Every time I do something physical, that I would normally do every day, my muscles are sore for the next two days.

I'm exploring options of what to do for work, presently, and for the next ten years.  I don't feel that I can go back to doing carpentry, full time.  I never realized how debilitating having only one eye is.  It messes with your depth perception.  I'm still capable of doing the work, it just seems to take twice as long.  My eye still may heal, but it is not going to happen overnight.  Any short term employment suggestions would be appreciated.

Otherwise, we are enjoying some amazing summerlike weather up here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.  Highs near 90 deg.  The water is warmish, but feels good.