Today's appointment

Troy saw Dr. Goldsweig today and will be getting a PET/CT scan in another couple of weeks. We have to schedule it with the hospital. The doctor said we can start to return to a normal life and it will take some time for things to truly return to normal. His immune system will always be a little off due to the torment that his body has taken. Troy is extremely burnt on his shoulder/neck area and is in a lot of pain with that. His tongue/throat is still extremely sore from the radiation as well. He has tried a bite of food here and there, but still can't bear the pain of it as of yet. He'll keep taking baby steps toward getting his feeding tube out. Unbelievably, it is just torn out of his stomach when the time comes to take it out. We're not kidding about that either. The gastro doctor says it's about 15 seconds of sheer pain and then it's over. It takes about 4 hours for the stomach to heal and for the oozing to stop. I know, Iknow... completely gross - sorry! The scar tissue will form and then he is as good as new. The feeding tube was so necessary. He was able to maintain and actually gain weight throughout his treatment which is one of the reasons why he has done so well. The doctor is having him be an advocate to his patients in promoting the PEG tube surgery and Troy has offered his support to any of the center's patients who may need it. He knows Hal Mendel has been great support to him throughout this ordeal and he wants to offer the same to anyone who may need it.