Feeling Better and BETTER!

Words can hardly express how much better I'm feeling. It applies to everything. I feel better about life, better about work, better about what I do, better about being around people.

When I look back at how long the feeling better process has been going on, it doesn't seem possible. That's when I realize just how far down I had to have been. I never admitted it or accepted it at the time, but I must have been at or near death bed status. I don't see any other way I could have such a long run at feeling better. It's made recovering from pneumonia seem like nothing.

I can eat almost anything by now. Some things are tougher than others, everything requires extra liquid while I eat, some things require repeated "private" moments to clear things that get stuck, and eating in public is still something to work for. It's not pleasant to share a meal with me.

Taste is shaky. I think I tasted something sweet today for just a few bites, but I'm not certain.

It seems that 10 hours of sleep is all I need by now. It used to be 14, then 12 - 14. Now I think 10 will work. That would give me 2 extra hours a day. That's 14 hours a week. My schedule has been 1 or 2 basketball games a week, one night with friends, work, sleep, and eat - and that's all the time I had. If I can get an extra 14 hours, it's going to seem like - well, it's not going to be enough. There's so much I want to do.

I still have dead spots in my throat. I still have numb spots on my neck that make me hesitant to shave daily. I think I've regained the range of motion I'm going to have in my shoulder. That's increased quite a bit lately. I've still got numb spots that extend down onto my chest. It still feels like I've got a tight bandage on my neck in an area about 1-1/2" x 3". There's a tendon that runs through my neck that survived the surgery and treatments, but it's not connected the way it was. It's kind of a major one that's used on almost any arm movements. Maybe that's why I've had some difficulty detecting the position of my right arm.

If September is my complete recovery date and I keep feeling better between now and then - look out! I'm starting to have a tolerable attitude toward the difficult eating and loss of taste. I never thought that would happen. It scares me to think of what else I might find acceptable and even enjoy in another 6 months.