Life after mouth cancer

So maybe you bounced here from another place. Welcome. Don't stalk me. I'm not worth it. I ugee. Need me to prove it? I can. My mouth isn't the same. I speak with a speech impediment. But it's okay. It's my new norm. I've heard others on message boards speak those words, "It's my new norm". But I never understood it until me being me was the new norm. I have a permanent spot in my nose that seeps and bothers the shit out of me, but it's okay. It's life. This new norm is a lot better than dying of cancer. But I know that will come too, someday. But not if I can help it.

I went out and found myself a new job! No shit. Had to. Laid off after 16 3/4 years. No shit. It was a good thing. A very good thing. My insurance is cheaper and better.  I make $400 per year less than I did at my last job, but with the monthly savings of $200 on insurance I now make $2,000 more per year. See how that works? There's A LOT more than more money and better insurance too at this new job. EVERYTHING IS BETTER. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. I'll move on now. ;)

I just ate some Eggo waffles. They are so good and crispy. I've tried to make homemade crispy waffles and they just don't turn out like Eggos. So I give up. Yep. After several different recipes, some with butter, some with oil, some with vanilla, some without, some with cinnamon, some without, AP flour, bread flour. I just can't duplicate the amazing crunch and soft inside I get from Eggo waffles from my toaster!! So I give up! I'm going to stop trying and commit to Eggos for life! I tried too. I tried hard. I've always been one of those people that feel homemade is always better, but bam! Not with waffles. LOL It's so freeing to just give up!! I CAVE!!

I also like Mrs. Buttersworth better than real maple syrup too. There! I said it! I just did a taste test. I got out my Skinny Sticks Maple syrup from Wisconsin and challenged it against Mrs. Buttersworth. The maple syrup is like eating pure liquid sugar with no flavor. Mrs. Buttersworth is creamy and actually taste buttery! And maply! More maple than the real stuff. So I caved on that today too. No more maple, only Mrs. Buttersworth. (a long time ago I compared Mrs. Butterworth to Aunt Jemima syrup and MBW won that challenge)

I feel great after cancer. I feel better now than before. Losing 55 lbs helped. I'm a size 8-10 now, depending on the day. I have such cute clothes!!!  I had lost 70lbs but I've gained 15 back because food is finally good again! Not all food, but most. I now have a sweet tooth. Never had one before but when my taste started coming back, sweet things tasted the best. So now I'm hooked. LOL

I still can't eat most meats, like roast, or steak or any type of pork. Too dry. I don't have the saliva in my mouth to be able to break it down and I end up spitting it out. Even adding liquid into my mouth with it doesn't help. But I can eat things like ground beef, fried shrimp, fried zucchini, spaghetti sauce with meat (which hasn't really come back to tasting like it used to yet), breakfast burritos, sausage, bacon, ham is okay if it's moist. I know, ham is pork. Shadup!  ;)
Anyway, I'm back to eating 80% of what I used to. In fact yesterday I even ate a McDonald's crispy chicken sandwich! It was great! Things with a sauce are easier, or creamy things like tater tot casserole, scalloped corn, green bean casserole, fettucine alfredo, lasagna etc. My mouth only opens about a finger's width so it's hard to eat tall things like sandwiches. I have to flatten them a bit or bite at side angles. It's quite interesting to watch me eat. LOL Think of it like this, ever eat a Little Debbie Nutty Bar? I can barely get one of those in my mouth, that's the farthest I can get my mouth open. The space between my teeth I mean. I can't bite an apple, I have to cut it. I also can't eat apple peels because they don't break down enough to get past a stricture in my throat. A stricture is a narrowing in my esophagus. I had surgery last January to open it wider and it worked. But it's still there so I have to make sure I chew my foods good so it doesn't get stuck in my throat. Or I have to eat things that are malleable, that can change shape to get down the narrow area, like mashed potatoes.  But apple peels do not conform, and a lot of meats don't either. Another reason I can't just eat a bite of pork chop. Combine dry meat, no saliva and a narrowing in the throat and it's a panic when it gets stuck!

My ears have a constant ringing. It doesn't bother me at all. Don't even notice it unless it's quiet. I have two belly buttons, one is from the feeding tube. Haha
Here's what my arm looks like now.

Here's what it looked like right after surgery.

 

That doesn't bother me either. It's pretty wild how these things are so low on the totem pole any more that I don't even think about them. Just the new norm. There's that saying again!

I kind of feel I came through all this with flying colors and a few scars and other things really don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things.

Well, off to go make three July 4th wreaths for a friend. Talk atcha next time.