Wed. visit to the ENT doctor (for hearing) & today's blood work

Dad went to the ENT doctor on Wednesday to have his hearing tested to compare to last time (which was 2 or so weeks following the previous chemo). The doctor said that his hearing was further impaired but not as much as before...so he said that maybe the NAC supplement that Dad took did or didn't work...or maybe it helped his hearing from being damaged more. Regardless, Dad's hearing which was previously impaired in the higher level frequencies, now has some medium range damage. They tested his inner ear and this time there was some damage to the hairs in the middle ear that carry sound. When these are damaged, it is permanent. His overall hearing is 92% so it isn't like he's deaf.

Dad has had more trouble hearing lately...the tv has grown louder and I've noticed he misses some things said (of course, some may be selective!). The doctor said that Dad's hearing could be pretty much totally corrected with a hearing aid, so Dad will probably get one after the dust settles. The new hearing aids are very sophisticated so we will be finding more about that later. We sure like this ENT doctor, Dr. Cederberg...he's very smart, personable, and takes time to talk and answer questions. That's who Dad will go to for the hearing aid fitting when the time is right.

Dad says that he has noticed that his hearing is off and that he's missing things at work. He said he was at a meeting the other day and he had to lean into the table and sort of cup his one hand in a tube form and put it by his ear, which helps him hear better. I told him he was turning into Mr. Muckle (sit down, honey!) and Dad mumbled something about a pack of gum and added "You don't expect me to lug that thing home, do you?!" For those of you outside the family (although inside the family of friends!) this is in reference to our family's favorite movie of all time "It's a Gift" with W.C. Fields. We quote it more than any other movie (even the Big Lebowski!).

So today Mr. Muckle...er, Dad...went for blood work and that looks very good. His platelets jumped from 48 to 153...so they tripled!...and they are in the normal column now. Also his white blood cells are normal. His RBC and hemoglobin have increased and are just below normal. His magnesium was a little low, but in normal range..they refrained from giving him any supplements. When I looked up magnesium rich foods a bit ago, here's what I found were high in magnesium....white beans, pinto beans, navy beans, cornmeal...hmmmm...what could I do with that???? I know what's for dinner tomorrow night and I think Dad will be very happy.

On Sunday, Dad is on the restrictive diet for the day before the scans....that means ok to meat, cheese, green beans, broccoli, eggs, and lots of water....and no to anything with sugar, such as fruits juice, cough drops, corn....and no to all carbs and high starch foods.

Then Monday early morning is the PET/CT scan and after that, as Dad says...."the reading of the tea leaves". We have an appointment with his oncologist at 12:45. I will post as soon as we get home from that. So keep all those good thoughts and prayers coming for this event.