Akabutu's Mouthwash, magic mouthwash, My Cancer Journey, oral cancer4 Comments

Akabutu’s Mouthwash

rbspecht

One of the most important weapons in my arsenal when it came to finding comfort during the post surgical application of radiation/chemo combo therapy was the use of Akabutu’s mouthwash.  This mouthwash or oral rinse was developed by Dr. John Akabutu while working at the University of Alberta Hospital and the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is my understanding that this isn’t always easy to come by outside of the Alberta cancer community, so for those of you who don’t have easy access, here is one variation on the recipe; From what I’ve been able to discover through … Continue reading Akabutu’s Mouthwash

Akabutu's Mouthwash, lidocaine, magic mouthwash, My Cancer JourneyLeave a comment

Another take on the Akabutu’s Mouthwash recipe

rbspecht

Here is another breakdown of the recipe I’ve discovered: From what I’ve been able to discover through various channels Dr. Akabutu’s mouthwash is made up of 60 cc of xylocaine viscous (2%), 50 ml of nystatin suspension (100,000 U/ml), 125 ml of normal saline, 60 mg of hydrocortisone (three tablets of 20 mg), and 3 to 5 ml of glycerine.  This should give you a total volume of 240 ml. The instructions that normally go with the use of the mouthwash are to shake it well, then swish 30 ml of solution around the mouth and throat for one minute … Continue reading Another take on the Akabutu’s Mouthwash recipe

Eat Well, Move With Purpose, My Cancer Journey, Sleep Well, Stroke Recovery and BackgroundLeave a comment

Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move With Purpose

rbspecht

In my experience, looking forward and behind me from where I now find myself, trying to understand the different paths my various journeys have taken me along, I’ve come to believe that the road to recovery, and the maintenance of whatever balance you need to find with your body and your mind is predicated on a simple mantra that can be applied to how you live your life at every stage; Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move with Purpose. Yes, I know its been said before in many different ways. The one phrasing that comes to mind and is closest to the … Continue reading Eat Well, Sleep Well, Move With Purpose

Observations, Travel, Watching The WorldLeave a comment

The shift in space and reality because of a shift in Geography

rbspecht

 These photos don’t actually reflect the time and place when I’m writing this, but were taken several days earlier in the English city of Bath.  At the time of writing, I am sitting just outside a café in Merseyside, also in the United Kingdom, reflecting on the differences between the culture I live in, and the cultures here.  It is odd that there are so many differences, on one level, because my family is a Canadian reflection of the culture here, being offshoots of families that still live in England, Wales and Ireland.  Yet the way we approach life in … Continue reading The shift in space and reality because of a shift in Geography

Moving through the world, My Cancer Journey, Stroke Recovery and BackgroundLeave a comment

Another turn around the sun, and a milestone birthday come and gone

rbspecht

  I suppose that I should acknowledge, based on years of observation, that some people have significant challenges with the ‘milestone’ birthdays.  Some folk revel in them, basking in the glow of achievement and celebration, some are seriously afraid of them and what they perceive them to mean about the progression of their lives.  Each milestone means we are older.  Each milestone can also be used as a marker of where we should be in our lives in terms of career, family, relationships and so many more silly little things that are defined by the society we choose to live … Continue reading Another turn around the sun, and a milestone birthday come and gone

My Cancer JourneyLeave a comment

Broke a tooth!

rbspecht

Oh for crying out loud!  Last night while we were out to an event at a local ‘hall’ I broke a piece off a molar. there is no pain or anything that traumatic. My concern is that the radiation and chemo therapy is finally catching up with me, five years later. Not only have I had to undergo a root canal recently, but now this tooth has started to come apart.  The way the piece came away reminds me of glaciers calving ice bergs. Continue reading Broke a tooth!

My Cancer Journey, Stroke Recovery and Background, Watching The World1 Comment

Send me a note to call me on my behaviours!

rbspecht

If you find that this blog has not been updated within a two week period, please send a note or comment to that effect.  the blog was intended to connect with others who have had the same challenges, or just generally to stay ‘in the world’ rather than retreating into some sort of intellectual hibernation.  Not to remain as current as possible in this day of social media is just plain silly.  Help me to stay current… give me a virtual poke, a pinch, a kick in the pants, to remind me. Thanks!! Continue reading Send me a note to call me on my behaviours!

cognitive model, Effects of stroke, Moving through the world, participate in your own life!, Stroke Recovery and BackgroundLeave a comment

Be patient with your recovery; take the time!

rbspecht

Be patient.  It takes time to come back from any sort of brain injury,  even if its just to find the point of balance that becomes your ‘new normal’. I fought like hell to get back to work after my haemorrhagic stroke.  I couldn’t sit at home, essentially feeling like I was under house arrest, prevented from contributing to the world and the environment I had been helping to to shape.  I wanted to go back to work.  I was bound and determined to demonstrate that there was nothing significantly different about me, my memory or my cognitive abilities.  I fought … Continue reading Be patient with your recovery; take the time!

Stroke Recovery and Background, Stroke TimelineLeave a comment

Negotiating the back to work protocol

rbspecht

Well, I am happy to report that there have been some real successes in the last couple of days! Two of the key successes are a) certain people on my rehab team are actively negotiating a graduated return to work protocol, and b) my employer is embracing the parameters and the graduated return to work plan. So now it’s full steam ahead.  My employers’ HR team has a return to work specialist  who will have the job of convincing the provider of my Long Term Disability Insurance that this is a good idea at this time. I’m not entirely sure … Continue reading Negotiating the back to work protocol

Stroke Recovery and Background, Stroke TimelineLeave a comment

Consider Managing Your Own Recovery

rbspecht

Well, I will admit that I am beginning to get tired of all of this.  I want to go back to work, but I am having a lot of trouble getting traction with the medicos who are in charge of my care.  I don’t know what comes next.  And it would appear that the team that is supposedly managing my recovery from the stroke doesn’t know what comes next either.  In conversation I have discovered that the ‘team lead’ apparently hasn’t taken the time to map a course of action, or just hasn’t bothered to communicate it to the team.  … Continue reading Consider Managing Your Own Recovery