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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Which flavor?

I didn't really realize that Sam doesn't like mint flavor. I guess I know he doesn't really chew gum, which is a big 5 year old milestone in our house, but I never realized that he didn't eat Karen's mint brownies. Or brush his teeth with mint toothpaste.

(My mom doesn't like mint either. So I'm familiar with this oddity.)

Did you know that chemo also requires a 3-4 time daily mouthwash in addition to brushing your teeth? This Is to prevent mouth sores (yuck) and keep things really clean. Did you know that the hospital provides....you guessed it...mint toothpaste and mouthwash?

Yep.

And to be very sure, I engaged with a lot of modern technology. Dad took a picture of every kind of toothpaste in the house and Sam identified the kind he uses and likes. Then I sent Bubbie and Zeyde on the case...

Toothpaste.
Mouthwash.
Such ordinary items.
They've become tools in our fight.
I spend a lot of time in my work finding holiness in the ordinary.
Now it's in the toothpaste too.

P.S. Sam also got a cool new toothbrush! Thanks, Bubbie and Zeyde!
P.P.S. The mouthwash that we need doesn't actually come in any other flavor. Today we bought four different kinds. They were all rejected by the hospital staff and returned to the store. Bummer. Sam has actually gotten pretty good at the swishing with mint...see what you can adapt to? 
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3 comments:

  1. Grammyknits1June 16, 2012 at 10:27 PM

    We think of you often and pray for the day that Sammy can run, play and just be a little boy again!
    Beth and Joel Engel

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  2. Rebecca FJune 17, 2012 at 9:08 PM

    We are also thinking and praying for you. We took a bunch of superhero shirt pictures today, and Sam's namesake (my own Asher Samuel) knows that we dressed as "Spiderman" for "Superman".

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  3. AmyJune 18, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    I don't know if they'll go for this for Sam, or if it would be any better for him, but they had me rinse with ordinary saline - which just tastes salty.

    Also, if you get to the point of the sponge "toothbrushes" - those didn't do it for me. My teeth just never felt clean. I consulted with a dentist friend who does a lot of oral surgery and who has worked with many cancer patients. He suggested a surgical toothbrush - which is much softer than the softest toothbrush in the stores - and got me one. The doctors okay'd it and I liked it much, much better. (when I started chemo my platelets were already really, really low and my gums were bleeding. My mouth was kind of porous and raw all the time.)

    Thoughts and prayers and love.

    ReplyDelete