Ron Sparks Author, Poet

Tasteless

T

I’ve been called tasteless in the past but now I know what it really means.

Every day, I have radiation treatments. As these treatments have progressed I have found it more and more difficult to actually taste anything. The other day, I finally reached the point of tastlessness. Nothing I eat or drink has a taste any more.

I suppose that can be a good thing. My youngest son told me that it’s a perfect time to start eating healthy because I can’t taste how bad the “good food” tastes. I suppose he’s right. heh.

The only issue is that the morbidity, or negative side effects of radiation, are getting worse. Not only can I not taste anything – I can barely swallow. Swallowing a pill almost does me in. Every swallow is a lesson in pain. My throat is so irritated that even breathing is a chore as the air moves across my traumatized flesh.

I’ve reached that point where the pain in my throat is as bad, if not worse, than the pain I experienced after the tonsillectomy. Don’t even ask me how painful a sneeze is. And I’m only halfway done with my treatments. ugh.

Because of the pain and disruption to my life from radiation, and the agony of my upcoming chemotherapy treatments, I have decided to take short term disability. I don’t like taking the 40% cut in paywhile on disability, but I really wasn’t helping my team as much as I would have liked. My team needs me to be a consistent and reliable resource – which I can’t be while I am enduring these treatments.

Still – now I have to find ways to keep myself occupied. My general fatigue, along with my pain from radiation, make it difficult to do anything physical. So I imagine I’ll do some writing and reading while on disability – as much as possible.

If you have any good reading suggestions, send em my way!

About the author

Ron Sparks

Ron Sparks is a technology professional, science fiction and fantasy author and poet living in Zurich, Switzerland. His latest book "ONI: Satellite Earth Series Book 1" is available on Amazon.com.

6 Comments

  • Two rounds into my chemo I could have eaten cardboard as eagerly as I ate my wife’s delicious pasta, which is to say, without any eagerness at all. The body is a marvel, in all ways. And, to personally evince that the taste bud is composed of rapidly dividing cells, making them victim to chemo drugs, is a conclusion I could have happily gone to my reward without.Nonetheless, ice-cream still tasted good. Almost every flavor was a pleasure. It’s not like I had to watch my weight. Or rather, I had to watch it didn’t go down. It did, but maybe the ice-cream helped.Stay strong. There is no permanence.

  • ^^^^This “Ross” guy is a ton more qualified to comment on this topic. The best I can say is… “Hang in there, brother.”

  • And what I failed to say was my taste is completely back to normal. Even my desire to eat spicy food is once again annoying my sweet wife.

  • I think you will enjoy George RR Martin’s series, A Song of Ice and Fire. His website is GeorgeRRMartin.com. This is pure fantasy written with incredible skill, just the think to take you out of yourself for a few minutes/hours.

  • Well, if you still have half of the treatments ahead of you, then at least you have half of them behind you now.If you’re in the mood for a novel, I suggest Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins or We The Living by Ayn Rand. 🙂

Ron Sparks Author, Poet

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Ron Sparks

Ron Sparks is a technology professional, science fiction and fantasy author and poet living in Zurich, Switzerland. His latest book "ONI: Satellite Earth Series Book 1" is available on Amazon.com.

Welcome

A man of many passions, I lay claim to a myriad of interests and hobbies. Among them, I am an amateur astronomer, an avid motorcycle rider, a whiskey aficionado, a (poor) surfer, a scuba diver, a martial artist, a student of philosophy, a proponent of critical thinking, a technologist, an entrepreneur, a cancer survivor, and I harbor a lifelong love of science fiction and fantasy. Feel free to strike up a conversation on the social networks below.

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