First stop was to see Dr. Neel, the dermatology surgeon. He couldn't explain the new flaky area on my lip except to say it was not serious and looked like a reaction to something. He gave me a shot of a steroid in my lip (ouch), froze some spots on my neck (ouch again) and sent me on my way.
From his office on Staniford Street I walked about six blocks to Mass General in what is now a familiar routine. I walked through the hospital to the other entrance and caught the Partners shuttle to Brigham and Women's. You get a nice little tour of Boston this way. I noticed that almost everyone had their head buried in an iPhone. My iPhone is a new toy, and its pull is irresistible. I tried to practice self-control and only checked a few things. I didn't watch the Golden Globes last night, and I figured it was OK to check YouTube to watch Bryan Cranston's acceptance speech since "Breaking Bad" is one of my all-time favorite shows.
From the lip doctor I went to the tongue doctor, aka Dr. Goguen. She said the suspicious spot on the side of my tongue is gone, and the burning sensation on my tongue does not appear to be serious. It might be from the strong mouthwash I used when I had an abscessed tooth, or from the antibiotics I took or all the dental work that might have disturbed the top protective layer of my tongue. So it could pass with time or be helped by eating healthful foods such as green leafy vegetables. So surprise, surprise, I don't have tongue cancer. Dr. Goguen also told me that Dr. Treister, the dentist I have seen at Brigham and Women's, specialized in burning tongue. Who knew? I guess there is a specialist for everything.
Finally I saw Melissa. She said my counts are good and my liver numbers are a little better, so I can try going down from 3 mgs. a day of prednisone to 2.5. Then I took another walk down Longwood Avenue to the T station and got a train to Diane and David's street. Now I am happily ensconced at their house and will head back home tomorrow.
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