No alcohol, no caffeine, no acid (citrus, vinegar, tomatoes, peppers), no carbonation -- it all interferes with healing. Tom's already on a low sodium diet, so he slips into a bit of a depressed state saying almost everything he truly enjoys is being taken away. I counter that it's not permanent, but since he has another procedure scheduled (to romove the last bit of cancer from his left vocal cord) and then there will be rebuilding of the area of the right vocal cord, he just feels that the "healing period" will be stretching into long long months.
Yes, Tom's doctor, Dr. Steven Zeitels, is regarded as the best in the world for laryngeal problems, cancer in particular. He's been helping Julie Andrews get her singing voice back since the original surgeon screwed it up.
We'll be heading home tomorrow. It will be good to be home. It will be VERY good to be home!
Thanks for everyone's good wishes and prayers. His voice right now isn't as "breathy" as I thought it would be, but he has no volume whatsoever. I can hear him in a quiet environment. It's not really much quieter, though, than the voice he's had since June. (No match for The Press Room, though -- and his handwriting is, uh, less than optimal.)