Hey Jaak, here is hoping you will breeze through it all quickly and with as little discomfort as possible. The sun is getting warmer, the birds are starting to sing and you will be back in your Boxster soon. Stay positive and do what you've got to do.

Stan

 

Jaak??

 

Sorry, have not posted for a while now. I seem to be getting a lot better with my face and after 2 weeks of therapy I have stopped it as it was not what was agreed to. I will not discuss it on any open or closed forum.

I am starting to slowly get back into shape with my mouth due to the radiation burns and hopefully will sort of be back to normal by the weekend. It does take a bit of time and I do feel it healing. I am down now to 175 pounds from 205 last year. Once the mouth heals better I will be able to eat more regular foods with upper teeth missing. Right now any sort of spice of more than milk will cause my tongue and mouth to burn a bit.

I intend on being at the PCA-UCR Shift into Spring for sure. I am able to drive around with no issues. Just staying off the highways till I feel I'm a lot better. Many friends have backed me up and have helped me over this time of hardships. I have been the "Jaak Villa" of the neighbourhood in the past and now many are making sure I am being looked after. I have beat this and am working on getting back into shape and go on with life. Cancer is gone ....

 

Sorry there are problems with therapy.
Glad to hear you're growing stronger.
I'll look for ya at the UCR Open House.

 

Thanks ... stuff happens.

I am looking forward to being there as well. Getting out is nice unless it snows ...

 

Glad your doing better.

 

See you at the Open House

 

So glad about your progress Jaak, looking forward to meeting you sometime.

 

Thanks folks, hope to see many of you over the years!

 

Folks, it has been 6 month's now since the operation and I am healing quite well. My face is almost back to what it was with a little swelling still in the right cheek. My mouth is getting better although the inside is still swollen. I have to see the Dentist at the Hospital on Aug 21st and then for the next 3 weeks afterwards to get fitted for temporary dentures. I also have a meeting with the Surgeon on getting my right eyelid corrected on September 25th. He will also check out where the bone and muscle was removed from my right back. I also am going for a CT scan to be checked out by the Oncologist. Don't really want to see him, but I have to. I know that the Cancer has been beaten from what my appetite is, the pathology report statement and the face getting back to normal.

I am feeling much stronger with my facial hair starting to grow back in mid July. The hair at the back of my head is also starting to grow back. I had a hair cut two months ago and now its filling in, not thinning and getting longer. I need to go in for a slight trim this week. I cannot stay out in the hot afternoon sun as it knocks be down. I get real tired and have to take a nap for about an hour, so I try to stay out of the hot sun.

My right arm is slowly getting better where they cut the bone out from. I can lift a stove off my pickup truck and get it inside and set up no problem. But to reach up to put dishes away in the upper cupboard, reach forward to adjust the car stereo or do any work overhead is hard. The same with trying to apply wax to the vehicles as I had done in the past. It seems there is nothing there to move the arm properly although I keep trying. I can cut wood and install baseboards, help build a shed base, cut lawns using two stroke tools (pull start) dig up a garden, climb ladders etc., but doing a few simple tasks is hard. Writing takes effort and I am getting better each week. Friends say I am almost back to normal with my energy and activity level.

It took over 3 months for me to recover from the shortened radiation/chemo sessions I went through before I stopped them. If I had gone through the full 5 to 6 weeks, I don't think I would be alive today or if I was, I would be in a long term care facility and not recover. I enjoy the quality of life and it will be a long life!!! I have beaten it!!!!

My weight has gone up to 185 pounds now and I am eating fairly well. Some of my meals are medium done steaks, usually prime rib, with baked potato and spinach. Lately I have been able to "chew" on salads with my lower teeth and upper gums. I can't eat most hard foods or treats unless it is softened and cut into small pieces. When I do go out it's usually for a steak dinner, roast beef, well cooked ribs and Burritos which I have done in the past month or so. I can also eat chicken and love cole slaw. I have trouble with breads unless they are soft, no bagels or toast. I can eat pringles chips with a dip but any normal size ones I can't. I am not missing too much including being able to eat pizza if it is hot. Once it cools down ... I can't eat it. The outside crust I usually keep for Thor who loves it... I can't "chew" on it.

My head is getting better as I am coming out of Cancer fatigue. I got to the point where any article, story or talk of Cancer got me riled up. I beat it so shut the hell up about it. Now ... it is starting to be background noise. I can now ignore it a background noise. I hated talking about what happened to me and avoided people because of it. I usually said it was a cancer operation and left it at that. Now I'm back to almost normal and because it does not show as in the past, I have no need to explain. People now are amazed when I do discuss it and explain what has been done to me. I am NOT afraid to try the tasks I used to do in the past and get ticked at people who want me to take it easy. Easy is NOT an option. If I feel I can do it I do and am successful 95% of the time. The Doc's said to do my Jaak Vila stuff and now I do Jaak McGiver stuff as well. I am glad I do have a Tip Boxster as shifting is hard. I now have a hard top for it which I'll install on Monday since I had to get the spin locks installed. Porsche bolts did not work so I ended up McGivering a solution. I have lurked here as I also did not "feel" getting into posting. Reading posts here did help though.

I sold my fishing boat for more than I paid for it two weeks ago. It was a bit hard to pull start the 25hp engine. I am now looking at a 16' with a 70 merc electric start runabout. It's $1600 including all the safety gear, Fish Finder and Marine Radio. It's not too bad shape according to pix and am going out tomorrow evening to look at it. I have problems trying to cast with my right arm, golf is out as well as tennis and most other sports till I heal up and build new muscle, I hope. I can still build and fix things but not as much as I used to. I am getting better weekly with a noticeable change for the better. There are moments where I do not feel the "operation" and they are coming more frequent. My memory is getting better as well. I used to forget some things but that is one of the areas the hospital kept asking about in the surveys they had me do before each appointment. That and the ability to get back to doing normal everyday tasks etc.

Theses photos where taken this afternoon when I was a bit tired after doing some work and before supper and coffee. I am healing. Also supper from 4 days ago.

 

Awesome news Jaak...good for you!

 

Good for you!
At the last meet, I told you, "you look great!".over the next 30 minutes, I overheard a few others repeat the same words. I hope you don't tire of hearing that phrase, Jaak.

 

No Sonny I don't. It does make me feel better and is part of the healing process. Just that being in the hot sun does affect me and it's due to the Chemo and Radiation. It makes me tired and I feel "burnt out" which I try to overcome. I'm stubborn that way .... Hopefully it goes away.

Thanks for the well wishes folks!!!!

 

I think you look great now Jaak. Keep the healing process going.

 

Glad to hear you're recovering well!