Great news Jaak. See you at the next meet in Aurora

 

Great news Jaak. See you at the next meet in Aurora.

 

If you do tire of hearing it you're in trouble.....

YOU

LOOK

GREAT!!!!

Prayers answered.

Gary

 

Folks ... a big THANKS to you all!!!!!!!!!!

 

Glad to see your doing so much better!

 

That is one amazin recovery..

And that steak is making me hungry
Way to go Jaak

 

Thats great news. Thanks for the update. As for the memory stuff… get used to it. Thats the calendar turning over and over and over.

 

Thanks guys!!! It does make the healing better!!!

 

I installed a hard top on the Beepster today as I cannot be out in the hot sun too long. 20 or so minutes is fine but any longer and it affects me. Now that I have the top I don't have to store it and can take it out on the non-snowy icy days with clear roads. I just need a set of all-seasons for 17" rims Boxster S in anyone has a lead on cheaply priced ones ... retired don'tch know.

The memory thing is due to the lower rear of my head being radiated which affects the cells. They have to rebuild themselves. Memory is getting better with less of a loss for words than in the past.

Did a drive out to Georgetown to look at a boat. Pictures looked better than the boat. I'm in the market for a 14 to 16' runabout with electric start to use as a fishing boat. There are many out there between $1200 and $2000, just the one I looked at was in real poor shape. I'll keep looking on Kijiji till I find a nice one close. I missed out on 3 due to the distance and late in seeing it. Oh well ... fishing hopefully in the first week of October after the hospitals get through with me.

 

Great news Jack!

 

I get temp upper teeth this Friday ....

I'll now be able to eat normally I hope. I am still maintaining 184 pounds which is up from 174 when under radiation. I was 207 when I started the ordeal.

I have been back to PMH twice now to see the dentists. I hated walking into there due to the treatments I went through. I don't know if others have had the same experience, but I don't like going through those doors. It's OK at the Dental Clinic on the second floor, but seeing the people in the lobby waiting etc., does not give me a good feeling. When I was in the chair a man about 55 YO came in to have his mouth X-rayed which is the S.O.P. He was thin and a bit weak. I don't think he would survive the treatments for head & neck cancer. I was talking to a woman whose husband went through 39 radiation sessions a year ago. He is still trying to recover with her telling me he is no where close to being recovered as I am. I only went through 9 sessions before I stopped. She also told me that head/neck treatments takes one as close to death than any other cancer ... man did I do the right thing. After the operation the biopsy stated the cancer had not spread and they cut it all out. There was NO signs it moved at all. Almost like a large tumor that was eating away in my head for over 8 years from what I can gather. Surgeons stated I needed a little radiation to kill any microscopic cancer cells if there was any. I can say that it is gone!!!

I am still suffering a bit from the treatments with a little memory lapses, sunlight still knocks me down (but not as bad), and a bit weak. I do get stronger each week as well as am building up my right side where the bone & muscle was removed to rebuild my upper jaw and optical bone under my eye. The sinus is getting better with the swelling going down. The inside of my mouth is getting better and more defined; enough to get a set of upper teeth. I have to go back with a denture adhesive so he can show me how to use it. I don't know what brand to get ... any help would be welcomed. Once the teeth are in I'll be able to talk a little clearer. I have to repeat myself at times as my right side of the mouth still has not healed. There may be nerve damage which is OK. I'm alive and damn well kicking!!! Oh, my hearing is getting better although sometimes my sinus' clog up a bit which blocks my hearing. Similar to when one has a head cold and blows their nose too hard. It takes a few days before the hearing in my right ear comes back. The scars I have don't bother me ... it's my Badge that says I beat cancer!!! Now need to get my right eyelid corrected so the sun does not affect me ... eye's water with strong light. I'll find out on Sept. 25th as to when it will get fixed. That Doc is one of the best out there according to medical stall I have met from several hospitals. I lucked out with the best!!! I'll post pictures when my eye is not too red from rubbing it as directed.

Life IS getting better and I am almost normal again. I do NOT feel the affects as much and am pretty well back to doing normal activities although my right arm is weal lifting anything over my shoulder height. It gets better each week and am looking forward to each improvement!!!

But teeth ... YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can then get to eat neat stuff again ... I am tired of ice cream as a snack. Would like to eat popcorn, cookies etc. I'll find out next Friday!!!

Thanks for the well wishes ... it DOES HELP and makes on feel a lot better!!!!

 

Update: I go back to Toronto General Hospital on November 3rd to have my neck cut open. It seems the very aggressive cancer is in my lymph nodes on the right side with a few particles on the left side. It will be a 6 hour microscopic surgery to remove the cancer. It has not moved to the chest which they are happy about. I will have to go through radiation afterwards which will be easier to take this time around as they will be hitting the neck and not my mouth and sinus area. The CT scan last week showed that that area WAS CLEAR OF ANY CANCER. It seems the right Paraded (?) area had some microscopic cells there that was not noticed before hand. Seems the first cancer was very large which did show up. This one was not in the original area and I guess the radiation was not applied to this area. I'm no Doctor but it seems it had moved to the nodes but in a different direction. They did look below the sinus area and did not look by my right ear? Don't know, but my stay will be 3 to 4 days.

I found this out after I had my meeting with my Surgeon at the end of September. He had asked why I missed the check up in July. I told him that NO ONE CONTACTED me and I was NOT aware of the appointment. He said he will look after me from now on .... and I will have a NEW Oncologist. I explained what happened before ... he was troubled by it. He checked my right side neck and took a few samples with a needle. I also was sent to my Cancer surgeon who I also explained what had happened a week later. He told me the Cancer was back. Both of them are a bit ticked and are making sure I get looked after with a NEW Oncologist.

This does suck and has gotten me down more so than the first time. I was doing so good, healing so well and working on being back to a close normal. I have friends who are all helping me cope with this, have driven me to the Doc meetings where the bad news was given. I do have temp Dentures and those meetings I have no problem driving to, to have them adjusted. Seems the Lab screwed them up and the Dentist is fixing them himself. I still find it easier eating without them. Once the radiation is finished, I should have implants in which the "new" style dentures will clip into to better emulate real teeth.

My face has still a slight bit of swelling that most people cannot see although I still feel it. My hearing is getting better as the swelling goes down. It feels weird as it flows "out" and nerves start to click in. Like tiny electrical shocks and I start feeling again. Happens a bit at a time with the Dentist saying it will take a year for it to get back to normal.

I want to live ..... I want to kill this cancer and was hoping it was gone. This has set me back a bit, gotten me upset and uptight, but .... I will get over this!!! I am getting stronger week by week and will have to put up with this setback for a bit. Christmas will suck but next years will be better. This operation will not kick me as the last one did. They say it will not be as bad as the last one and with 4 days max in the hospital, it should be easier. I'm also stronger and know what to ask and demand going forward. I healed faster than everyone expected ... I'll heal fast on this one as well.

But it does suck ... and gets one thinking about life. Thor is the one that is pulling me through this. He knew when I came home and comforted me, when I got frustrated, he would come to me and play a tug of war game which got me in a better mood. He does things to cheer me up and put a smile on my face ... Love him to death. We have more swimming to do over the next few years (he's 10 YO) minimum.

 

Jaak: sounds as if it is not as bad as the first bout, so no doubt you will pull through it just as well as you did the first one. Sorry you had to face it again,but when Spring comes again and the cars are coming back on the road, I am sure we will see you too at the GTG!. Keep us updated on your progress, and your buddies here are all pulling for you!

 

Ronan, many thanks. I got scared when the Doc said if it gets to the lungs, no operation. Still, I'm going to be cut open and will resemble a PEZ dispenser. I was hoping that all they had to do was get the eye lid fixed and remove the scar tissue from the right sinus. Now I'll be a Frankenstein PEZ dispenser ... Another operation although the scars don't matter. Adds character and a badge that I beat cancer.

BTW ... read the article in Toronto Life on Edward, http://www.torontolife.com/informer/...would-be-king/

 

Hey Jaak, after your previous experience and an amazing recovery this is only another step in your journey. It seems you are in good hands.