i found some blogs i started

it's been almost a month, sorry for the absence . i am slowly healing.  it's only been 40 days since surgery, and compared to what happened to me , and how i look now it is a miracle.   the surgeon did  a great job.  I've had 3 re-checks, and am healing  ahead of schedule..   

as a kid , you become friends with your shadow,  some kids are scared, i always enjoyed having mine around..  then it got real crazy, the months before surgery..check it out.., i could not get away from the tumor ..

the knob was gruesome,,i can barely remember having it now..

and i've gone from this --

  the staples are still in, neck patch still on,  to this

neck starting to look normal, almost all the blood crustys have fallen off, and the skin graft is starting to  change color like my neck.  staples scar is healing really nice,  i weigh 131..

i am 4 days into NOT using the feeding tube.  after 2 weeks of not using it, i can have it removed.  i can't do my "core" exercises with this stuck in me.
my restrictions about mobility and weight lifting have been removed.  so now i can get as fit as possible as soon as i can .. 

the new challenge is eating..  you take it for granted, just popping something into your mouth and chewing away..  so  do I ..  what i have started doing is making a bowl of food like i used to,, throw it into the VitaMix, and turn it into a soup..  this takes about 2 hours  to eat, and some bites are pain off the chart!!  i don't have anything else to do , and this is a "must do" physical therapy.   when i left the hospital, i could only open my mouth as wide as 40 playing cards, yesterday i was up to 70, a hard boiled egg is wider than 2 decks of cards,  so i've got some work ahead of me.

i wasn't expecting such a painful new deal.  before all the pains were from the outside moving in. now , i'm in no real pain until food time.It's inside my face, back by my right jaw..   it can be minimal to 12+ , i don't know , there is one super sensitive spot, and how the food passes over this area can differ from minute to minute.  i haven't chewed anything since  october 15th,  and then didn't swallow anything until october 28th. So  now i have  to get  back to eating  5 big ass bowls of food a day again.  this is not gonna be easy.  my face nerves are on fire frequently also.. the skin graft area on my leg is doing great.

my only "real job",besides healing,  is actually writing this blob,, keeping you all informed.. without you all , i would not  be doing this well.  My sister set the fund up, and it hit the goal.  i am LOVING  not working.  i have another 6 weeks off if everything  gos right.  not having to go to work in the  winter is really nice.  

in the upcoming blobs, i will tell of my hospital stay, and other stuff we haven't talked about.

health report

strength         30 %
pain               spikes when eating, jaw is numb
attitude         new month, new agenda , A+
weight          132..  i am adding "real" food daily