Hey Doc

(sun set at Long Ridge)
I have not been able to eat normally due to the surgery, weight lost was expected to happen. So far I have lost 8lb.. My gum is healing pretty well that I started to eat soft food few days ago. My weight lost has leveled out at 143lb. I tried hard to keep my weight to stay at around 150lb., I certainly will not let this opportunity to pass. I always believe exercise and diet combo is the only way to control my weight. One of the exercise I like is my morning run routine. Been out for a whole month, it was not easy to start it again. I ran half of the distance on the first day and begin to run every other days. Today, I ran the full distance - 4 miles. I also started to ride my mountain bike which I can't find a place to do in Taipei. There is a nice trail near where I live. I can make an 8 miles ride straight from the house (not the one in the pictures).


(Fire trail at Long Ridge)
(two little ants you barely see on the trail are MTB riders)
Rock climbing is another activity I enjoy. Its a little difficult to go outdoor climbing but we have an indoor gym in the city I can go any day, any time. I have been to a climbing gym in Taipei but it does not have tall walls like this, not even close. But, I can live with that.


(big wall at Planet Granite)
If you are wondering what the colored tape means, it marks the holds for a route. Each route is rated by its difficulty. 5.5 is easy, 5.13 is very difficult. Since I am not in climbing shape, I can only do 5.8, 5.9 right now. The best I have ever done was 5.11.

Came back from the surgeon's office just before dinner today. Surgery site is healing nicely. I will still feel a little bit of soreness on one side. Doctor told me that it will take up to 3 months to be completely healed. Patients, patients.. The final procedure to finished the job is 6 months from now. Continue on soft food for the time being.

The swelling has not subsided since the surgery. I will continue taking Advil, maybe on a smaller dosage. I will think that taking 1800 mg a day is not good for the body. The temporary denture got fitted today. Its a little bulky to my like. I have sensitive gag reflexes and this does not sit well for me. I will try to wear it and see if I can get use to it. Else, it will get trimmed back regardless.

Four days of stay home resting starts to get to me. Normally we go to Wilder Ranch for mountain biking but since I am not suppose to do any strenuous activities, a little walking and photo taking should be OK. I had taken photos there before but I have different ideas for this time. OK, if you are interested to know the history about Wilder Ranch, here is the most complete write up from Hinds Victorian Guest House website. It was established in 18th century, the main rancho supplying Santa Cruz Mission. Here is the official website.



More photos here.

Condition remains the same, swelling has gone down a little bit. I was able to open my mouth wilder that makes cleaning much easier. I have started soft food diet like mashed potato and tofu. Something I can just swallow without chewing. Or, putting the food through the blender. It was suggested to eat high protein food to speed up tissue healing. One more day on the antibiotic and Advil which are making my stomach ache.
Today is the 4th of July, I am afraid I will just watch other people having great time at the BBQ. ;( Should have waited for 4 more days.

The bleeding finally stopped. The only thing I have to deal with is the swelling. I have switched the pain medication to ibuprofen based Advil. It not only reduces the pain, also reduces the swelling. The stitches will dissolve by itself in three days. I should be able to take soft food tomorrow but I still have to be careful not to rubbing the surgery site too hard. It will be 4 months before I can have the permanent teeth put in, a temporary will be fitted for now. Because I can't really open my month wide enough to see what is like of the aftermath, but I can picture it that its not a pretty sight.

Because of an accident and my poor gum condition, I have lost few teeth through the years. The partial I am wearing does not fit me anymore. My dentist had suggested to get dental implant to replace the partial many years ago. Now I got enough confidence to do the procedure. 7/1 marks the day for the surgery. After 2 and a half hours of chipping and drilling, I have 6 metal posts implanted in my upper jaw. I will wait for 4 to 6 months to put the cap in.
By then, I will have a new set of teeth, stronger then my own. Hopefully this will last as long as I live.
For now, liquid diet and lots of pain pills.