I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer with sub-1,000 recorded cases since 2010. I am adjusting to life with 50% facial paralysis. AMA!

What movies did you watch in the hospital ?

Who is the best batman in your opinion ?

No movies in the hospital for me. I was extraordinarily uncomfortable during the first part of my hospital stay and didn't do much other than sleep. I was hospitalized for 5 days. The last few days, I spent a lot of time watching NBA games and reading /r/NBA.

I am a Christian Bale Batman fan for sure. The Dark Knight is definitely the best Batman film, maybe the best superhero film. I also have watched Batman Begins maybe more times than any other movie. Though I do appreciate the goofy 90's films. Robin's plastic lips scene never ceases crack me up. Of those, Tim Burton's is the best of them IMO. Best Batman book is Killing Joke or Court of Owls - toss up.

I had a whole wack load of movies I put on my phone every-time I had to go do a 2 week stay. Paying 8 dollars a day for shitty tv adds up every-time. I got wise to that racket. Hospitals are just money suckers while you're trying to heal.

truth - though the media entertainment system at the hospital I stayed at had this really awesome free feature that had a library of like peaceful nature-scapes with soothing sounds, like rainfall or a babbling stream. I found this surprisingly nice and used it a lot.

Read Grant Morrison’s run. I found the court of owls trite and at points pretentious when it had no right to be. Anyway, grant Morrison! Get on that!

Will do! I have been wanting a good comic to read, it has been a minute since I picked up Batman. Thanks for the recommendation!

Keep in mind that Morrison is a bit “out there” and doesn’t write your typical batman stories. He also likes to do these long sagas that pay tribute to older stories. For him everything is canon and Batman is an extraordinary person who went through various phases in his life. Even the craziness of the old comics is canon for Morrison.

PS: his Batman and Robin run (part of the bigger Batman run) is the funnest read ever! You’re in for a treat.

PS2: the same applies for his all star Superman. It’s a massive tribute to Superman and examination of his themes before he dies. Don’t forget to read the annotations about the secret of Leo Quintum. All star Superman is probably the best comic book you’ll ever read.

Morrison sounds refreshing, I can appreciate a step away from the norm! I look forward to reading for myself :D

I have a hard time with Supes due to the nature of his character. I really enjoyed American Alien, and I had not really enjoyed any Superman stories previously. So maybe I'll give him a chance again.

This might be a really silly question, but how do you make sure your eye doesn’t dry out on the side of your face that is paralyzed? Do you use eye drops or is there some other way?

Great question, and you hit the nail on the head. Lots of eye drops, occasionally manually blinking the eye, just using the back of my finger to gently push up my lower lid. At night I use a eye gel, which is just eye drops with mineral oil to make them slightly viscous, and then I patch the eye before going to sleep.

I'm thinking about getting a patch to wear during the day to protect the eye from wind, which has been bothersome. But I haven't really been able to find a patch that I could live with wearing everyday. Most I've seen are either for sleep, really cumbersome, or are costume pieces.

How dependant are you for help with basic daily activities (i.e eating, showering, bathroom)?

Do you get made fun off ever?

What’s your opinion on cancer jokes?

I am completely independent and care for myself. I have no trouble showering or using the bathroom. Eating has been difficult. That has been maybe the hardest adjustment. I eat like an old man haha, I have to take small bites and its very hard to move food from one side of my mouth to the other. I don't need help, but it has certainly taken some getting used to. Thankfully, it has been getting easier by the day.

No getting made fun of yet. A few prying questions. "What happened to your face?" etc. I usually say something like "gang fight," or " you should see the other guy." As far as cancer jokes go, I truly do not mind. I'm not sure anyone could try and make fun of my situation in a way that would really hurt me meaningfully. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Consider seeing a speech-language pathologist for the eating component! I’m an SLP who mostly treats swallowing disorders and have used electrical stimulation to improve facial paralysis impacting patients’ ability to eat.

Very interesting! Thanks for the info - I'll look into it!

hahahahahahah. holy shit dude. That's what I say when people pry and ask stupid questions they have no business asking. " gang fight" scenario or "knife fight" . Haven't used the ol' saved a kitten from a tree and cat scratched me" .... but the time will come. "it was a big cat" i'll say....

I may use that one in the future haha. Cheers mate!

If today, you could time travel to any destination, where would you go? 🙂

I'm definitely going far-far future, like 3018, with the hopes of inter-galactic space travel. One ticket for the next off-world shuttle please and thank you!

Awesome! Make that two tickets... I think I’ll join you 😎 Thanks for answering!

Of course! Happy New Year! Maybe in our lifetime, if we're lucky, we could end up sitting side by side on an off-world shuttle. Doubt it, but a boy can dream.

Speaking of dreaming...

It's all just a dream. Whatever happens, happens. ;D

Are there any electrical stimulus devices you can use to activate the paralyzed sections?

If there are, I have not been made aware. What I have been told, is trying to activate paralyzed muscles too aggressively can be detrimental to recovery. I've been told to basically relax and wait for things to start turning back on on their own.

You mentioned that you were getting used to eating again, does the loss of sensation also extend to the inside of the right side of your mouth?
And if so do you end up biting the inside of your cheek?
And how is your tongue effected?
Sorry for the stranger side of questions, I'm just really curious. I hope your documentation goes well and I wish you all the best tackling this!

It does somewhat, not completely. I have some mild temperature and pain sensation in the right side interior of my mouth, it has probably diminished to some degree since before surgery. I have had a bit of trouble biting my cheek actually, but it hasn't been a huge bother. My tongue works just fine as far as I can tell. I am actually genetically tongue tied so I have a very wide short tongue, which has come in handy for pushing food around in my mouth. No need to apologize! I posted here to answer questions! :D Thank you for the encouragement, and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you too!
Don't know if it's just me but your proof link is linking to a picture of a BMW. Might just want to double-check it

Thanks for the heads up - it seems to link me correctly? Can a mod confirm that it's a working link? /u/IAmAMods

Just so you know, your proof link goes to a brown BMW 1-Series picture.

I used to work at the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary and saw lots of these types of surgery and there are lots of resources/ways for you to improve! Can I ask: where are you located in the US (state or region is fine), and what steps do you have to take toward recovery?

I hope that works - I changed the link to go just to the verification photo, not sure why the album link isn't working.

I am in North Carolina! I still have a bit of healing to do as far as the actual surgical site goes. My surgeon grafted some fat from my abdomen to fill in the site where the tumor was removed. That fat absorbs fluid and swelled up (this was expected). There is still some residual swelling, though it has improved a lot and continues to improve. There is also subsequently a fair bit of drainage to deal with. The surgical site should be healed completely within the next 2-3 weeks hopefully, and any residual swelling should go away in maybe a months time.

As far as the paralysis goes, it should be close to a full year before I see noted improvement. Not sure there is much I can actively do to change that.

As far as the cancer goes, as of now, I haven't been recommended further treatment, but that may change at my physician's discretion.

I just beat stage 4 melanoma. Would love to chat with you?

Congratulations! That is remarkable. I can't imagine what that must have been like, and I hope you remain healthy and happy in 2018 and for many long years to come. I am always happy to talk - shoot me a pm anytime!

What is your view on universal healthcare?

If implemented effectively, I approve whole-heartedly. However, I am unsure, really, not-knowledgeable, on how a realistic universal healthcare program gets implemented within the existing healthcare system in the United States.

Show me a public option that is affordable and provides meaningful coverage to help the uninsured - and then we can both watch it never happen because legislature will fight about it indefinitely.

How do you tell the difference between a lymph node in your neck and a possible tumour? You mention a "hard lump" - how do you tell if it is hard or normal?

My advice to you is to compare either side of your neck to the other. Everyone is different, but both sides should be roughly symmetrical. If there is lump or raised area on one side but not on the other I would take note. You shouldn't really be able to FEEL your lymph nodes normally, so if a lump persists for an extended time and seems firm to the touch I would consult your physician.

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Hi! Cancer nurse here. Has chemo been suggested? I'm not at work so I don't have access to the online medical resources, but I sure will be looking this one up! Glad your outlook is bright.

No further treatment has been recommended outside of a potential lower eyelid raise to assist with my right eye. My case is being presented to a board of experts to determine if any further cancer treatment is required but - as far as I know - that treatment would likely be radiation before chemo. Thank you for the kind words, and thank you for what you do, I had a rough hospital stay for the first few nights after recovery and I had an incredible group of nurses helping me. Ya'll are champs.

Which do you prefer and why?

Peanut Butter or Hazelnut Spreads?

Peanut butter wins in a tight race. Peanut butter has a much better value : deliciousness ratio. Peanut butter is more versatile. While Hazelnut spreads are a treat and are extremely tasty, they arn't enough better than peanut butter to make me want to splurge at their price point. I also really dig a PBnJ with crunchy cheetos. Good question, it was a tough one.

Also, shout outs to apple butter.

Edit: You won the username lottery. Nothing like tapping UUBBBRR.

I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but I will ask, anyway.

Do you, personally belive (not what doctors say) that your illness was significantly triggered via the environment, or genetics? For example, my grandfather had a rare form of leukemia. He handled chemicals most of his life. And there was no cancer in his family, at all. What are your personal thoughts on how this illness progressed?

My prayers have been sent for you. I hope that's alright. Good thoughts, and blessings for the coming new year. ❤

That is most certainly not a stupid question.

In my case, it is much more likely genetic than a product of my environment. One of my parents has had cancer, my cousin has had cancer, my grandmother died of cancer. I don't smoke. I havn't worked any jobs, for any meaningful length of time, that would have exposed me to any sort of toxic substance. But my family history does have multiple cancer diagnosis so a genetic predisposition would be more likely. Whether it was a faulty gene or some random biological glitch - I don't spend too much time worrying about it. Worrying doesn't do me any good =] It's a challenge to overcome sure, frustrating sure, but I am so terribly lucky, its hard to not feel relieved and grateful.

I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I wish you a very happy 2018.

Sorry if someone asked this already, but how did this affect your speech? Do you sound like Sylvester Stallone now?

It has effected my speech a bit haha. Plosives like the p and b sound are interesting because they require you to push air out of your mouth a bit when you speak. The right side of my mouth can't get out of it's own way so air gets caught and I kinda puff up a bit and slur those sounds. More Churchill than Stalone. For the most part I speak normally though, maybe in shorter slower thoughts than before.