My Dad "Scary Terminator Stuff"

I requested from my surgeon the cool 3-D x-rays he took a couple weeks ago. They are pretty amazing so I thought you all would get a kick out of them. The Dr. said everything looked fantastic and I don't need to see him for another two months :) Now just concentrating on finishing up the braces part of this journey. I probably have another four - six months until all is said and done. So here's the x-rays :)

It's Been Awhile

I think this blog will be coming to an end very soon. I'm almost at week 9 of my recovery and it's gone splendidly so far. In the last couple of weeks I've been able to eat a lot more solid foods. I'm still quite fond of scrambled eggs and cottage cheese mainly because it's delicious but also super easy! I've also kept up my Ensure consumption usually in the mornings mixed with protein powder and coffee. I don't know how I'm not disgusted by it yet but it's tasty! I'm slowly beginning to chew more things which feels so weird. I'm having to relearn how to eat at 29! Crazy! Actually just today I made some eggs, black beans, red peppers, basil and goat cheese mixed together and I wrapped them in corn tortillas. I thought I'd try to bite into them and it worked :) My jaw hurts a bit now but it's worth it!

Brad and I were in Boston last weekend for his birthday (the big 32). I love that I'm still in my 20's I tease him all the time :) Anyway I made a point of not packing any liquid items. It was fine. We usually ate a big breakfast and of course I had an egg dish and that kept us until dinner. One night we went to his friend Josh's parents and had a  bbq. I just ate everything with a knife and fork no biggie. It was quite exciting to eat normal food. In a couple weeks we're headed to KC I can't wait to see my family! I'm not sure if they'll think I look a lot different or not. I've had some co-workers say they see a big difference and others that don't. I think I look different and probably the 20 lb weight loss contributes. Again a lovely side effect to this surgery :) It should be a ton of fun to see everyone!!

Last night Brad and I went out to dinner something I'd really missed doing since the surgery. I had Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and asparagus with a brown butter and sage sauce! To start we had polenta fries and for dessert cheesecake and of course wine! I was in heaven!! I did have to have Brad tell me when food was on my lower lip or chin because those areas are still numb. I had a few mishaps but overall it was a success! We actually went to the same place that we took my mom the day before she left. I remember I didn't have such a good time. I couldn't even drink out of the water glass. So it is amazing how six weeks later good as new...almost.

I've been back at work for three weeks and I think with the amount of talking I've done that's helped my jaw muscles a lot! I've also felt the most pain since my surgery with all the talking. I guess the more I'm using it the more pain but nothing out of control just pings here and there. My left side of my jaw also likes to swell up for some reason every now and again. My right side has been perfectly fine. I head back to the surgeon tomorrow so I'll have to ask him about that. My chief complaint is that my face feels frozen. I can talk with no problems but it's almost like I got shot up with botox all along my jaw. It's just real stiff (good for wrinkles I guess:). So I will also be chatting with the Dr. to see how long this is supposed to last. Overall I've felt really good and honestly I think I can safely say I'm happy I had the surgery done. It's amazing to see my bite in it's proper place. Now I just need the metal off my teeth! I have high hopes they'll be off by Christmas! But as long as they're off by Feb. 11th 2012 I'll be fine. I refuse to go into my 30's with these things still on.


Here's the latest photo and a side shot! Pardon the hair I'm getting it done this week. It's been way too long!!! I have some major two tones happening. I can't say when the next post will be. I still have to get some x-ray pictures to show you the before and after and all the screws! I'll try to see if I can get them emailed to me when I see the Dr. tomorrow. Hope everyone is well!!

                                                 

First Week Of Work Successful!

Well I completed my work week. I'm quite happy it's Friday. Work was great and I loved seeing all my co-workers and clients. I will admit as the days went by all the talking I was doing took its toll on my jaw. Monday was the most challenging because I still had my splint aka mouth guard like contraption in my mouth. So I really struggled to talk clearly. Phone conversations were particularly difficult but I made it through. And on Monday afternoon the kind doctor removed my splint!!!!! I thought it may hurt taking it out because it was wired to my braces but it wasn't bad. I was just super flinchy expecting each time he clipped a wire for it to hurt. They took another x-ray and things still look great :) Next appointment will be in two weeks. Anyway the rest of the week I could talk really well. I'm almost back to normal. But by the end of the day my jaw ached like crazy and felt like stone. I hope the stiffness will go away soon as it's not the most comfortable.

This coming Monday I venture back to the Orthodontist. She will be replacing my current archwires with the surgical hooks  attached to them for new wires. I think that will please my mouth a lot. The hooks are not my friends and they continue to dig into my lips. No me gusta!! (that's the extent of my Spanish speaking skills :).

The surgeon said I will be on a soft food diet for another month or two so my new favorite meal is scrambled eggs and cottage cheese mixed together. It's actually really delicious, I suggest you try it sometime.  I would prefer a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich buy hey it is what it is. Brad and I are going to a Mets game tomorrow and I'm wondering what ballpark food I can attempt to consume. Hotdogs and cracker jacks are out. I'm thinking maybe french fries and beer. We'll see but I'm determined to eat something.

Here's the latest photo.  I also wanted to upload a pre-surgery and post-surgery profile picture as it's a big difference. Sorry they're not both the same side but these were already on my camera and I didn't want to take more but you get the idea. I've always hated my profile and I'm definitely pleased with how the surgery has improved it.  Have a great weekend everyone! Look for another post next week.

Pre-Surgery

Post Surgery

   

Back to work on Monday!

My lazy days will soon be over. Monday I head back to work. I'm actually excited to go back. I miss all the wonderful people I work with and the clients! I am a little nervous as I'm still not speaking that clearly. I'm understandable but not quite where I would like to be. I also hope I won't be in too much pain because the more I talk the achier my jaw becomes. I have no doubt next week will be trying! I should be getting the splint out late afternoon on Monday so I hope that will help clear things up!

I went to the Orthodontist on Wednesday. Her and her staff are so lovely. We really just chatted about the surgery and she said she saw a huge difference from just looking at me. She took a quick look at my teeth and said things looked great. Once the splint is out I'll go back to her and she'll replace my surgical strength wires (which have the dreaded hooks on them) to lighter wires. I hope to get back in to see her this coming week if not the following.

Yesterday I successfully and without much difficulty ate a scrambled egg. I've been getting much better at drinking from a cup and not spilling all over myself. Both of these things are highly exciting! They say around 8 weeks post op people start to feel fairly normal again. I'm just over 5 weeks so I'm getting close.  We'll be in Boston in two weeks for Brad's birthday and I hope to not have to pack my Ensure but we will see.

I'll probably only be posting once a week or so from here on out as there's really not any daily changes happening. With those weekly posts I will be sure to add an updated picture! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend :)

Picture Entry

I was looking through my pictures of the last few weeks and was pretty amazed to see how far I've come. So I thought I'd repost some pictures from day one through today. It's the best part of blogs anyway! Caution not the prettiest but just the way it is! Oh and I'll post about the orthodontist appointment tomorrow as it's later this afternoon.

                                           Blissfully unaware of what laid ahead of me........

                        Day after surgery, feeling pretty miserable after puking up blood.

      First day home. Feeling refreshed after a shower even though I don't look like it!

             My nurse (mom) and me with my bandage accessory looking mighty fine.

                                               Bandage off, one week post op!

                                                            My lovely mom!

                                      My other caregiver :) Best husband ever!!!

                       Double chin city & breakouts galore about 2 weeks post op!!!

                                           Getting better almost 4 weeks post op.

This is the best I can smile (needs some work). 5 weeks post op a definite improvement!

Day 35

I hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July holiday! Mine was spent hotdogless and hamburgerless. I had a small pity party for myself and then I got over it. No doubt I saved some major calories so that's a plus. Brad and I did venture out to view our local fireworks and he learned something new about me. I really don't care for fireworks. As a kid I hated fireworks they were too loud and scary and they made me cry. So my parents would end up leaving me with my Aunt and Grandma. I have out grown the need to cry at fireworks but something is still unnerving about them. I know it's weird. I do have to say our little town put on a pretty good display. So that was my 4th of July, foodless and fireworks. Next year I'm entering the Coney Island hot dog eating contest to make up for the lack of food this year :) They've added a women's division!

I thought my orthodontist appointment was today but as it turns out it's tomorrow. Frustrating because with my busy schedule these days it's really hard to rearrange things :). So I'll have to report on that tomorrow stay tuned. The last couple of days I've managed to cram in a scrambled egg and a few tablespoons of cottage cheese. I find it's almost not worth the hassle and would prefer to just drink my food because the effort it takes to eat so little drives me up a wall! I know it's important for my jaw muscles to regain strength so each day I will eat some form of soft food to please my surgeon.

I've been feeling pretty good lately. My swelling has gone down.  I'll get a picture up tomorrow I promise. The latest annoyance is my lips. They're really tight and stiff. I probably haven't been aware of them until now due to the previous numbness. I imagine it's due to the remaining swelling but I'm not sure. They did incur a lot of damage during the surgery so they could just need more time to heal. . I've stopped using the bowl under my chin while I drink. I've replaced it with a paper towel but hopefully I can stop that soon too. I was thinking to myself yesterday it's almost like I have to relearn how to drink and eat. I hadn't realized this came along with the surgery.  Craziness!

Day 31

Not much new to report on the jaw front. I do seem to be regaining more and more sensation in my face. The only completely numb areas are my chin, right under my nose and the right side of my bottom lip. The tingling with some sharp shooting pains throughout my face are persisting so the little nerves are putting up a fight to come back. My swelling continues to go down but doesn't want to disappear completely and likes to fluctuate especially in my cheeks and under my chin. Talking is improving but I continue to sound like I have marbles in my mouth. Liquids are still the mainstay of my diet with an occasional attempt at some eggs.  Next Tuesday I head to the orthodontist. She won't be able to do too much but just wants to take a look to see what the next step will be once the splint comes out. That's about it. My next post will most likely be on the 5th after my ortho visit unless something really exciting happens before then.  I hope everyone has a fantastic Fourth of July!! Eat a cheeseburger for me :)