One Month Today!

Today I've reached the one month mark post surgery. I have to say it feels like it's been a lot longer than that. There have been some days I would think to myself am I ever going to get back to normal. I still sometimes think that but when I reflect back to June 1st I know I've come a long way it's just been a slow process. I thought I'd post some milestones that have happened in the last month to remind me there's light at the end of the tunnel.

1. Graduating from the syringe to a big girl cup.
2. Being able to go on a walk without being completely drained afterwards.
3. No more writing on a piece of paper to communicate. Being able to talk is highly underrated and something I will never take for granted again.
4. Sleeping more than a couple hours at a time.
5. Looking less like the Michelin Man and more like myself!

I think in another month I will be able to add a lot more to this list!!

I did attempt to eat a hard boiled egg last night. I managed to eat the yolk part the egg white was to rubbery. It took me awhile but I did it. I can't say it was an enjoyable eating experience but it's a start. I think my next goal besides eating more soft foods is to focus on not spilling when I'm drinking from a cup. It's like I have a hole in my lip I can't figure out what the problem is and it's getting on my nerves. I certainly can't go to happy hour with the girls and bring along a bowl to hold under my chin. I may get some stares :)

I am also happy to report I've been having a couple daily phone conversations with my family. I think that's helping me with my enunciation. It's still a struggle but I'm getting there! Lastly I just want to thank everyone who's sent me a card, flowers, gifts, text messages or said a prayer I really appreciate it! You've all helped me get through a rough month so thank you!!! :) :) :) Love you all!

The Hooks!

It seems with more progress comes pain. I had about 20 surgical hooks that were attached to my braces before surgery where the rubber bands were placed to secure my jaw. I actually only have two rubber bands one on each side. Unfortunately they can't predict how many they need so I have a lot of unnecessary hooks. As I've been able to open my jaw wider and begin to talk more the hooks have started to dig into my lips. It's super uncomfortable. I do have wax from the orthodontist but since I eat every two hours and have to brush my teeth each time putting wax on all of the hooks seems pointless. I hope that my lips will adjust and toughen up in the near future!! I see the orthodontist next week. She probably won't be able to do anything since I have the splint in so it will be more of a planning visit. Once she's able to remove the arch wire and replace it the hooks will be removed. I'm guessing in about a month.

Today I made the mistake of not blending my smoothie up to the proper consistency. I added grapes to the smoothie and realized once I started to drink it there were chunks not blended. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to get all the bits and pieces out not fun!! I imagine I still have chunks stuck in the back. Brad was away for work yesterday but will be home tonight so I think I'm going to take the rubber bands off and try to eat an egg again. It's a little pathetic that I need his supervision in case of a choking incident but I really don't want to be featured on that show "1,000 ways to die". I don't think I want to go out because of an egg :)

I'm realizing that I can occupy myself for about eight hours during the day. I wake up around 8am drink my Ensure coffee cocktail while I enjoy the Today show. Although I am missing Meredith since she left. I'm not sure Anne is cutting it but I love Matt!! Then I head out for my walk for about 30 minutes come back take a shower and watch Rachel Ray and then The View or Dr. Oz. Somewhere in between I enjoy another beverage. Then at noon I eat again and update my blog check all the facebook happenings and the msn homepage for news updates. This brings me to around 2pm. From 2pm - 6pm I just kind of wander around. This is where it would be helpful if I was an arts and crafts person. I do read and have read a couple books the past few weeks so I should probably get another book. I imagine I won't have this much time on my hands until I'm really old so I guess I just need to enjoy all this freedom because it will be a long time before I get this again. Although Brad does joke that we've hired a cleaning lady and she works M-F (9-5pm) so apparently I shouldn't be that bored :)

I hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday!! Until tomorrow my friends.

Good Report!

Brad and I went to my surgeon today for a follow up visit. He said I've been doing a much better job at brushing he only saw a couple spots that needed improvement. I hadn't realized that some of my gums are numb until he was trying to point with a q-tip where I needed to clean more and I couldn't feel it. He thought my swelling looked great. Brad informed him I've been cursing him for the last couple of weeks thinking he gave me a double chin.........but it has steadily been decreasing so I probably owe the Dr. an apology as he warned me it would take a few weeks :) He took an x-ray and said things looked great......big sigh of relief!! He replaced my rubber bands with looser ones and told me I can take them off to eat and brush my teeth. I may hold off on that for a couple days because I think putting them back on will be a bit of a challenge! He does think I should be able to eat soft foods now so I need to keep trying. All in all a great appointment..YAY!!

I've been feeling really good the last couple of days. Talking has been easier. I go back to the Dr. in two weeks and if everything looks good I'll have the splint removed so that should help with the talking. That's the day I'm scheduled to be back to work so I may have to start a day later but we'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Here's my updated photo (Day 27). I decided to put a little makeup on today but as you can see the swelling has definitely went down. I do want to point out that my hair in all my pictures tends to look greasy but that's because I take it right after my shower. Just wanted to make that clear :)

Worth A Shot

Last night was the soft food attempt. I scrambled one egg and smashed it up into super tiny pieces. I was feeling fairly confident I could eat it. I took my plate and fork into the bathroom so I could use the mirror to navigate the small opening I have to cram in some food. I did manage to shove a piece in but like when a baby eats it just came out. The splint and my tongue seem to be a real obstacle. Also I think I need to have my jaw open a few more millimeters. I did get one little piece down and estimated it would take around five hours to eat one egg so I opted for a coffee spiked Ensure instead. Maybe in another week I'll try it again.

I did manage to talk to my sister Kristi for a few minutes yesterday. She found my mumbles pretty hilarious but we could somewhat carry on a conversation. I think yesterday I talked the most since my surgery. By the end of the night my jaw muscles felt a lot more loose but my jaw also had more pain. And this morning when I woke up my lower jaw was pretty swollen which from what I've read is normal. Step by step I'm getting there.

The tingling, pulsing sensations seems concentrated in my chin and is quite constant. I guess it's a good thing as it seems the nerves are working overtime to come back or they're agitated not sure.

My next post will probably be on Monday morning after my appointment with the surgeon. I hope to have only good news to report!! Happy Friday everyone. Have a great weekend!!

Day 23

This morning I went on my longest walk yet. I knew it would be raining most of the day so I took advantage and headed out early to catch the cool morning breeze. My energy seems to be increasing every day which is fantastic! I've also upped my caloric intake by about 300 calories a day so I think that has helped as well.  My swelling continues to tease me...up, down, up, down. I'm waiting for the day I wake up and things will look normal for the whole day. Until then my patience continues to be tested!!

My talking has improved. I no longer write anything down. I certainly am not having lengthy conversations but I can at least be understood in brief sentences. I'm hopeful in a week or so I can have this splint taken out. I go in on Monday to see the surgeon for an x-ray so I think from that he'll be able to tell me how much longer I'll need to have it in. (original statement 5-6 weeks, Monday will almost be 4) Who knows maybe my bones will be completely fused and the bands and splint will both be removed. Highly unlikely but a girl can dream! Tonight's the night I try some soft foods. I plan on making some scrambled eggs.............delicious! If I could only add some bread, bacon and cheese I'd be in heaven :) I'll let everyone know how that goes tomorrow. As you can see I'm living a very exciting life at this moment. It's the small things people!!!

Surgery Details

Unfortunately my regular morning t.v. programming was interrupted by some unpleasant weather so I'm updating my blog a little earlier today. Like I mentioned yesterday I realized I hadn't explained what my surgery actually entailed or what it was medically labeled. So here it goes. I had three procedures done which took seven hours to complete. Definitions and pictures are courtesy of
http://www.maxfac.com/facial/jaw.html
First this is what my problem was an open bite. There was a space between my upper and lower teeth. My teeth only touched I believe on my left back side. Eventually I'll put pictures of  myself up when I can get the before and after from my surgeon or orthodontist.




1) Lefort 1 Oseotomy ( I had my top jaw cut and moved in three pieces instead of one due to my open bite my Dr. thought this would create a more stable result)

Le Fort I Osteotomy
Sensory nerves to the upper lip and cheeks are coloured blue

The Le Fort I osteotomy involves separating the maxilla and the palate from the skull above the roots of the upper teeth through an incision inside the upper lip. The maxilla is fixed in its new position with titanium screws and plates. The operation is frequently carried out with the mandibular Sagittal split osteotomy when it is termed a Bimaxillary Osteotomy. (I believe my upper jaw was moved up and a little forward).







2) Sagittal Split Osteotomy

Mandibular Sagittal Split Osteotomy
and Genioplasty (Chin Surgery)Sensory Nerves to the lower lip pass through the jaw and are coloured blue

The back of the lower jaw is split bilaterally under general anaesthetic in the region of the wisdom teeth, which are generally removed in a separate operation at least 6 months prior to corrective surgery. The procedure permits the lower jaw to be advanced or pushed back with adequate bone contact for healing. The bone is fixed in its new position by screws which are inserted through tiny external skin incisions which are located at the angle of the jaw. These heal with minimal external scarring.  (All my screws were inserted internally)

3) Genioplasty

The chin may be moved backward / forwards / upwards / downwards with an intraoral incision behind the lower lip, to correct an abnormal position. (My chin was moved forward due to the fact they had to move my jaw back, so to balance everything my chin needed to be moved forward).