Day 13

Soooo I missed posting yesterday again but oh well. 

I had my appointment with Dr Barr and it was literally like five minutes. All he said was that I can take my elastics off to brush and eat (if I want to) 

I did that and it felt SO WEIRD. I felt like my lower jaw was going to just fall right lff it was really loose. I couldn't figure out how to get them back on in the same spot he had them though so I just hooked them on, he said it didn't really matter if it was exactly the same. It feels different though 

Also one of my bottom molars feels weird, almost like its a bit loose but I can't really tell because it's in the braces and all. Maybe it's just because of the pressure? I don't know , I'm just a bit worried that if I put the elastics on wrong it might affect my jaw ... but Dr Barr said there really isn't much that can change it at this point so 

My stitches should be coming out in. the next few weeks too which will be nice cause smiling/laughing is still extremely painful. 

Not much else happened. I used my last pain pill so I'm moving to plain old Tylenol because I definitely can't go without any medication yet, especially over night. Speaking of which sleeping elevated is getting so annoying but if I sleep flat my jaw feels weird and it's sort of painful. I can't wait until I can sleep on my side again, I miss curling up. So many things we take for granted that our jaw affect hahah.  

Anyway that's about all. I was a bit more swollen than usual I think but I'm not really worried about it. 

Looking forward to straw drinking but its still a while in the future. I can't even close my lips together yet. But it will be way easier to eat while I'm out. I get so hungry at school (thank god I'm not there all day) and I can't eat at school :( 

Anway, here are some pictures (:

xx

this is how much I can smile at this point before it starts to hurt. This is still fairly uncomfortable. Of course, everything is uncomfortable right now. 

Day 12

Well I survived my day back to school but it rained so I think the weather was trying to say yes you should have stayed home but who knows, I'll look for a sign to stay home in anything. 

Everyone told me I looked 'cute' with my chubby cheeks which I don't know how to feel about. I can't wait for the swelling to go down more though. Especially since at this point it's lopsided and my right side looks all droopy and weird. 

Anyway my test ended up being moved back a week by my begging classmates and very nice teacher so I'm not sure if I'll have to do it yet I forgot to ask. All in all I'm not TOO far behind. 

Anyway, I feel pretty much the same as yesterday except a lot less fun because I don't get to be lazy. Aside from that I'm down to two pain pills a day but the pain isn't really THAT bad, I'm just a major wimp. My chin is all tingly though and I've yet to determine whether or not I find jt painful. It's not a horrible pain, but It definitely isn't very comfortable. It's sort of like a throbbing except it's a sharp pain rather than the normal dull throbbing we usually get with a general cut or stubbed toe. I also had to sneeze today but I withheld so I'm still here. I refuse to sneeze during this process as I am extremely scared of the unknown outcome. 

I'll be seeing my surgeon tomorrow but I'm not really sure what to except. Despite the countless blogs I've read I'm not exactly sure what they do at the (almost) two week mark. I hope they remove my splint though, even just for the  appointment. It desperately needs cleaning. My entire mouth needs the equivalent of a car wash, I mean my infant brush and proxy brush and rinse can do so much when I'm elasticized shut and can't open my mouth/move my lips.  

I'm going to try driving to school tomorrow too. My moms going with me in case I decide I'm not ready but hopefully it's all good because I'm not taking the bus I absolutely refuse. 

Anyway I'm not sure what else there is to say about today other than I'm growing extremely weary of Boost and smoothies. 

first time in almost two weeks with makeup on 

still hard to believe this is what i look like now 

Day 11

Sunday marks day eleven and I have moved back into my room.... I have to say I miss my little nest downstairs. I can also say I am not at all looking forward to school tomorrow. This recovery week went by way too fast I enjoyed laying on the pullout couch watching my shows and reading and writing and over all doing very little productive work. But alas, the time has come for me to re enter to social world. Luckily I only have school until noon every day (period four islunch  at 12 and I have a fifth period spare :D) Not sure how I'll manage hunger wise though. Usually by second period I'm starving but maybe because I haven't been eating as much I'll be able to last. 

Today I went to the movie to see Out of Africa, its an old one. The theatre was playing it for their Classic Film things and my mom and I were the only ones in the theatre so that was cool. My best friend also came over so it was the first time she's seen me. She says I look 'cute' with my chubby cheeks. She also said when she saw my first picture on facebook she had to check the name because she almost didn't recognize me so I'll take that as a good sign. 

I drank an Orange Julius strawberry colada today too which we asked for watered down and the girl serving us sao she had the exact same thing done! I can't believe the amount of people I've run into or been told about who've had it. I really didn't know it was so common!

I've still got swelling, but its mainly on my right side. My mom says that on the left I look almost normal if she didn't jnow any better but the right is still puffy and a but droopier than the other, maybe because it's more numb than the left. The girl on cash at Value Village asked if I'd had my
wisdom teeth removed and I just shook my head sadly as my mom explained that it was far far worse. My bottom lip is all tingly to the touch on the left side but totally numb on the right still. My chin is completely numb also but that's it at this point which is good! I'm drinking without a cup and barely dribbling, if at all! 

My next appointment with my surgeon is Tuesday and then I'll finally be seeing my ortho next Tuesday the 19th (and then off the Paramore on the 20th!! Hopefully I can sing a bit more by then!) 

Well it's late and I'm looking at a very early morning lucky me, so I'll leave you with some pictures! xx 

still fairly puffy on this side. 

but fairly normal here.

 

Day 10

I just fully realized that I'm making post surgery posts now. Incredible. It feels like just yesterday I was stressing out and wishing the surgeon would call with my damn date already.
Like I said yesterday, things are getting loads better, thank god. There is barely any pressure at this point, and not much pain. I'm taking my medication whenever I feel I need it (as long as it's been longer than five hours) and I can go quite a bit longer than the five. I still haven't managed to motivate myself to keep eating often so I'm not exactly keeping my nutrition and weight up well..I'll probably go and drink a Boost after posting this because I feel bad.
My family has also left me for the day for my brothers hockey tournament and of course, today of all days, people keep deciding to call the house. Sorry people, I can't answer on account of I can't talk.
 I don't have too much to say today, it was just a plain old boring day. Had some boost, cleaned my mouth/teeth, watched Supernatural, wrote my NaNo, was lazy. There isn't much else to do really when you're recovering from jaw surgery. Normally I'd be eating my boredom away but we all know that isn't going to happen. I did manage to have my first post op cup of tea though. It took me a good twenty minutes and it felt weirder to drink than anything else for some reason.
I've also started yawning again. Not as often as I did pre surgery, but at night before I go to bed I have to fight the urge to yawn. A few times I haven't been able to hold it back and let me tell you it is the weirdest thing ever. First I feel like I'm about to rip my jaw open and yawn, so I have to put my hand (gently, I had genioplasty also) on my chin and hold it in place while I attempt to yawn through a clenched, closed jaw. Uncomfortable, and also it makes my left ear pop. And not the usual, daily random popping where the sound changes a little bit either. No, it's like there was a block over my ear and suddenly I can hear like, EVERYTHING. Not sure how I feel about this yet but.....it's weird, that's for sure. I'll be making sure I'm caught up on sleep to keep it at a minimum, that's for sure!
I'm hoping I'll feel good to drive on Monday. Not really sure if there's any protocol on that one...I know I can't exactly turn my neck well as it hurts my jaw a bit and even though I don't do shoulder checks as often as I should, there are some situations where it's definitely necessary....however, I refuse to take the bus because for some reason the bumps are 100 time worse on a bus than in my car which will not be pleasant for my jaw for obvious reasons.
Anyway, I just wanted  to give a little update so I don't forget and end up missing it again haha. I would post pictures but I literally look the same as I did the last time I posted so. I'll post some tomorrow though just for kicks. I personally don't think the swelling has gone down anymore yet but who knows maybe I just haven't noticed.
I also can't smile. Not even a little one, not without it hurting at least, as my family knows very well when they keep making me laugh. Even then my lips move like a fraction of an inch so it doesn't look like I'm smiling anyway.
God I just can't wait to finally be able to see the bite I've gone through this torture for! I just have to keep reminding myself that before I know it I'll be saying one  month, five months, a year post op and this will all be a distant memory and I'll be chomping down on a delicious sandwich that is not followed by entrails hanging from my teeth.

Day 9

Well, we're nearing the end of day 9. This is SO weird. I remember just last week I was perusing other jaw surgery blogs making my way to day 9 and thinking 'My god this is so far, am I ever even going to make it to day 9?!'
Good news: I have! And the pressure on my teeth has alleviated so much so other than the fact that I still feel pretty weak, and I still can't actually close my lips/mouth together but we'll give it time.
I finally finished my school work (hurrah) so I've got the weekend free of responsibility. Until Monday. When I go back to school. Which also means I have to leave the nest I've created this past week on the pull out couch in the living room and return to my room which will feel incredibly weird as I haven't actually slept there in over a week now....
Anyway, I haven't used ice packs in a long time now and I've only taken one pill today for pain so things are definitely looking up. I've been really lucky in my recovery so far in my opinion regarding swelling and pain and bruising (the yellow is practically gone now as far as I can see). I even managed to sleep in until 11:30 today!
I'm just really looking forward to the end of recovery so I can fully experience my new bite. I already have my first real meal planned, a Malibu chicken caesar wrap from a local restaurant called Red Rock Canyon. SO good, and finally I can bite into it like a normal person!!!
So funny when I enthuse about these things to my friends and family. They all look at me like "wow...you're excited about...biting into sandwiches". But if you're in the same boat as me, you totally know what I'm talking about!
I'm just so in love with my swollen face right now I can't imagine what it's going to be like when the swelling has gone down.
Anyway, I should probably get back to writing  my NaNo considering I am WAY behind.

Good night! xx

Day 8

Hello!
I am posting to you from, surprise, the actual day!
Nothing too interesting happened today really.....I'm still taking my pain medication, but I haven't had the Ibuprofen for a few days. I found that even when it's been ground up really small and mixed into a smoothie, the pieces are still so bitter and they actually burn going down my throat. It's extremely unpleasant and my swelling hasn't been bad at all, so I just quit.
Yesterday was my last day for antibiotics, so I'm assuming that they don't expect any infections as long as I keep my mouth clean? Here's hoping haha.
I didn't eat much today now that I look back..probably not a good thing. My mom keeps telling me I need to be eating even when I'm not hungry, but it just takes so much effort to eat/drink anything and then clean myself up afterwards that I just don't feel like it (not feeling like eating...that's a first). We don't have a scale in the house so I can't say how much I've lost at this point, but I went into surgery at approximately 127 pounds. I've been in pajama pants this entire time and I wore a long skirt to the movies and I haven't noticed much change in fit, so I'm not really sure what to say.
I took a good look at my teeth today and noticed (I had sort of forgotten this was being fixed) that my teeth are now lined up! Like the midline, or whatever it is! That makes me even happier (:
So now my face will be even instead of my right cheek being larger. I also noticed that my nose looks a lot different now that my jaw is in the right place! Weird how one section of your face can alter the look of everything else!

Monday is back to school (Yippee......) so I'm frantically trying to finish those two essays my teacher gave me as alternate assignments (hopefully they don't expect it on the day I'm back...) and to finish my ISU novel for English as I'm only half done. It's a weird year for me, usually I would already be on my fourth book but I just haven't been in a reading mood lately. Maybe it's just the book, who knows.

Anyway, there isn't much else to say about today it was quite boring so, I bid you farewell for the night fellow jaw surgery goers! xx

MILESTONE - Day 7!!!

Cant believe its been a week already!!!! Wow (actually its Thursday at the time o writing but i forgot to post last night sorry x) 

I made quite a bit of progress food wise. My syringe officially broke so I was basically forced to start drinking from a cup but I was supposed to start anyway so oh well. I actually did pretty well I think for first time, hardly any dribbling at all! 

I drank some soup and Boost and my medication, and I even drank some mashed sweet potatoes (my favourite) watered down with a bit of milk so it wasn't too thick (or else it gets stuck in my upper lip. I'm not quite atspoon stage   because of that) 

My skin is also super dry like all over my face but mainly my nose I hate it! I've been putting Vaseline on my lips as well as Eucerin intensive lip balm which is great stuff, and I put Vaseline on my face mainly my nose too idk if that does anything but my mom says its good for dry skin so we'll see. I usually do a facewash  thing but seeing as I have to really rub my face I don't think my jaw is ready for that just yet!  

I also went out into public yesterday (other than my appointment which I don't count because I literally only passed one person on the way in and out). I went to the movies with my mom (we have this alternative film group in my city so not like the regular movies it's at the theatre down town) It was a really good Danish movie which i dont remember the name but it was about a teacher wrongly accused of touching a little girl and how it affects his life. Really moving I highly recommend it. 

Anyway I also managed to get some school work done so theres one out of two projects done (well 2/3 theres still a bjt left but I got lazy). I've missed an entire unit of my world issues class and the test is the day I return (I dont have to do it) so catching up will be fun. My next appointment with Dr Barr is the second day back to school at eleven but luckily my class is doing the second part of the test so I won't be missing even MORE school. High school problems- miss a day and you catch up for two. A week is much much worse. 

I also began my NaNoWriMo novel which since its a week in already I dont think I'll finish in time but oh well it's incentive to actually finish something I suppose.

Swelling on my left side has gone down a bit since day 6, but the right is still a bit yellow and swollen pretty much the same amount. 

Still have minimal lip control and my   bottom is still numb but I have all feeling in the top lip and nose (which I have to get repierced :( ) The only part still num right now is my chin right under my bottom lip, I've got feeling on both cheeks so thats good I think right. 

I also managed to fit my proxy brush in behind my teeth so the other side is a bit cleaner which feels nice. I hate my teeth being dirty but I've managed to get them as clean as I can. Still there are extremely hard to reach places still not as clean as I'd like and it irritates me a lot. 

But oh well what can ya do :P 

There are twin girls at me school ( a year older) and our parents sort of know each other and apparently they're both having the same surgery and they're doing iy at he same time!! Next time my mom see's their parents she'll be giving themfair warning   hahah! It's bad enough having one person down, but two? I can't even imagine! 

Well I'll leave with some pictures I guess, hope everyone is having a lovely day (: xxx