Day 17: I am not normal

I have passed the two week! Yay! I have my 2 week check up with my surgeon two days ago and he said everything is going well. No infection so that's a plus. I am still very swollen, so much to the point where I am actually biting into my cheeks because they are still so big. There isn't much to do about it other than wait for the swelling to go down but I have feeling in my cheeks so it hurts like a bitch constantly. I no longer have the super raw feeling anymore so that's a plus. My pain is more of a sharp stabbing or aching now. I'm getting more and more "twitching" of my muscles happening which really hurts and then I must be getting feeling back in my gums/teeth because they just hurt like the dickens. Still taking my oxy as needed. My surgeon wants to see me in 2 weeks and splint will be out in 4 more weeks. I've actually been feeling really good because I can talk now, obviously it's not like my normal talking but people can understand me and there are days when I don't even have to take a nap! That being said, today taught me that i am far from being back to normal. My fiancé and I went to a hotel to celebrate my sister's 11 birthday. I didn't swim, just hung out in the hot tub and played some games. At 7pm I was in so much pain that I needed my oxy and I'm just drained. It was a long day. So as much as I would love to think that I'm back to being me, I most definitely am not. I'm doing better, slowly, day by day but I am no where near being 100 percent. I would say I'm running at about 50 percent right now but each week gets better. This time last week I couldn't talk at all and was doing all liquid medicine and now I can somewhat talk and take pills. I think the recovery is just going to take some time. I'm not the most patient person, especially with myself, so the slow healing is really hard for me. I'm ready to throw myself back into my old life but my body cannot handle it and today was a true test of that. I just have to remind myself that in the end, I will be back to myself and I will be even better with new and improved jaws!

Day 11

Out of all the blogs I have read about double jaw surgery, not one of them has ever described the pain they were feeling after surgery as how mine has felt. My mouth is just raw. It feels like someone took something hot and seered the entire inside of my mouth and now it is healing. It just feels so raw. It is an odd and weird pain sensation because how many times has anyone been injured where you just feel raw. Other than a burn, I can't really think of anything else. This feeling hit its peak around day 6/7 and isn't as bad today. I have more energy now than I did a few days ago. I used to have to nap twice a day (usually once around 11am and again around 5pm) but now I'm feeling pretty good with just taking one nap in the afternoon. I've been showering daily and going on walks. I can also "brush" my teeth now with my Winnie the Pooh pediatric toothbrush. I say "brush" because I can barely open my mouth and I still have the splint in so there is only so much I can really get to. My intake of pain meds is also much less than before. I take them about 3 times a day and that's it. I went in for my 1 week preop last Thursday and everything looked great. My surgeon wants to keep my splint in for 6 weeks due to the expansion of my upper palate, I hate the damn splint but I'd rather leave it in for the best end result. I go back for my 2 week this Thursday!

Day 6 you are the worst

I barely got any sleep last night because I have been in constant pain. The entire inside of my mouth feels raw. It's like I can feel my pulse through my entire mouth. I got up and out of the house today and went to my sister's school and the chiropractor... And then I came home and slept for over 2 hours. It legit wiped everything out of me. One of my rubber bands also snapped today so my mother and I spent an hour trying to fish the broken one out of my mouth and wrangle the new one in. Honestly, it was a pretty eventful day. I'm hoping for less pain tomorrow! 

Day 3 post op

I'm actually feeling really good. I just took my first shower and am about to take a walk outside. I have been having major jaw spasms which hurt like a bitch but they pass fairly quickly. I have feeling back in almost all my face already which is awesome! I know there was a chance that some feeling might never come back but things are looking good for me! I'm ready for the swelling to go down. The biggest thing I've eaten is some Starbucks and I haven't 💩 since Thursday but baby steps. First week is the hardest so I'm slowly moving into better times!

1 day post op

I am very sore and very swollen. Yesterday after the surgery I barely remember anything. I know I had two panick attacks that they treated right away. I was discharged today around 2pm so I am in the comfort of my home. I had to share a room in the hospital and I was not happy with that so I got myself up and peed and popped and met all the requirements to go home. I can't talk and  I am only on liquids (clear). The worst part of the surgery was the 10 times they poked me before finding a vein for iv

Or maybe it was the latex catheter they used when I said 900 times I was allergic

To latex. Oh well at least I'm home and healing!

Less than 48 hours till surgery

The big day is almost here! I have to be at the university of Minnesota medical center by 545am on Wednesday the 16. I just finished running errands on the final things I'll need. It feels a little like Y2K at our house with cases of ensure, chicken broth, soup, etc to get my through the liquid diet. Got my pediatric toothbrush today which is super cute with a baby version of Winnie the Pooh on it. I've got my ninja blender and all my necessities to make my smoothies. I'm ready for this! Bring it on! Hopefully I'll be up and able to blog after the surgery!

 

I've got the London look!

Great day today! After visiting with my orthodontist, I was finally able to begin scheduling my surgery! Whoop! They are going to do a two piece upper now instead of breaking it into three, so now I have a huge Gap in the middle of my two front teeth (looking like that annoying British model in the rimmel London commercial). But I get to have my surgery so I'll take the gap! My pre-op appointment is on August 4 to make sure I don't drop dead while they are sawing my face in half. Once I'm good and cleared for surgery, I will set the date!