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8 Months Post-Op

Just wanted to add a couple of pictures. My 9 month update should be braces-free!!

6 Months Later

Today marks six months since surgery. Dr. Bowman was sure to say - repeatedly - prior to surgery that a more final surgical result would not be visible until this point. I guess these pictures are as good as it's going to get :)  Really, though, I'm happy with the result. I'm not totally symmetrical, but I was never going to be.  I feel like any residual swelling is basically gone, but I'm still a little stiff and tender at times, particularly in front of my left ear and under my left cheekbone. My main scar is healing nicely.  At a checkup with the orthodontist last night (Yes, the braces are still on…more on that later), we measured how wide I can now open my mouth. He stated that normal was around 40mm and I measured right around 35mm. He suggested that, for me, this was excellent, and he felt 37-38mm may be my eventual maximum. 

The braces - ugh. I'm so over them at this point. I have spaces that refuse to close up, and I have a perfectionist for a doctor.  It's like my teeth and my doctor are in some weird power struggle and neither will give. As a result, I am subjected to "power thread" and "c-chain", both of which are supposed to pull the teeth together but essentially just make me cranky. I know, I know - we've already come this far…but I really do need to get engagement photos taken and I don't want braces in those photos. I was originally told I'd have braces for about a year. We're closing in on two years at this point.  I'm tired of the constant sores in my mouth from all the pokey bits that they can't seem to make go away. I really don't remember my first bout with braces being this unfriendly to my cheeks and lips.  

Ok, whining is done!

20 Weeks/First Day of School

It has now been 20 weeks since surgery! Today also marks the first day at my new job. It was a busy, crazy day with a lot of talking, but I survived. It appears I have a great group of 7th graders!

12 Week Post-Surgery...Take 2

Not sure where the rest of my post went, so I'll try again :)

I wanted to add a couple of new snapshots. Today marks 12 weeks since surgery. I would say more than 90% of the swelling is gone, and I look different but not drastically so.

The left side moves so much more now, but it still looks less defined than the right. More rounded and stiff, I guess. My left eye opens wider and easier now, but I still have Spock eyebrows because the left side of my forehead doesn't move. Bonus: my forehead wrinkle can't go all the way across right now :)

I'm eating pretty normally at this point. Breads are the most difficult because they're so chewy, and salads are hard, too. I actually had a little steak last week with almost no issues. I can open wide enough for two sideways fingers now, and that will continue to improve, especially when I'm finished wearing elastics completely. Next week's teeth cleaning may be interesting since I can't open very wide, but we'll cross that bridge later.

Week 7

Well, I made it through the close of school after returning for the final three weeks. 8th graders are funny creatures - they seem to think we're just going to allow them to have a free-for-all in the last bit of school. They forget even basic manners and some try to get away with some really obnoxious behaviors, but we survived and that's all that matters. They really were a good group of kids, so I won't hold the last few days against them.

It's been just over seven weeks since surgery, and things continue to improve a little each week.  Here are a couple of shots from today.

 

I'm basically eating whatever I want - cautiously, of course - except for really hard things like apples and carrot sticks. I still struggle to bite off things, so I use a fork for nearly everything. Oddly, it is soft, chewy stuff that poses the real issues. Pizza crust is out, and I'd still rather eat tacos/burritos without the tortilla if I have access to a fork. Shrimp scampi was nearly impossible for me to chew this week, and my pork chop the next night had to be in tiny pieces. I haven't tried salad yet, but that really is more about being able to open wide enough to get it in my mouth, and I haven't been brave enough to try popcorn yet, but I'm dying for some.

The biggest annoyance right now is that my eyebrow/eyelid still won't move, and I'm still somewhat numb between my ear and eye on the left. My left lid feels droopy, and it just feels weird when your face won't react the way your brain is telling it to. Putting on mascara is interesting, too. I was getting little shocks by my eye in week five, which Dr. Bowman was excited to hear about, but I haven't had any in awhile. I guess my nerve is still sleeping :)

 

 

Every once in awhile, something starts to itch in that area, too, but since I can't feel all parts of my face, I can't ever really find and relieve the itch. Sometimes it feels like it is inside my ear, and other times it feels like it may be the incision site in front of my ear. It drives me crazy when it happens! I'm not nearly as puffy in that area, but it is definitely going to still be awhile before all of the swelling subsides. The puffy, stuffy feeling on either side of my nose has reduced more and is nearly back to normal. I can move my midface pretty easily. Most of the stitches have dissolved inside, and my gums feel more normal, too.

Now, if I could just move my whole face!

 

 

Week 5

This is going to be a quick update because I am EXHAUSTED. I went back to work on Monday, and while I'm happy to be back on a more normal schedule, it sure seems to take a LOT of energy to get through the school day. I haven't returned to Sylvan yet, but I'll get there - baby steps! I'm using a mic in the classroom, and it helps, but I still can't read aloud in every class like I'm used to doing, and my "teacher hearing" is a bit compromised. I definitely feel achy at the end of the day, particularly on the left side. Happily, we have only nine school days left. Nine looooong days…

I saw Dr. Bowman on Thursday and will only have to see him again if a problem arises. He says I am "through the woods" and should be able to eat normally in three weeks. I can now blow my nose, too! It's the small things, you know? My stitches are starting to dissolve, and he trimmed a couple of stringy ones. One of those was in the center of my top teeth. Friday morning, I woke up with a fat upper lip right near where that stitch was trimmed. I'm going to keep an eye on it in case swelling doesn't go down, but I am hopeful that it is related to all of the sneezing I've done in the last 24 hours or that I slept funny and that it's not a real problem.

Week 4

Not a lot of new stuff to report. Swelling is almost the same as last week - left is puffier and more immobile. The right side did puff back up Sunday night for some reason, but most of that went away again quickly. I spent a couple of hours at school Monday doing paperwork, and I'll go back full time this coming Monday. Hopefully, I'll make it through the whole day without issues.

3-week Check-Up

Today I saw both Dr. Bowman and Dr. Breece. Both were pleased with my progress.

I had my first post-surgery ex ray at Dr. Bowman's, and the changes in skeletal structure are quite evident. I can now eat soft foods such as mashed potatoes, mac n' cheese, etc. Still no chewing. He also released me to go back to work starting May 6.

Dr. Breece has decided to use my elastic bands to begin some of the final tweaks to the position of my teeth. The good news there is that I can take these bands off for brushing and eating, unlike the other ones I've been wearing nonstop since surgery. That makes me happy. :)

Swelling on the right is mostly gone. The left side remains puffier and stiffer, so smiling still feels unnatural. There is still some numbness around my left ear and eye, and that silly left eyebrow still just sits there motionless, but all in all, healing is right on target.

Out of the House

 

Friday afternoon, I decided to follow doctor's advice to resume activity and, on a whim, signed up for the Remember the Ten Run the next morning. I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, but the Blairs and Grubes had plans to walk the 5K, so I joined them. It was good to get out of the house and off the couch, but I will admit to sleeping most of the afternoon once I was back home. I definitely feel better everyday, but I am certainly not yet back to normal (Dear friends, please refrain from the obvious jokes regarding my normalcy. We all know that was always questionable!) I am hoping to be released to go back to work on May 6. Maybe by then I will be able to talk for longer periods and get through a day without a nap.

2 Weeks Post-op

I had an impromptu visit to the doctor today after two of my elastics broke yesterday afternoon. The two bands in the front snapped, leaving me a space big enough for a spoon to fit. The doctor was in surgery when I called, so I figured it wouldn't be remedied immediately. I decided to take advantage of that situation and went to Taco Mayo for some rice, beans, and Potato Locos. Cheating never tasted so good! Just being able to use a spoon made a huge difference, even with no chewing. I was rebanded today, so I guess it's back to the blender. Sigh.

Progress is still good. There are times when I still feel my face is very crooked, despite all of this effort, so I asked about that. The doctor explained that my lip line is actually not straight/symmetrical. I guess years of slanting trained my muscles to retain the shape. My teeth now sit horizontal to my pupils, and my chin is more aligned, but my lips may not follow suit. It also doesn't help that I don't have complete control over my facial muscles just yet. I'm still swollen around my nose. When I try to smile wide, my left cheek doesn't move completely due to the grafting and such in that area, and my left eyebrow/forehead is still immobile. He called it my Dr. Spock eyebrow. My right cheek is still more swollen than the left, too, so stuff is just unbalanced. Braces will also be used to correct a few more little things, so the final result is still months away. Until then, I will try not to let vanity get me down.

Finally Some Food I Can Handle

Saturday, mom surprised me with Grandma's homemade egg noodles. I had been feeling a bit down, and it certainly helped! With extra chicken broth, they blended up to a drinkable version that still tastes like the noodles I love.

We also bought a tortilla soup mix I look forward to trying this week. I miss me some tacos!!

Sunday, I concocted some pizza. Well, kinda. Pizza taste, at least.

Here's what I used:
Progresso Reduced Sodium Tomato Parmesan
8-10 Pepperoni slices
3 Ritz Crackers
Shredded Cheese (I had Colby-jack on hand. I think mozzarella or shredded Parmesan would have been better).

First, I chopped the pepperoni slices in the blender. Then I threw in the crackers and chopped some more. The soup was heated through on the stovetop, and the cheese was added to the sauce pan so it would melt completely. I poured the contents of the sauce pan into the blender and blended it all together. Drinkable "pizza"!

Those who know me know well enough that I'm a picky eater. I generally don't even like food touching too much on the plate, so blending it all into one mush has been gag-inducing and quite a challenge. I will never tell a child that "it all mixes together anyway," especially after this experience. Foods just lose their flavors when blended. I don't care for most sauces and usually order items "dry" and eat meals without extra condiments, save a little ketchup or mustard on occasion, so I really miss some of my normal stuff that is just impossible to eat right now. I've never been a soup eater, either, so that has been another challenge. I generally like my foods as least soupy as possible. Watery rice grosses me out on a normal day. That said, I'm obviously still having to adjust to this temporary diet, and it's a daily challenge. I'm just glad to have found some alternatives to sweet juices, smoothies, and protein shakes. I can't wait for crunchy foods!

One-Week Post Dr Visit

I finally ventured out of the house today to go to my first post-op check-up. Dad picked me up this morning. I stopped by my school to let everyone know I'm still alive and well, then we cruised Wal-Mart to get some food ideas. Those two things alone left me feeling exhausted, and I already didn't feel fantastic today, anyway. I wish the weather would stay constant. That would probably do a lot to make me feel better. 

Dr. Bowman was pleased with the progress. I have minimal bruising on my neck, but they were expecting worse. He also expected me to be experiencing more numbness in and around my lips, which hasn't really been an issue at all. I am still numb in the left temple/eyebrow area, and he expects that feeling to return, but no time soon. He said nerves repair very slowly. If I still can't lift my eyebrow after three months, we'll look at some electrode therapy. Because of the placement of that nerve and my "more involved surgery," he felt it was lucky that the eyebrow is the only spot not moving on command. My outside stitches were removed, and he said the incision should be invisible by summer. 

I was less enthused to learn that I will be restricted to a liquid diet for at least two more weeks. Eating has been very difficult due to lots of factors: my pickiness, my gross-out factor, acid reflux, and getting tired of the same ol' thing. One can only whip up so many yogurt- or milk-based smoothies. I'm really tired of milk - never a favorite of mine to start with. Dr. Bowman reminded me that anything can be blended and he talked about some of the recipes in the book they gave me. Apparently, he's tried them himself. I'm not sure I'll be able to stomach all of them, but the blended chili dog tonight was decent. I am also supposed to drink a lot more water to avoid dehydration. My sinuses are still stuffy and puffy, and some remaining swelling is sticking around but should go down in time. All in all, it wasn't a horrible day. 

Days 5 & 6

I was hesitant to post because I haven't been feeling too positive the last couple of days, and I know I'm going to sound whiny. Oh well. Here goes.

As more feeling comes back to my face, I feel worse and worse. I have to take my pain meds every four hours to be somewhat comfortable, but aside from deadening the sharp pain some, the meds make me feel pretty icky. And sleepy. I feel like a bruised, whiny, useless, lump. I know I'm improving though, because swelling does go down a touch each day. Not enough to my liking, but a little bit nonetheless.

Eating has been harder than I expected. Even blended stuff is often too thick to drink easily, so it takes a long time, and it doesn't taste really great. I would kill for a cheese burger.

I look forward to this phase passing, for sure.

Day 3 & 4

Yesterday, Day 3, was actually a pretty good day. I was able to drink two protein shakes without nausea and plenty of juice and water. I stayed awake for most of the day, as well. My face was still very puffy, bruised, and starting to itch, but I felt like I might be nearing the end of additional swelling.

Around 9:00, It felt like someone smacked me in the nose. Apparently, any numbness I was still experiencing wore off, and I could definitely feel everything. Well, almost. I still can't lift my left eyebrow.

Sleep was difficult on Saturday, and I woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty shaky and nauseous. We're trying to find ways to add more protein to my diet to make it better. The puppies are guarding me and trying to make me feel better, too. I'm going to rest today and push through this hiccup. Tomorrow will be better.

Day 2…ugh

I am very glad to be home, but the swelling has come back full force, making me feel like Fat Albert or Big Mama. I tried a protein shake and some chicken broth, but I couldn't finish either one. I was warned that Day 2 & 3 would be worse, and that was not incorrect. Clear juices and ice packs are still my best friends today. And sleep. Lots of sleep. I know it'll get better…

I can't edit the after tab as easily as I had hoped, so the pictures are here for now. I'm not bruised like I expected, so the pictures haven't been as scary as I feared they might be.

Day After

I'm awake and in some pain, but I'll survive. The Dr said everything went better than expected, but the surgery was much longer than estimated, about 7 hours. I was pretty sick last night, but finally got to sleep and slept well once I stopped throwing up. I just had some apple juice, and I'll probably attempt a shower in a bit. It's going to be a long couple of days.

I Work with Awesome People!

Yesterday was my last day at school for awhile, and my amazing coworkers surprised me with a beautiful plant, card, and gift cards to various places. Judging from their choices, it appears they think I will need many milk shakes, books, and videos :) Thanks to all of of the EMS staff!

Ruby, one of students, gave me the bear last week to take with me to the hospital. So sweet!

Less than 24 hours to go…

One Week to Go…

As I close in on surgery day, I can admit I'm getting a little apprehensive. I'm nervous about the procedure and the recovery. I'm worried about leaving my students for that long. I'm trying to complete five weeks of lesson plans for my substitute and tie up any loose ends at school and at home, but I feel like I'm running out of time!  I still don't have a lot of details about surgery day, but I will see Dr. Bowman tomorrow for a pre-op visit. Hopefully, that will help put me more at ease.

I was able to forget about surgery for a bit and enjoy Spring Break at Walt Disney World last week. I can't say we relaxed much because we park hopped from open to close most days, but we had a blast. We even made it over to Islands of Adventure at Universal for a day. I got my Mouse House fix AND my Butter Beer fix, but it was the first night of the trip that was most eventful - Dave proposed at dinner! I will now be spending quality recovery time perusing Pinterest for wedding ideas :) No, we haven't set a date, but I know it will NOT include braces!

Surgery is Set

Welcome!  I decided to create this blog page to document my upcoming jaw surgery and recovery. Obviously, conversations will be difficult during recovery, so I'll try to update my progress here for those interested in keeping up with me. Post-op photos to document healing progress will appear on the After tab above - avoid that one if you are easily squeamish :)

Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 at 10:00AM. The procedure will include placing the two-piece prosthetic on the left, realigning the chin, realigning the lower and upper jaws, and elongating my left cheek bone with a bone graft. I appreciate all good thoughts and prayers!