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…