Day 63 - I don't want to get too excited...

but this morning, I felt better than I have in weeks. The physiotherapist went over exercises and did Longwave Therapy (accompanied by some moist heat) yesterday and it seemed to make a significant difference. Things tensed up again by the time I was dressed and ready for work, but it still felt so good to feel "normal" again, albeit briefly. My face felt relaxed and loose and I didn't feel like I needed to constantly change my jaw position. I am hoping that with a few more treatments and regular exercises, this will become the norm. On the especially good side, the man in the toll booth at the hospital said, out of the blue and with the utmost sincerity (without knowing I'd had surgery, of course), "I just love your smile." Felt good.

Day 51 - Something Interesting to Say

That is to say, I actually have something interesting to say. For the last few weeks, it has been much of the same droning on about sensation and swelling and speaking. Well, today, I bring you something entirely different. When I went to see my surgeon and orthodontist last week, the verdict was the same as it had been at my previous appointment - the pain/discomfort is not from infection, but rather from muscle tension. It has escalated to the point where my face is obviously strained and I am really, really uncomfortable. I was advised to do any of the physio exercises I remember and make myself an appointment to see the physiotherapist, stat. I was, as I mentioned, advised by my surgeon to leave my elastics off for about an hour each time I take them off to eat and my orthodontist took that one step further by putting lighter-tension elastics on (from 6oz to 4oz....huge difference). My appointment with the physiotherapist is on Tuesday. I honestly can't wait to get this process started because the discomfort is really detracting from the progress I've been making since the surgery itself. I have been feeling pretty crappy physically and about how I look and about the functionality of my jaw, so really, I haven't had a lot to feel good about over the last couple of weeks with regard to my recovery. Add to this the daily comments on my weight (deserving of its own blog post, trust me) and well, you get the picture :( So I just wanted to make sure I blogged about this because this was not a side effect I was expecting. The docs say that it is as a result of having my jaw held so tightly together with the elastics, combined with the fact that I have been pretty vigilant about keeping my mouth shut (as per their instruction, but apparently, I've followed the rules a little too closely). I also suspect that the fact that it is *my* jaw also has something to do with it. The very first thing we did when I started with my orthodontist was put me in a splint to reprogram my jaw muscles because they were badly programmed due to my messed up bone structure. Well, I haven't had my splint since I got my braces on and I've noticed a gradual return of the pain and difficulty I had before the splint, so I suspect that my jaw muscles have returned to or discovered new bad patterns of use, meaning that when they fixed my bone structure, my muscles were left out in the cold as to what they were supposed to do. I suspect that this will be an ongoing issue and may stick my nose in where it doesn't belong and ask my orthodontist for a splint instead of a top retainer when the time comes.

Day 46 - Ugh #2

I've been rather quiet partially because September start-up is always chaotic and partially because nothing I have to say is good.

Initially, I was doing alright with work, despite my jaw. The slight increase in irritation that I did experience, I chalked up to increased use. When I spoke to the orthodontist about it at my last appointment, nearly two seeks ago, he said that everything looked alright.

Since then though, things have continued to get worse. The swelling is pretty significant again, inside and out. It has swollen even just tonight. The tingling and feeling is no longer just in my chin. Now, it is all over my jaw bone. I am pretty concerned that I have an infection of some sort.

Add to that the fact that I have a virus and I have been feeling pretty miserable.

The other thing that I've noticed and that may be of interest to people considering this surgery is the decreased range of motion in my neck and shoulders. Both had been sore for a while a few weeks ago, but in the last week or so, I've noticed that I can't turn my neck the amount I usually could. It is similar to what I experienced after the car accident back in 2000. I am going to ask about physiotherapy.

I am going to see my surgeon tomorrow; I'll have a more thorough report then.

Day 39 - Weird Science

This weekend was a busy one; we made a last ditch effort at summer fun and are now ready (or as ready as we are going to be) to bid the summer of 2011 adieu. I expect next summer will be chock-o-block with fun since there are no surgeries or pregnancies or sick babies or other such crazy shenanigans planned. While we were soaking up the last rays of the season, some fun things happened in my face. The feeling has been coming back gradually, but my entire bottom lip and the center portion of my chin have staunchly refused to budge from their state of numbness up to this point. Well, all of a sudden, on Sunday, while we packed up to take the kids to brunch and then to Centennial Park for some playground fun, I could feel my lips touching one another...ever so faintly. This was closely followed by what I can only describe as my chin being struck by thousands of little bolts of lighting. I can actually pinpoint the exact moment when nerve regeneration began in those areas. For the better part of Sunday, my chin and lip were alight....even edging into being uncomfortable. The next morning, *every* *single* muscle, joint and tooth from my nose/ear line down was in a state of agony that I haven't experienced since the very early days after my surgery. I suspect, given the type and position of the pain, I clenched all night long, possibly as a result of the sensations from the nerve-regeneration. Whatever the reason, I was in enough pain that I took a bunch of Advil and was lining up Tylenol 3 or Robaxacet for the next dosing, if necessary. By evening, it had become bearable. The craziest part of this weekend's developments is the cross-wiring that seems to have occurred. Here's a pictorial essay:

"This all feels really weird. So much tingling and...."

"Ummm...wtf?!?!?! I am touching my chin and my lip thinks I am touching it...."

Yes, there appears to be a small spot (about the size of my index finger tip, conveniently) on the bottom ridge of the left side of my chin that, when touched, sets off nerves in my lip (just to the right of center). It is very strange.

Here are the actual glamour shots for the day:

Day 33 - Muscle Relaxants and Maritime Chowder

I took all my complaints to the orthodontist this morning. He was sympathetic and took a good look around in there, making sure there was no infection. The consensus was that the discomfort was likely a combination of the nerve regeneration in my chin and my return to work, which has resulted in a lot more talking and activity than I'd been doing in the weeks since my surgery. The suggestion on the part of the ortho was what surprised me a little - he recommended a moist, warm compress and muscle relaxants. The idea of me taking something so strong is laughable, in my opinion, but it is tempting. The great news from the appointment is that I came out free of one of my elastics - the ortho said I could get rid of the front one and suggested that, at the next appointment, we may be able to change the rest of the elastics out for lower-tension ones!! This is such good news - I am cool with baby steps because progress is progress. After my appointment, I went downtown to join the rest of my colleagues at the district professional development day. There were lots of interesting little tidbits in the speakers' presentations. I met up with a friend for lunch. Neither of us could eat the bag lunches that were available, so we decided to head over to the restaurant across the street in the hope of finding something palatable (though I wasn't entire convinced it would work). Much to my pleasant surprise, I found a delectable Maritime Seafood Chowder on their lunch menu. I loved every spoonful and my only regret was that I couldn't devour the warm, multigrain roll that accompanied it. Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, 3 being the highest, today was an 11. ;)

Day 32 - This is a little disappointing

I seem to have regressed again :( My swelling has about doubled. I am in enough pain to take Advil a couple of times each day. The feeling is still coming back in my chin, but the swelling and pain are keeping me from being comfortable and using my lips properly.
I am getting cranky about the whole thing, honestly. I am seeing my orthodontist tomorrow and I am hoping he will be able to shed some light on the situation. I really hope that it is short-lived because it is making my job, sleeping, eating and just generally existing rather less pleasant.

The glamour shot for the day.

Day 30 - Back to Work

The new semester starts tomorrow. I am not entirely sure how this is going to go, given that I am still pretty difficult to understand at times and am in a lot more pain than I was last week because of the nerve regeneration in my chin. Only time will tell, I guess.

In the meantime, I continue to try little bits of new solid food. I am changing my elastics one to two times each day now and, while it still causes my face to ache, it isn't like it was.

My swelling is sitting at about 10% of the maximum it was. That said, it flares up with activity. For example, when we went for a walk last night, the swelling in my chin and cheeks about doubled in size. I am hoping this lets up soon since I would like to start in with more physical activity - I am looking to do zumba class through the fall and winter.

Anyway, otherwise things seem to be progressing gradually. Here are the pics:

Day 27 - Meal Planning, Survivor-style

You know how, on Survivor, around mid-season, the contestants spend episode after episode driving themselves crazy with talk of the food they are missing and lusting after. I knew it would come to this...as much as I make fun of the Survivor players and as much as I tried to tell myself that I wouldn't let myself fall into this pattern of though, here I am. Visions of Taco Bell dance through my head a dozen times each day.

So, similar to the list I made pre-surgery, I am going to start a post-surgery list of things I will be indulging in as soon as I can. I will add to it as time goes on. Here is the current version, in no particular order:

• Chicken Quesadilla and Supreme Fries (minus the beef) from Taco Bell
  
• Peanut M&Ms
  
• Scalloped Potatoes, Ham and roasted sweet potatoes
  
• glazed croissant from Superstore
  
• raw veggies & dip
  
• chicken nachos
  
• banana
  
• fully-dressed baked potato
  
• bacon double cheeseburger from DQ along with fries from McDs
  
• Turkey dinner with all the fixin's (conveniently, Thanksgiving is a mere 2 weeks after I should be elastic-free)
  

In other news, this has been a hell of a day. My chin has been tingling pretty viciously for the last three or four days. This is a sign that the feeling is returning. Over the course of today, a little feeling has returned, but more to the point, my pain has increased dramatically - like, to a level it hasn't reached since my early days at Steph's apartment. EVERYTHING hurts...I have a headache, my neck and shoulders hurt and the centralized pain in my chin and lower jaw is excruciating. I was near tears in the last hour of work :( I've taken Advil and that has helped somewhat. I am hoping tomorrow is better. Here are the pics:

Day 24 - Mixed bag

It has been a pretty ordinary weekend in terms of how I feel. My face is still uncomfortable and the swelling/sensation fluctuates with irritation (like putting in the elastics). I'm still kind of tired all the time and have been struggling to stay warm (the house was 26 degrees last night and I was huddled under a blanket because the breeze from the ceiling fan was giving me goosebumps). I have been gradually incorporating solids into my diet - I had Smitty's pancakes and a milkshake last night for supper and today I indulged in rice and minced chicken doused in my creamy mushroom sauce. I topped it off with a mini peanut butter cup, which was, to be honest, to die for.

Isabel's birthday party was yesterday. It went really well; the kids all had fun. The cake went over *so* well. The trampoline is an absolute hit. I am pleased.

Today, something kind of crappy happened; Jack Layton, leader of the NDP and all-around inspirational guy died at the age of 61. I wouldn't normally be moved by this sort of thing (the death of a celebrity/politician/whatever), but this has moved me. :(

Anyway, here are the pics.

Day....21 - Good day and welcome to day 21!

A little homage to Bob and Doug McKenzie there ;)

Today was a lovely day. It is amazing what a good day can do for your mood. Here's how it went down.

I dropped the car off for an oil change and MVI around 9am. Sarah and I met at Costco, which was not nearly as busy as everyone was sure it would be, around 10. I was early so I got my membership while I waited and that was, again, a breeze - oh yeah! We shopped, grabbed some deals and then she dropped me off at Avalon Spa around 11:30. While we drove to the spa, I found out that my car passed inspection (yay!) and was ready whenever I was.

At the spa, I had an eyebrow wax, haircut and highlights lined up. I love this place because of the little things. I was offered a cup of tea multiple times before I'd even seen the aesthetician. I got a complimentary hand massage while the toner set and ended up turning down the make-up freshening because there isn't really much you can do with this mug just yet ;)

The guy who drives the shuttle for Honda is great. He has a sense of humour so dry it rivals the Sahara AND is a pseudo-celeb in our house, given that he is on a first name basis with all of the guys who star in the show Ice Pilots, having worked as an RCMP officer in Hay River, NWT when he was young. He poked fun at my trip to Costco and the fact that the automatic sliding door on the van and I have a somewhat rocky relationship and all in the five minutes it took him to get me back to Honda.

After picking up the car, I ran some errands for Isabel's birthday party. In the midst of this, I was listening to the radio and a song came on that gave my memory a jab. It was the Song of the Day. I grabbed my phone and dialed in. The first time, I was caller 2. I figured I'd give it one more shot and, what do you know, I was the correct caller - I won a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Sweet!

While I was at the mall, I considered buying a ticket for the Lotto Max, given the day I was having, but thought better of it. Good thing I did. It seemed my luck was starting to wane.

On the way home from the grocery store, as I was sitting in stop-and-go 5 o'clock traffic, I noticed the temperature gauge needle was in a bad spot. I don't mean that it was getting a little high, I mean it was *on* the "H." I called Dave right away (I know, on my cell while driving...tsk tsk...I figured this warranted it though). He agreed that this was very bad and I was going to pull over at the next available spot (Carlton Park, for you Frederictonians out there). However, just as I drove through the light and was coming up on the park, the needle started to drop. I was moving regularly enough that the car was keeping itself cool, so I decided to head home. Overheating my newly inspected car was not on my list of things to do today.

Anyway, all-in-all, a pretty sweet day. Tomorrow will be busy with lots of preparations for Isabel's birthday and then Sunday is the big event.

I took some pics today so you can see what's happening and how purdy my hair looks ;) (PS: In the last photo Dave is "helping")

The Foggy Memories

I don't really remember much from my time in recovery. It waffles between darkness and shiny, bright, noisy images. I remember someone telling me they were going to take me to my room. I remember the ride to my room being incredibly uncomfortable - I don't remember anything specific, but I remember a general feeling of upset and discomfort and crying.
I remember that they'd barely gotten me parked in my room when I struggled to tell them that I was going to be sick. No one understood me, so my memory is of a small group of people (the man to the far left was tallish) looking entirely nonplussed by the fact that I am vomiting like crazy and obviously beside myself. After this, everything is dark for a while, but as I drift in and out, I notice my mom is in the room now.
My first remotely vivid memory isn't a great one either. A very kind nurse was in my room (I don't know if I called her or if she was just in doing rounds, which they did often). I told her that I needed to pee and she was going to take me to the washroom. She also offered me pain meds. I told her I'd like that, but balked immediately when she came back around the corner with a hefty needle. I asked if there is any other option and she figured out pretty quickly that it was the needle that was freaking me out. In the end, she and my mom talked me into the morphine (the contents of the hefty needle) because I was definitely feeling something and was concerned that, once the grogginess passes, it would turn out that that something was pain and I was unprepared.
The needle itself didn't hurt, to my surprise, but I felt every.single.drop. of the medication as it was pushed into my vein. Once medicated, the nurse was going to take me to the washroom. This didn't quite work out as planned. I tried to put my weight on my own legs, but ended up falling into the nurse. Just as she was trying to steady me, I got an overwhelming wave of nausea and was tearfully begging her and my mom to get me lying down again and get the bed pan in my hands. This operation was completed *just* in time. Despite my having consumed nothing for a total of twenty-four hours at this point, I threw up again and with gusto. To further add to my humiliation, I ended up using a bedpan for the remainder of the night because I couldn't get to the bathroom. I blamed the morphine and refused to take anymore - my theory was supported by the fact that by morning, I was able to shuffle, well-supported, to the bathroom and the nausea ceased entirely.
By the next morning, I was significantly less groggy and the healing process began.

Day 19 - Regression

Boo! For some reason, some of my swelling returned today. I am puffier in through the bottoms of my cheeks (more on the right than on the left side). I also feel like my lips and chin are puffier.

To be honest, today has been rather crappy on the whole. First, I tried to nap because I am finding I am tired a lot, but that just ended up in me being groggier and crankier than I was to begin with. Add to that the five calls I received from scam artists (four of which were from the same company) and the fact that I have a ton to do to prepare for Isabel's party and absolutely zero energy to call upon in order to get it done and I was a bit of a crank-pot again today.

Some pictures of the Puffinator:



PS: Everyone can be thankful, I am going to get this mop cut on Friday. I simply can't take a single second more of the tufty mess.

The state of things at 2 1/2 weeks

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't really updated much on how I feel lately and, in the interest of keeping this useful for future patients, I figure I ought to keep a running commentary or symptoms, related sensations, etc.

A lot of what is going on right now has to do with the diet. I am down to about 117 pounds from 130 (I am usually around 120, but held onto about 10lbs after having O so that I didn't fade away to nothing during this recovery period). I have been eating as well as can be expected - five to six small meals each day of various foods. That said, I am still feeling the effect of the lack of fuel in my body - I am always tired and always cold. I am also having low blood pressure head-rushes of epic proportions; the kind that absolutely blind you and leave you grasping for a solid hold in order to keep from falling down. I haven't had them like this in many years.

The other significant aspect of recent days is the ache. Since the addition of the elastics, my face and head have constantly ached to some degree or another. I've been taking Advil every day around supper time, just to get through the evening without turning into a raging bear.

Other minor things: I've had to apply wax to some sharp bits because they've been irritating my healing mouth. This took some skill - get the wax on there without poking the stitches or shifting anything and, of course, without opening my mouth. I've been *pissed* off to the degree that I nearly threw a temper-tantrum comparable to Orin's because eating is such a challenge at times. There is still some subtle swelling in various places, which I understand will go down over the next few months. The bruising is gone entirely, I think. My gums, which were zombie-white immediately after the surgery, are now a lovely shade a pink.

I think that about sums it up.

Day 17 - A Stranger in this Town

Well, this has been an interesting day. Being as it is Isabel's birthday, I kept her home today so we could do some fun stuff together.
The first outing this morning was to the birthday party of a classmate. The two girls were both born today and her mom and I even shared a hospital room. The strange part of this outing was when I was asked "so you must be Tiresa's sister?" I see the changes in myself, but up to now, I had been recognizable to others I'd seen, so this caught me off guard. Though I think she was caught just as much off-guard as I was (Wendy, if you are reading this, don't feel bad....I am *so* not offended...it is just the beginning of a funny series of events).
At the grocery store in the afternoon though, it got really crazy. I saw not one, but two teachers that I work with on a daily basis, one of whom I chat with one-on-one on a weekly basis, easily. Neither of them recognized me. One of them crossed the street in front of me, did the "thank you" wave, acknowledging my having stopped. Even when I waved in a friendly sort of way to her, the expected look of recognition was replaced with a look of confusion.
I am absolutely flabbergasted. I am torn between, once again, worrying about the final product and creating an entirely new identity: crazy story about chasing turtles around the globe (check!), Australian accent (working on it), unlimited bank account thanks to a rich deceased relative (anyone?).
Today's pics:

Day 16 - Started Solids Today

Ahhh....we all go back to our roots at some point, eh? Just as has happened twice before in our household, someone made an attempt at eating solid food today. It just happens that this person is 5'6" tall, 120lbs and hasn't been in babyhood for a while ;)
The verdict: It wasn't worth the effort it required. And that is saying something since one of the two attempts was whipped potatoes with cheddar, sour cream and garlic. The (very runny) oatmeal went down alright and was enjoyable enough, but when it came time for my whipped potatoes, even with most of my elastics off, it was still way too difficult and made me really nervous. I've tossed the rest in the fridge to try again another day.

Day 14 - This shall go down in infamy as the day of the crank

Today is the first one since very early days that I would consider myself to be in pain. My jaw aches and I have a pretty solid headache as well. I can't seem to shake it.
Add to this the fact that I am quite tired (can't seem to get a decent sleep for the life of me and still seem to be catching up) and I will self-diagnose myself as being a bit of a crank-pot today.
Today's pics:

Day 13 - Clean Bill of Health

Well, I've been to see my surgeon and my orthodontist and both have been very pleased with my progress.
The surgeon said that all of the hardware was where he'd left it (apparently, it can shift post-surgery), all of the incisions are healing up nicely and that I am am "a superstar" at keeping my mouth clean. He wants to see me again in a month. I think I will ask for copies of my xrays when I see him next because they were really something else - both the difference in the before and after and the sheer amount of hardware they've used to make the changes.
The orthodontist visit today involved changing the top wire and showing me how to change the elastics. I am truly flabbergasted at the fact that I am supposed to take the elastics off to eat (still can't chew anything, but can eat soft food that is blended enough to be considered "pre-chewed") and brush. I told the assistant and ortho that I don't know how much of that I will be doing this week since I don't feel terribly comfortable, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
As for my general, overall feeling, I am doing well. The swelling continues to decrease (you will see a difference between the pic from two days ago and today's pic). The bruising is all but gone. Overnight last night, I got back a who whack of feeling in underside of my chin and along my jaw bone. It was so significant that I noticed it immediately upon waking up. There is still a rather large swath in the center of my chin that is numb and my lower-lip is still mostly numb, but the feeling is returning much faster than I'd have expected.
Given my improvement and the good words from the docs, the in-laws are heading home tomorrow. I understand their draw. It is tough being away from your comfort zone. We will miss them, but it won't be long before Courtney and Spencer are here visiting and school starts and my course and Isabel's dance classes start. Time will fly and, before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving. Time flies when you're having fun :)
Today's pics:

Day 11 - Identity Crisis

I wondered if this would happen. I've wondered for months and now, I know the answer - yes, I am going to have an identity crisis after my surgery. However, I don't think it is playing out exactly as most would expect.
It isn't the actual face itself that is throwing me. I always knew that I didn't have a stereotypically pretty smile. That said, I was okay with it. I was comfortable in my own skin, wonky smile and all. The smile I pictured in my head was more reflective of my soul, I guess and perhaps "prettier" than my real one, so seeing the "pretty" smile in the mirror isn't even that shocking or troubling. I guess this is the smile I've always had on the inside.
The trouble comes in exactly the form that I knew it would - I can't seem to amalgamate what I've done to my face and my belief that we should not alter ourselves to fit society's standards.
It is well known among my family and friends that I didn't choose this surgery for the aesthetic improvements, but rather because my bite needed to be altered in order to be functional and remain so long-term. That said, not everyone knows that and it is beginning to seem that the aesthetic change is going to be so dramatic that it will overshadow everything else (because really, for those not using my mouth, it is the most significant outcome of this surgery). I am struggling to figure out how I am going to continue sending the message to my students and children that they love themselves as they are when I obviously (to an outsider) don't practice what I preach. I feel a bit like a sell-out, a fraud - I would *never* make this sort of change only to improve my looks, but if I brought that up every time someone commented on how great I look now, it would start to get the feeling of "the lady doth protest too much." I honestly don't know what to do anymore, but I can tell you with certainty that the sheen is starting to wear off this particular side-effect of having this surgery really quickly :(
Today's photos:

Day 10 - Culinary Adventures

Today was a day of experimentation. I started off by re-trying the soup that I mentioned yesterday again today. With more energy and knowing what to expect, it went much better.
With that under my belt, I decided to give butterscotch pudding a shot, sipping it off the spoon, into my mouth. This was messy business to say the least and I found myself scraping food off my mouth and surrounding face the same as I do for Orin. Hehe. I will probably leave things of this density for a little while longer because it was tiring and may have created mild suction in my mouth - not a good idea.
I wasn't deterred altogether though. For supper, I decided to try a smoothy/shake. I mixed up 250ml of chocolate milk, 1/2 a banana and 2 tbsp of peanut butter in the blender. It was alright.....the peanut butter gave it a bit of a texture because, while it is labeled "smooth" peanut butter, this brand is a little grainy, which was off-putting for someone like me (i.e. fussy about texture). I also learned that frozen fruit both blends better and brings a little extra chill to drinks (I had to put ice cubes in it to chill it enough to make it palatable). Overall, a good option. I may try it with ice cream next time to make it more milkshake-like.
Swelling is going down still....although the changes are subtle now and it can be flared up if I talk any great amount. If I had to put a number on it, I would say that my swelling has reduced by about 65% from the worst. The bruising is fading very quickly...I have small pea soup-coloured patches on my lower face and neck and some dark mottling around my eyes and chin and that is it. I am feeling more inside my mouth now, which means more to worry about. Every time I feel something, I worry that I've damaged something.
The only feeling of real concern is a familiar one, surprisingly. When I had my palate spread, there was, for a long time, a feeling of flexibility and fragility and sometimes even small shooting pains in it. I didn't expect this to return because, my understanding is that they didn't do any work on my palate (beyond likely some minor bumping while they worked on my top jaw). I am a little befuddled by the return of these feelings and will be mentioning them to my surgeon when I see him on Wednesday.
For now, here are some photos:

Day 9 - Home Sweet Home

Don't get me wrong, I am eternally grateful to my sister and to Jane & Moe for the use of their spaces and even to the Dartmouth General Hospital and especially to my mom for spending more than a week of her vacation this year caring for me. Seriously, she didn't have to and it means a ton to me that she did.
All that said, my friends, I cannot tell you how elated I am to be home. My bed is so comfortable....it might as well be made of marshmallows. My children are angelic and perfect (this will probably last until bed time ;) ), my pets are the most delightful, well-mannered animals on the face of the planet.....you get what I am saying. It is that wonderful feeling of returning to your comfort zone after a time out of it, sometimes, as in stressful situations, WAY out of it.
The kids' reactions were better than I expected actually. Orin had a look of immediate recognition when he saw me, but also a definite sense of hesitation. He toddled right over and kind of coyly, sweetly, quietly asked to be picked up. I put him in my lap and almost immediately, he leaned into me, looked up into my face and smiled. After about twenty minutes, he was running around, plopping in my lap instructing me on the names of all of my belongings and species of animals that we have (he now calls the dog "dog" rather than "cat", people....can I get a Hallelujah!). Isabel was out grocery shopping with her dad when I arrived, so when she came in, she smiled right away, walked over to me, wrapped her arms around my legs and strung this all together, "I won't jump on you, mom. I'll be gentle. I love you so much. I missed you." She's been a right little mum to me, bringing me her friends to comfort me, helping me pour soup, grabbing a face cloth to mop up soup that I got on my shirt. Truly, heartwarming.
As for me, I feel much the same as I did yesterday. This is the first day when I haven't felt that the swelling and feeling in my face haven't changed. The bruising is fading already, which surprised me. Otherwise, I am feeling pretty similar to yesterday. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring with it a little more energy and a little less puffiness in the chin....it just still feels...well...gigantic.
Oh! I tried one of the soups that I bought today....V8 Cream of Broccoli. It is good. It has more substance to it than I was expecting, so I may need to hold off on using the rest for about a week because I can't quite manage the small chunks of broccoli yet, but the taste was really good. I was pretty impressed.
Pics below were taken while resting in my own bed before supper :)

Day 8 - A field trip

I decided I wanted to get outside and do/see something today. I am getting energy back every day (even though my sleep is diminishing with the discomfort brought on by returning feeling) and wanted to do something today. So mom and Mike took me to a little boardwalk on the Riverview side of the Petitcodiac and then to the Victora Park Craft Fair. We had a lovely time and while, yes it was tiring, it was rewarding to get out for a bit.
We also made a point of hitting Walmart and Sobey's in our quest for variety in my menu choices. We picked up a fruit/veggie cocktail that claims to taste like strawberry/banana fruit punch and two kinds of soup. I'll review them when I try them.
I think the only other big news of the day is that I have successfully drunk from glasses all day today (meaning, not only did I consume it, I didn't wear any of it either!!) The swelling in my cheeks went down quite a bit again over night. The chin is still swollen and tingly, but it seems to be coming around gradually as well.
Before I go, let me tell you a fun story....about an itch you can scratch. Not your regular every day unscratchable itch though....nay nay. From what I gather, the feeling in my chin is coming back in layers, maybe from the outside working toward the outside layers of skin. Well, my chin is itchy, but no amount of scratching on the outside is relieving that itch. It is lost somewhere in limbodermis, irritating the crap out of me. So, those who are simply scrambling to reach the center of their back, consider yourselves lucky ;)
Below are the glamour shots...

Day 7 - The Rundown

The difference a couple of days can make is really quite amazing. I feel far better than I expected to at this point and would certainly never have guessed three days ago that I would feel this good today.
Don't get me wrong, I am still tender and stiff from swelling and bruising. I still tire pretty easily (considering my usual pace, I am running at about the pace of an 80-year old....lots of resting between activity) and I am still trying to get a grasp on how much I need to eat to keep my energy a little more regulated. But.....
I can hold my head up without tiring or increasing swelling and, as a matter of fact, it seems to feel better when I do that than when I lie down. I actually had a hard time sleeping last night because I couldn't get comfortable. I can walk around the apartment with relative ease and stand for a little longer than I could yesterday. I didn't take any pain meds yesterday until bedtime and, as per above, that didn't seem to help keep me comfortable, so I probably won't bother tonight. I am laughing and telling jokes and I've noticed a distinct, gradual change in my tone and type of posting on Facebook over the course of the last week, as I regain my energy and vigour. Our bodies are really quite amazing when you consider how quickly they can come back from something so traumatic (physically, that is).
As a side note, I am growing tired of chocolate instant breakfast and tomato soup, so I am opening the floor to suggestions. Items of note: I can't do yogurt. I am sorry. I just can't. I prefer chocolate to fruit flavours, but will be trying smoothies (made with milk and ice cream) once I get home to my blender. I *love* soup, so any soup (especially creamy ones), including ones that can be strained or have the bits blended are definite options.

Day 7 - The Rainbow Connection

I may not participate in extreme sports, but I am a champion in extreme bruising.

Pictures Days 1-6

Straight out of the OR, lookin' hot! :P

Day 1 - Methinks, I was feeling a little surly.

Day 2 - Hooray for the warm compress!

Day 3 - Sent home this afternoon.

Day 4 - I = tired (you can vaguely see the yellow bruising on my neck here)

Day 5 - Oh! There it is!! BAM!

Day 6 - The swelling has gone down enough that I can almost smile here...almost.

Day 3 - Ugh.

Well, I didn't expect this would be any sort of fun and I am not being disappointed.
The pain is minimal because, during the operation, there is work done on the nerves, so they turn off for a while, numbing the face to some degree. My feeling is gradually coming back, but given what I had done, one would expect a lot more pain. I am taking the lowest dose of Tylenol 3 recommended and that is mostly just to keep the bit of pain that is returning at bay so I can sleep.
The swelling, on the other hand, is plentiful and extreme. I was using ice to keep it under control for the first 30+ hours, at which time it was recommended that I change to warm compresses. This seems to be working out...the heat is reducing the swelling that is now there in short spurts, giving me brief windows of relief. However, as soon as I take the compress off either to warm it or eat or take meds or whatever, the swelling balloons right back up until, within a few minutes, my face feels like it may explode from the pressure. I have begun wondering if leaving the warm compress off in order to prevent the extreme changes in pressure may not be the better choice.
Other than that, I am doing my best to stay hydrated (drinking about 60ml of water per hour) and to eat bits here and there (had 40mls of instant breakfast at each breakfast and lunch today and am considering tomato soup for supper) and am taking all the meds they gave me on the suggested schedule (something that is hard for me, since I am not a medication-taker, as a rule).
I have been ordered to rest my jaw (so keep talking to a minimum). Verbal communication has been replaced with note-writing and the use of ASL (with which my mother and I are both minimally familiar, conveniently). I am trying to get lots of sleep - this sort of thing wipes you out, I've learned.

T minus 1.5 hours - Photos

My understanding, from the *very* quick rundown the surgeon did, is that these are the things he will be doing:

• taking a cross-section out of my top jaw to make it shorter because right now (and as long as I can remember), it is too long for my front lip to cover it)
  
• moving my top jaw back a smidge
  
• moving my top jaw to the right a smidge
  
• leveling my top jaw
  
• moving my bottom jaw to the right a lot
  
• moving my bottom jaw out a lot
  
• leveling my bottom jaw
  
• moving my chin to the right so it lines up with my nose

So....basically, just changing everything from the nose down. Fun, right?