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 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 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.