6 weeks ost

The last time I posted was about 3 weeks ago. Not too much has happened those last 3 weeks. Just the waiting game and the healing. Things having been healing very well and I cannot believe its already been about 6 weeks since I had my surgery. I've seen my surgeon again in those three weeks because I've been having slight discomfort. She had my remove my rubberbands a week after surgery and to have me wear them at night. However when I went to see her the right side of my jaw was somewhat swollen on the inside but no infection, so she had my put the rubber bands back on again and to come back in 4 days. On Monday I went back and she said everything looked good but to the keep the rubber bands in for more support. Not my favorite idea but I did as she told as I want get through this process as easily as possible. The more I listen to my doctor the better everything will be.

Today I saw my orthodontist and everyone in the office was telling me how amazing I look and how great  my smile is looking. During this appointment my ortho said everything is looking great and he wants to me wear two more rubber bands on top of the two I have in the front of my mouth. My back teeth don't completely touch but its pretty minor so I he has be wearing the bands to pull the teeth together. I'm glad after 6 weeks we are finally moving on to the next step. I just need a little adjustment on my lower teeth and then everything will be perfect. Now all these bands in my mouth are pretty uncomfortable. I can feel the pressure all the way in my temples. It almost feels like my teeth are being pulled downward. But again, unlike in the past I am listening to my orthodontist and doing everything correctly.

As for eating this past few weeks because I'm sure you all have been wondering. I haven't really thought about food that much or worrying. I've had a break down a few days ago saying I'm tired of eating the same crap but overall I've been doing good. Mostly been drinking the Boost still and living on instant mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, yogurt and smoothies. However, today at work I had meat loaf and real mashed potatoes with gravy. The meatloaf was soft enough that I was able to eat it without chewing (which Im still not allowed to do) It was by far the best meal I had in weeks!!!!

On the 14th I'll be seeing my surgeon again. That'll put me at almost 7 weeks post. I'm almost there. Almost at the 8 week mark. That doesn't mean I'll definitely be able to chew food again but hopefully by doctor would be giving me the okay to eat a little bit more than I already have. Wish me luck!

my six week photo update! Very Happy!!!!!

19 Days Post Op

I had another follow up appointment to see how my healing as been and to make sure the stitches are dissolving. Of course they were and I can't believe how amazingly everything is healing up inside my mouth. You can hardly see where the incisions even were. During the appointment I asked my doctor when can I start eating things like pancakes. She told me she would let me know in two weeks. I know it was still somewhat early to be chewing but I thought I'd ask. On the bright side though, I no longer have to wear my rubber bands all day. I only have to wear them at night when I sleep. YAY! So now it would be a lot easier to stretch my jaw and not have to worry about removing the bands and accidentally throwing them away. I can open my mouth to about 2 fingers in length. Not bad, though I can't seem to get that good yawn in yet when I'm tired because my mouth can't open fully yet but I'm getting there. I've been getting very bored with what I'm eating which is basically puddings and mashed potatoes and those Boost drinks (which by the way are super delicious) I don't have the heart to really puree anything. I'm very picky about food and texture is a huge thing that determines if I eat the food. I'd hate to change the texture of my favorite meals and then end up disliking it and never eating it again. However, I did try a green smoothie for the first time today. Not very appealing looking but I it tasted very good. I made it with kale, spinach, an apple, a banana and strawberries. It's a great way to get your intake of fruits and vegetables. But like I said, it doesn't look very appealing and thats a huge thing for me.

On an even better note I took a new photo. This time smiling! =)

I look so bug eyed in my photos. Though this is the first time I'm seeing my smile side by side with my old smile. What a huge difference. (and I still hate my nose) but I can't fix everything =P

And I'm also seeing that I smile somewhat crooked. BUT WOW!!! I can't wait for the braces to come off to see the new smile all complete. I do still need some work done by the orthodontist to tighten my bite in the back of my teeth but WOW. I can't stop staring at the pics because I'm so amazed. Also, Long or short hair!? I like both haha

I'm still somewhat swollen by the lower chin so I feel like its making my chin even pointer. I need to stop looking at things individually and stare at the whole face. But there you go. Transformation almost complete =)

11 days post op

Today I have to go back to work =(
But at the same time I'm looking forward to finally getting back onto a schedule. However, before dealing with work I opted to take a nice walk because its beyond beautiful out and I needed to do a little shopping at Walmart.

Not to much has changed in the last few days. The worst part of this week was when I dyed the underside of my hair I ended up having an allergic reaction. My chest, stomach, back and arms were covered in hives when I woke up that next morning. It was a different hair dye I used than normal. And for those that dye their hair you need to wash it till the water runs clear and this dye told me not to get it on my skin when washing it out so I just put my head under the shower and my sister helped me washed it. However, my jaw was hurting and I couldn't stay bent over so the water ended up running all over me when washing it out. So it was only my guess this the dye is what caused it. However, the swelling is almost completely gone but still some puffiness, but nearly as much to bother me so I'm willing to show my face in public. Lately I have been able to eat a little more such as mashed potatoes and yogurts because I can now remove the rubber bands. I have also been stretching my jaw 3 times a day. At this moment I can open my mouth to about a finger and a half. My doctor wants to me get to 3 fingers length and she said it would be a miracle if I could get 4. I stretch for about ten minutes at a time; open and close, then side to side. But that's about it the last few days, eating more and stretching.

Here's a photo update to show you guys how awesome I'm doing. Don't mind my face being somewhat red. I had just returned from my walk when I took this. =)

A week and a day!

Everything has been going amazingly smooth. My swelling has gone even more, except my neck and cheeks are still pretty yellow from the remaining bruises. Today I had my follow up appointment with my surgeon and it couldn't have gone any smoother. She removed the two rubberbands and I was able to stretch my jaw for a couple of minutes, it felt soooooo good. X-rays were taken and I was able to see what they did during the surgery and it was really interesting. My surgeon gave me new rubberbands and ones that weren't as thick so my jaw doesn't feel like its being pulled so much. She told me I can remove my rubberbands to eat, brush my teeth, and stretch my jaw for about 10 minutes 3 times a day. I'm gonna have keep the rubberbands in for another week and then the next two weeks following I would only have to wear them at night. I could not be any more ecstatic. Prior to the surgery she said the rubberbands would be in for at least 4 weeks and I thought that was going to be torture but now it doesn't sound so bad. 4 weeks will be here and gone before I know it, then in about 6-8 weeks I can start eating almost normal again.

But now, its absolutely BEAUTIFUL out so I'm going to take a nice long walk with my sister and niece! =)

Photo Update!

I said I would have a photos for you guys and I do!

I put this photo up earlier but I figured seeing everything side by side it make it more clear. This ones several hours after surgery. It's tough to see how swollen I actually am because of the ice packs but you can tell my lip is quite puffy.

This photo is so UNFLATTERING. But wanted to show you guys two days post op. I say not so bad though my lip is still huge and now you can see some slight bruising. By the end of the day the swelling that was in my cheeks moved down towards my neck because I did not have my jaw bra on and gravity took over.

Day 4 post op. As you can see my lips are back to normal. =)
You can see the shape of my jawline and my chin is almost a chin again. The bruising has yellowed and as you can see the swelling went down significantly.
It was so beautiful out today and unlike when I took a walk Saturday I did not cover my face with a scarf and sun glasses so no one could see me. Now I just want to boast and be like I only had surgery 4 days!


My secret! ICE...ICE...ICE! I know I said it earlier but I will keep putting an emphasis on this. However, when I was writing this I was icing my jaw and the ice started melting and it leaked through the bag and right on to me =(

Day 3: Keep on smiling

First I will start off that the season premiere of Doctor Who was Great!!!
Second great news: I slept like a baby last night. I could not have been happier. I believe I woke up once or twice to adjust positions but that's my norm.

I mostly just sat around again for the most of the day and took several naps just because I knew I could sleep comfortably this time. Had my carnation for breakfast and wasn't really feeling to hungry this morning. For dinner my mom made instant mashed potatos and added water to make it to the point I could drink. However, I did have a baby spoon and attempted to eat through the small space between my teeth. Wasn't the most successful as I had to watch myself using a hand mirror to make sure I was over opening my mouth and so I could find it. Took yet another nap after dinner till my brother came to pick me up to bring me to his  place so we can watch Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Two amazing shows if none of you have watched. Before heading to the house we stopped at pathmark to pick up some cheese and characters so the others over could eat. I saw the strawberry shortcake good humor bars on sale and snatched them up to make a shake. Just threw it in a blender, added milk and pushed liquify. It was sooooo good and  the liquify button mixes it so well the little bites pieces were good enough to drink and not get caught on my teeth. He also had some potato soup at home so of course I blended that up and put it in a cup and drank that as well. I haven't felt this full since Wednesday evening.

So now I'm finally back home and even though I'm ready for bed I decided to ice up one more time before going to sleep. Today was great, so I'm hoping this is just the start to an even better week. Even my parents are amazed with how well the my swelling and bruising have gone down already and the fact that my energy is pretty high. I'm not letting anything bring me down. I want to be back on my feet and feeling great by my appointment on the 5th. I want to walk in and they be like wow, you just had surgery a week ago but you look amazing. I bounced back pretty quick during my first surgery and I was groggy for two days even after that one. I'm feeling a really really good recovery coming my way!! =)

I will probably have a pic up tomorrow so you guys can see how AMAZING I'm doing!!!

Day 2: Keep that Morale up!

The hardest part of this whole surgery is keeping your morale up. It's certainly very hard when your face is swollen and bruised, the sleep is horrendous and your stuck on a liquid diet for a few days. This morning I woke around quarter to 7. I was in such a horrible mood. My jaw hurt mostly on my right side as I've been getting the feeling back there quicker than the left side and the muscles spasms are a total b*tch. I felt myself whining for a couple of minutes and said I cannot start my day like this because the rest of the day will be the same. So I got up took a walk around my house, took my anbiotic (which just reminded me I haven't taken my 4 o'clock yet) grabbed some ice and put on the tv. After a couple of minutes I finally found a comfortable enough position to fall back to sleep and was out till about 11. I was beyond thrilled to get 3 hours in.
Afterward my day was just pretty relaxed for the most part. My childhood friend came up from NC yesterday and came by the house today to surprise my family. That really upped my morale as the last time I saw her was in February for a day when I was in NC for another friends wedding. The weather was beautiful so me her, my twin, my older sister, her friend and my niece all took a walk around the block. Of course I wrapped a scarf around my face and through glasses on. (I almost felt like a celebrity in hiding)
The walk felt great as it got my blood flowing, however when we got home I started feeling lousy. I thought perhaps I was hungry as I haven't eaten yet today. Drank about half a pediasure and just felt even worse. So I decided a nap would be my best option. Again, a nap is always the best option. Found another good position were I can lie slightly on my side with slight pressure on my jaw to prevent it from hanging and got a good hour nap in. Now my mommy is making me the broth from the ramen noodles just so I can have something slightly heavier in my stomach in hopes the antibiotics won't upset my stomach again.

I have to say I find my swelling and bruising to actually be less than yesterday. My bottom lip is almost down to size and the only thing thats really tingling and uncomfortable is my lip and chin. Everything else feels good.
My best offer on here to give you guys is to use that ice. Ice as much as you can b/c I really believe that is what helping the swelling. I had the ice on for literally the whole day of the surgery and then the next day and today whenever I was not napping I would have ice on for 20 min off for 10 for about an hour. Also that jaw bra you get when you come out of surgery. Keep that on hand. I was only told I needed to wear it for at least 24hrs after the surgery. It felt good to take off but at night when I slept I put it back on for the support and pressure over the swelling. I do believer that's helped my swelling a lot as well.  Gravity started taking in so the swelling is now all in my lower jaw and partially into my neck.

I also picked a very good weeked to keep my Morale up. I have had Doctor Who on allllll day and the newest episode starts at 8pm. Nothing can make this day better and tomorrow starts the newest season of Game of Thrones I know I am set for the weekend. Just curious how I will feel by Monday, but we'll see when that day comes.