Day 3 after surgery

I was unable to make onto the computer the last two days after surgery. I've been sleeping non stop and not untill today do I finally feel well rested.

So Thursday 3/22 was the date of my surgery. It went really smooth and all the doctors were  great. I'll have pics up soon from a few hours after surgery to today. Before I went into surgery I really wasn't feeling nervous or anything which was good. Next minute I know Im lying on the operating table talking to my doctor and then I'm out. Which is a wonderful feeling for anyone whose never been asleep for surgery. It's the best sleep you'll ever get! After waking up in recovery I had the worst double vision and that made me super nauseus feeling. I did get sick and threw up the blood that was in my stomach but afterwards I felt great. A few hours later my parents took me home and yet again I got sick to my stomach but everything was good. I crawled into bed took a percocet and passed out till the next morning.

Day 1 after surgery: I was still extrememly numb so the pain wasnt hitting me yet. I just didnt like how numb and huge everything felt. I feel lucky because all I had was swelling in my face, no bruising at all =)
I was able to go for a walk with my dad around the block to help clear my head and to get my blood circulating. It works wonderfully, so if you feel up for walking Id advice you do it bc it helps a whole lot with the healing process.

Day 2 after surgery: I just slept ALL DAY! it was great. I woke up maybe twice for at least an hour and went right back to sleep.

Day 3: Today is a so so day. My jaw has been very stiff bc I'm assuming they've held it open when working on the upper jaw so opening it completely is nearly impossible. Out of curiosity I have run my tongue across the gums of my mouth to see if I can feel anything. Right now its just still super puffy and kind of gross feeling so I don't think I will be doing that again. Also, I was able to take a shower today. I felt so gross from just lying in bed for like 3 days so bc I was not in to much pain I was able to get in. I feel so much better and the warm water helps circulate the blood.

As for eating if anyone is curious, I've been living on applesauce and potoato and leek soup. Though for some reason the applesauce is hurting my throat a bit so im madly in love with the taste and texture of the potato soup. It's so creamy there's no effort to eating it at all.

The medicine that i've been on has been helpful too. In the morning and night I use Afrin nasal spray to help with congestion. I also have a mouth wash I use each morning and night. When I'm in too much pain I just take an Advil and it helps enough, but when I want to go to bed at night even if I'm not in too much pain I take a percocet bc it really helps me sleep through the night.

Taking the drive to the hospital

So today is my first surgery. I'm having it done at north shore LIJ in new Hyde park. It's a great hospital but the only downside is that it's practically an hour from my house. But anyway, I'm driving out the hospital with my parents right now and I'm not feeling anything. I don't feel phased about this whole surgery at all. I guess I'm more excited then anything Bc I've been waiting for this day since August. I do realize what I am alittle nervous about is not the surgery itself. I'm concerned how I am going to feel when I wake up. I'm afraid I'm going to be in terrible pain. Though pain killers are a wonderful thing. Prior to surgery my concern was how my stomach was going to feel after waking up. The last surgery I had was when I was 7 years old and i remember waking up feeling super nauseous and dizzy. Luckily this time I was given two pills to settle my stomach. One I took last night at midnight and the other I took about half hour ago. For anyone that doesn't know. You are not allowed to eat after midnight or in the morning. I stuffed my face last night in hopes it would satisfy my hunger long into the morning. Originally my surgery was scheduled for 1130am but was then changed to 1pm. Not to happy about that Bc I'm a person who loves their breakfast so not having it today was depressing here's hoping my hunger stays away till them. But as long as I don't think about it I should be fine. All in all I cannot believe this day is here already. It came so fast and before I know it ill be getting the second half of my surgery done. But I'm trying to take this day by day and not rush the healing process. Thats never a good thing. :)

Bottom Braces and Expander

So today was the day I got my bottom braces on and palette expander in. I don't know why but I was sooo nervous. I was afraid of the brackets hurting and the expander being so bulky that I couldn't even talk. Much to my surprise when I got into the orthodontist office and they showed me the expander and it was this measly looking thing. And to think that I was so intimidated by it, ha! Anyways, my ortho put the expander in and it went in easily but snug. After that he took it out and cemented it in and then came the bottom braces. They went on quick with no issues and they feel pretty good. For now. Once they start shifting I'm going to a cranky baby. =/
I now just have to go to a pre surgical appointment with my surgeon and discuss exactly what will happen and how my mom should take care of me after the procedure. Then I have I my pre-surgical testing at the Hospital on Friday and finally my medical clearance appointment with my primary care physician. I can't wait for all the appointments to be over and I'm in the hospital getting the surgery done. I'm still beyond excited about the whole thing and I hope my nerves stay away.

So here are two pictures.

Wonderful zigzag pattern. Doesn't it look lovely!?



And the measly looking expander that I thought was going to be a huge discomfort and annoyance..







countdown: 9 days

A couple of minutes after writing this post and saying things aren't so bad. I kinda take it back. I can't believe all the built of saliva that is happening.. That's probably going to be the most annoying thing. I have to constantly swallow and that alone is kind of a task within itself because my tongue does not hit the top of my mouth. =/

Waiting....

Nothing has been really happening lately. I got the seperators for my upper teeth put in on the 8th and they were a little uncomfortable. For some reason they were quite irritating, and my teeth were throbbing for a few days. It made eating a bit tough but after popping a few tylenols I was good as new. I now just have to wait 2 more days to get my braces and palette expander in. Though I'm not particularly looking forward to it because i know I'm going to be super cranky that whole day. But I choose to go through with this so just gotta suck it up and think about how happy I will be after the whole process is done. So I just have to think about that.

Countdown: 11 days