Day-7 ONE WEEK!!

Today has been much, much better than yesterday.  I'm feeling a lot better and I have more energy.  And having my kids here is really nice too.

I can't believe it's already been a week!

Okay...so most people when they have this surgery lose a lot of weight, 5-10 lbs in the first week...20+ overall.  Then there's me.  I GAINED 6 lbs in the first few days.  Ha-I'm not sure if it was all swelling or the fact that my diet had a sudden mass increase in heavy whipping cream (I thin soups, shakes, smoothies, etc with it).  As of today I'm back down to my "pre-surgery weight".  And while I'm by no means "trying" to lose weight, I do expect losing some will be the natural consequence of a 6-week "no chew" diet.  I just found it humorous that I found a way to gain weight during this process! Ha-ha.

I honestly don't have much to report...

I am having some spasms in my face today.  Uncomfortable, but not unbearable.  And from what I understand, completely normal.

I did make the effort to put on make up and jewelry today, so that's special!

Attempted smile...

...but no, my face is still frozen.

Still a ton of swelling...but it's getting better every day!

Day-6 (Tuesday) Rough Day

Today was rough.  Maybe my roughest day home so far (which I didn't really expect at almost a week post-op).

The icky parts:

• Headache all day
• Ear/Nerve pain
• Ran a low fever all day
• Yawning hurts
• Laughing hurts
• Face still swollen, tight, tingling, and just uncomfortable
• Still not sleeping well 
• Can't smile (this is really, really hard...not being able to physically smile, has a serious psychological effect and truly makes me feel sad)
• Reflection still doesn't look like "me"
• Completely exhausted, ALL.THE.TIME.
• Lips and cheeks are still cut up and swollen
• Can barely open my mouth...still hard to even fit the infant toothbrush in there!

But even the bad days have good parts...

The good parts:

• Two of my friends offered to go to the grocery store for me, just the reminder that friends are willing to help makes the day better
• I had flowers delivered from another sweet friend
• Another friend brought me pureed Tomato Basil soup for lunch
• The swelling has gone down a little
• I am getting to try lot's of new soups (I do actually love soup...)
• My kids came home! 

Anyway, here are some pictures from today and hopes for a better day tomorrow:

Day-5 (Monday)

Okay...for those of you who don't frequent my Facebook feed, an excerpt from last night:

Venturing out to a movie (because I like to torture myself with the smell of popcorn and nachos that I can't partake in).
Nate: Happy Date Night!
Me: Sorry I look like this.
Nate: It's ok, it's why I waited until dark to take you out.
Me: Burst into uncontrollable laughter which causes mass pain because I can't smile much less laugh. Oh my goodness. Too much.

(FYI: He was joking, it was totally hilarious.)


Moving on to today, it was my first day on my own and I had to make the 40-minute drive to the Air Force Academy to get my stitches out. As I was driving myself there, I started to worry a little that they might not let me on Base (or back on Post) because my distorted face looks nothing like my ID photo.  But it wasn't an issue, they didn't say anything at all!  I'm not sure how I feel about that?  Maybe slightly offended? I made it there and back just fine, but I was completely exhausted for the remainder of the day. 

Dr. Z said my bite looks perfect and that I still don't need bands or a splint (insert internal smile as I still cannot muster an external one on my frozen face)!    He also said that on a scale of 1-10 (worst-best) for healing at a week out, I'm at a 9.  Considering I'm only Day-5 post-op, I suppose that means things are healing pretty well.  The stitches came out painlessly.  He was surprised when I told him that I'm getting feeling back everywhere, but said that is absolute best case scenario, so more good news.

He asked me if this "process" was harder or easier than I had expected.  I'm glad to say it's been so much easier.  I'm not saying that it hasn't been hard...it has.  But it hasn't been anywhere near as hard as I had anticipated, which I'm grateful for.  

He also asked me how I'm liking my new bite.  I told him I love it (which I do)...but that I'm not quite on board with my new face yet.  (He might have looked slightly offended, lol)...but quickly reminded me that I'm only 5 days post-op and I can't judge yet because there is still sooooo much swelling.  Yeah, easier said than done.  But I'm trying.

I asked how long it'll take for all the swelling to go away.  He said 90% would be gone in the first 4-weeks, but that the remaining 10% can linger for 3-6 months.  I can deal with that.  As long as most of it goes away.


Nightmares.
So on most of the jaw surgery blogs I've followed, it's been common for people to dream about food they aren't allowed to eat.  Most people consider these dreams to be amazing.  Not me.  In my dreams, it starts out awesome, I'm chowing down on a steak or a hamburger...or some other delicious food that requires lot's of chewing and biting.  The food is always amazing and I eat all of it, but then as soon as I take the last bite...I remember that I'm not allowed to eat these foods and I panic and run to the mirror.  When I check my reflection, my jaw is messed up and my overbite is back and then it flashes to my surgeon telling me that there's nothing he can do to fix it now.  So yeah, I'm a serious rule follower, but being haunted by food even in my dreams is quite sad and pathetic!  I usually end up waking up and actually having to go check my bite in the mirror to make certain all is good before I can go back to sleep!  Hopefully these nightmares won't continue for the entire 6-weeks!

Stitches out, still bruised and swollen.

Later in the day, the swelling had gone down some.

Days 2, 3, & 4

So I have some catching up to do...

Day-2 

It wasn't the best.  Honestly it wasn't all that bad.  I slept pretty well the night before, I got up, showered, and dressed (impressive, right?).  I even rode with my husband to a doctor appointment for our daughter.  I was able to eat and drink plenty.  The part that was hard was the crazy amount of swelling.  Let's just say I gained like 6 lbs and it was all in my face.  You can't really prepare for looking in a mirror and not recognizing the reflection looking back at you.  But I couldn't really avoid the mirror because I have to use it to eat (my lips are completely numb, so I have to make sure I'm actually getting the liquid food to my mouth and not just dumping it all over myself.  Ha.  It's hard to describe the pain that you feel.  Its not what you expect.  I didn't feel pain in my incisions or in my lip, which is butchered.  The pain is caused from the tightness and swelling.  It's an odd uncomfortable feeling, but it certainly hasn't been unbearable.

So I'll reluctantly share pictures from Day-2.  I'm not a fan...

Nate took this one of me sleeping...my cat and dog both snuggling me. 

This one is in the car on the way to our daughter's Dr. Appointment.

My face was huge on Day-2.  These pictures can't even do justice, but I was so swollen that I couldn't turn my head at all.

Me with my kiddos.  It was nice to see them for a few minutes.  

Day-3

I was slightly less swollen today.  Slightly.  I made it out of the house for a few minutes to run a couple of errands with my husband.  I also was able to take a very short walk, to the redbox and back.  I tried to walk again later in the day, but it was just too much.  I made it half way around the block and decided to turn back and sleep on the recliner for a few hours.  I can talk some, but I get tired quickly.  I still can't really show any emotion with my face at all.  That's about it for Day-3...  

This one shows a little bit of the bruising...it goes all the way down my chest.

I like this one because the face wrap hides all the swelling...

Day-4

And that brings us to today.  I slept until noon.  I was soooooo tired.  But after I finally woke up, I have had a little more energy.  One great thing about today is that I was able to remove the surgical tape, yay.  It's been a quiet day, but I was able to go on a short walk.  Nate and I are even going to venture out and catch a movie this evening.  I figure I can sit in a theater...and he has to go back to work tomorrow, so it'll be nice to get out of the house for a bit.   As for my face, I still don't really recognize my reflection and it's still stiff, tight, and uncomfortable.  I'm having weird sensations, which is great because that means my nerves are starting to wake up.  The bruising is really starting to show, too.  But I think from here forward, things will continue to improve which it good.  Tomorrow I've got to be at the AFA at 7:30 am to have my stitches removed.  I've stopped taking pain medication, so I should be fine to drive myself (since Nate will be back at work).  So glad to be making forward progress...

As far as my bite goes (the entire reason for this journey), the surgeon says it's perfect.  That's exciting.  From the small amount I can open my mouth,  it looks good.  And it definitely feels different.  I guess it'll be a few months before I can actually test it out.  Hopefully it'll be 1000% worth it!

My face is still expressionless.  Hoping I'll be able to show any sort of emotion soon!

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Day-1

So today has gone pretty well, much better than I anticipated for sure.  I don't really have lot of pain, mostly a really tight, bruised feeling, which does make sense seeing as I'm pretty swollen and bruised.

I was released from ICU around 9:15 am.  That was my choice, I could have stayed there until Dr. Z finished his cases at the AFA and had him come to Evans when he was done, but they offered going ahead and releasing me and having me go to the AFA for Dr. Z to squeeze me in.  I opted to get out of ICU and run up the the Academy.  Good choice, as it only took a few minutes.

And guess what...he took off my splint and bands!  He'd previously told me I'd need the splint for 1-6 weeks, but he said everything looks perfect and that there was no reason to leave that thing in there!  YAAAAY!!  They also did new x-rays while I was there.  It's hard to tell from the x-rays how far he moved my jaw but he said about 5mm.  Getting used to my bite being in a new position (albeit the correct position) is going to take some getting used to.  He moved my chin a lot and you can definitely tell where is was moved on the x-rays.

Today's annoyances are minor.  I can't close my lips because everything is so swollen (which from what I understand, will get worse until Day-5), The swelling in general (My face feels soooo heavy, like I'm carrying 10 extra pounds), talking is difficult, and I have a minor sore throat (presumably from the breathing tube)... but it could definitely be worse.

I'm still praising God for how well everything went.  When I was at the Air Force Academy this morning, I saw a lot of my surgical team and they all reiterated how well the procedure went.  Apparently it was one of the fastest times they've ever performed this procedure in.

So medications...

Prescriptions
Percocet (Oxycodone/Acetaminophen): Obviously for pain.  I'm taking it as little as possible (once so far today).  They told me to take it when my pain gets to a 3 or 4 and I just haven't really gotten there too much.

800mg Ibuprofen:  For inflammation and swelling

Peridex: Medicated mouth wash to help keep mouth clean

Antibiotic: To prevent infection

Non-prescription:
Young Living Essential Oils: Helichrysum, Frankincense, Copaiba, Idaho Balsam Fir, & Lavender have been my go to oils.

Young Living Lip Balm: They work so well! My lips had some cuts from the procedure, and they've really helped them heal right up

Ice: pretty much constantly, but I'm supposed to switch to heat tomorrow (which I'm looking forward to because, ya know, it's warm).

Food:
Shakeology
Ensure
Pure Protein drinks
Jucie (we have a juicer so this will help me get some good vitamins in)
Baby Food
Homemade (really thin) smoothies and milkshakes
Chicken Broth
Water (as much as I can force down)

Oh, I also learned a new trick.  I can drink out of a cup without spilling!  Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it so is.

Also, sneezing isn't pleasant at all, but I keep having to sneeze.  I really hope it doesn't mess anything up.

I go back to see my surgeon  on Monday 7/25.  He has to take the 2 little stitches on each side of my face out.

I guess that's about all I have for today other than some Day-1 pictures for your viewing pleasure. Ha, I look like Ryan Reynolds looks in a fat suit.  Ewwwwww.

Thin one shows the bruising pretty well (it's on both sides).

My attempted smile.  That lovely tape has to stay on until Sunday.

And this one just shows the swelling pretty well...It's mostly down in my neck.  

Trying to show my new bite, but there's so much swelling it's hard.  Definitely can't stick my tongue out with my mouth closed any more!

The left x-ray is the before; right is after.  Like I said it's hard to tell how much the jaw moved, but it was about 5mm.

And another after x-ray

Day-0 Quick update/Photos

Okay, so apparently surgery went great.  I don't remember...so it was definitely a good choice choosing not to worry about that part.  And I never did, never got nervous at all.  Dr. Z said it was the best case he's ever had and it took 1/2 the time expected (only 1.25 hours!!).  Obviously I'm a stellar patient!  Haha. 

Now I'm just hanging out in ICU waiting on them to bring me dinner that I can eat with my awesome syringe!  I'm trying to drink a ton of water because I know it'll help with swelling which is supposed to peak on Days 3 & 4. 

The worst part right now is that I can't close my mouth due to the splint and swollen lips.  I do have bands on, so can't really talk or anything.  Pen, paper, and text-to-speech app are my friends (though Nate and my nurse, Katie, probably disagree).  Ha. 

Something I've noticed is that I can breath better, which makes sense because my airway is larger.  But I didn't really realize that I wasn't breathing as well before, it's all I ever knew I supposes.  

My husband is antsy...keeps doing push-ups and squats in my room.  I grunted at him to let him know that burpees and hand stand push-ups are not permissible (insert eye roll). 

Here are some lovely pics for your viewing pleasure.  It'll get worse before it gets better.

Before surgery...hopefully I will no longer be able to stick my tongue out with my mouth closed after this!

Gorgeous huh?

Here's one without ice packs...

T minus 1

So, I had today all planned out.  I was going to get so much done.  And I had plenty of time to do it all, if things would've just gone as planned...but they didn't.

I had to go up to the Air Force Academy (AFA) to make sure my splint fit.  It was supposed to take 30-seconds.  It would've taken 30-seconds if the splint had fit.  But it didn't.  Apparently sometime between the time that they made my surgical mold (the mold they made of my teeth to practice the surgery on before actually performing it on my face) and today my teeth shifted.  Not good.  

So we had to start over.  The day.before.surgery.  Let me note that this was days worth of work that they had to redo in a few hours.  They had to make new casts, new molds, redo the practice surgery (this alone is a few hours work for my surgeon), make a new splint, and have me come back a few hours later to make sure that it fit this time (it did, whew).

So here's the thing, Dr. Z (surgeon) has never had a patient make an appointment to try on their splint before surgery.  He has also never had a patient who's splint didn't fit after surgery.  But he had this "weird gut feeling" about mine, so asked me to come in (it's a 40 minute drive) to try it on.  I'm so glad he followed his gut. So glad. You know that mold that he practiced my surgery on?  It's his "road map" for what he's going to do to my face tomorrow.  So, you can imagine that it wouldn't have been good if he'd used an "incorrect road map" while performing my surgery.  

After they got the impressions done, I had to rush back home and pack for my kids (they are going to their grandparents' for the week).  I packed for both of them in 20-minutes...that suitcase is a disaster!  I had my husband meet us at home, we rushed back to the AFA to try on the new splint, which fit perfectly.  Then we had to rush to gymnastics (for which we were 15 minutes late).  I was supposed to attend an event tonight, but with all of the craziness, there was absolutely no way I could have made it home in time to get ready (my jeans, Uggs, and Aggie shirt wouldn't have been exactly appropriate, not to mention I was covered in plaster from making new molds).  So instead Nate and I had dinner at the best taco shop in the world, El Taco Rey (http://www.eltacorey.com/menu.pdf) and then he took me to pick up dessert at my other favorite place in town, Marigold's (http://www.marigoldcoloradosprings.com/).  If you are ever in Colorado Springs, just go to both of these places.  I'm going to miss the food in this town soooooo much.  Anyhow, tonight I've eaten so much past my heart's content that I'm pretty miserable.  It was completely worth it. 

I'm supposed to be at the hospital at 11:00 tomorrow.  Can't eat or drink past midnight...do you know how thirsty I'm going to be?  Forget food...I'm going to be grumpy without water!  My surgeon did frown when I told him my report time and said, "Be prepared to show up earlier..."  So maybe he's going to try to adjust that?

People keep asking me if I'm nervous?  I'm not.  Not even slightly, which seems a bit strange.  Maybe I'll be nervous tomorrow?  For now, I'm off to bed.  I will try to update tomorrow, but honestly, no promises.  I did inform my husband that he should update my Facebook page and text my mom, but I can guarantee you he's not going to update my blog...

Surgical hooks

This is just a short update...

On Tuesday I had my last pre-op orthodontist appointment to get my surgical hooks put on.  Later that afternoon I took my kids to gymnastics and a little girl, I'm guessing she was 6, told me, "I really like your braces!  They are so cool!"  Ha-ha, I'm glad someone thinks they're cool!

Surgical "hooks" or "lugs", pretty huh?

They aren't painful or anything...they also aren't exactly attractive.  Oh well, they are a means to an end and it will be worth it in the end.  I asked Dr. T (orthodontist) when I would be getting them off before they were even on.  It'll be at least 4-weeks post-op.  Kind of a bummer, but I'm not sure I'll be wanting anyone to touch my mouth before then anyhow.  

Before I go I'll share a giggle with you.  My husband doesn't really take time off from work.  Like, ever.  But he's taking Wednesday-Sunday off when I have my surgery and I think he's looking forward to it because the other day he told me, "I know that you are having the bottom of your face cut off and reattached with plates and screws and all, but I'm really looking forward to being on leave."  Of course he was kidding (mostly).  It made me smile...he's pretty good at making me smile. 

Appointment with the surgeon

So this post is mainly boring informational stuff...

I met with my surgeon yesterday (Monday).  The appointment started with getting x-rays.  I also had to take him the surgical mold that was made at my orthodontist's office.  My surgeon will actually perform the surgery on the mold before doing it on my actual face, which I for one appreciate.  He told me that if he accidentally breaks it, I'll have to come in to have another mold made.  I informed him that his accidentally breaking it wouldn't exactly instill confidence in his ability, therefore he should proceed with caution (I was totally joking by the way...I do realize that the plaster mold is a lot more fragile than my bone).   That being said, making those molds is NOT fun, so I really hope he doesn't break it!

Surgical mold of my mouth

I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet with him again, seeing as last time I saw him, I was a bit in shock from his telling me I needed surgery and all.  This time I was prepared.  I went armed with an entire list of questions.  He walked in and said, "I know you have a ton of questions...fire away!"  He patiently answered every question I had and didn't rush me at all. 

Here is a list of my Q's and his A's:

•  How long is the procedure expected to last?
• "This procedure can take up to 6-hours, but I'll be working simultaneously with another surgeon and I think it'll be complete in 2.5-3 hours."

• How many millimeters will you extend my jaw and chin?
• "Jaw about 5 mm, Chin about 8-9 mm, that's just an estimate." (I had no idea what to expect here, so I'm just going to trust that he knows what he's doing!)

• How long will I have to wear the mouth splint? (the mouth splint, by the way, is a clear plastic template that they wire to your teeth after surgery to maintain the correct jaw position).
• "1-6 weeks."(I suggested that we aim for 1)

• Will my mouth be banded or wired when I wake up from surgery?
• "I don't like to wire or apply bands for at least 1-week...the only reason you'd be wired is if something goes wrong." (So, just to be clear, if I wake up with my mouth wired shut I'm totally gonna freak in the recovery room.)

• Does the hospital provide syringes for drinking?  Do you recommend them?
• "No & No.  Put a towel around yourself and use a cup.  Your bottom jaw will be completely numb, so it'll be messy, but you've gotta start somewhere."  (Maybe I should sell spectator tickets?)

• Does the hospital  provide a jaw wrap for ice packs?
• "That's called a 'jaw bra', we'll get you one of those."

• Can I use a straw right after surgery?
• "You can try, it might be hard, seeing as you won't be able to feel the lower half of your face." (Panic attack, I'm obsessed with straws.  If it's liquid I want a straw.  How can I survive a complete liquid diet if I can't use a straw?  I will definitely at least attempt...) 

• When should I stop taking Vitamin D/multivitamin?
• "You don't have to stop taking those."

•  That's all I've got, are there any more questions I should be asking? 
• "You should maybe ask what drugs I'll be prescribing you..." (Oh yeah...)

So here's my list of medications:

1. Clindamycin-- Antibiotic to prevent bacterial infection
2. Peridex-- It's just a Rx mouthwash to help prevent bacterial infection
3. Ibuprofen-- for swelling and pain
4. Oxycodone-- for pain (I'm hoping to use this as little as possible)

The other super fun thing he informed me of is that I'll wake up with surgical tape on my chin and it has to stay on for at least a week.  So surgical tape on my chin, combined with me drooling and dribbling all over myself.  Yeah, that's gonna be disgusting.  I have a feeling that this experience is going to get more and more humbling as time goes on!

That was pretty much it...and I thought that would be my last appointment with the surgeon before Day-0, but he wants me to come back the day before my surgery.  I didn't have my surgical lugs on yet (that'll be another blog post) and he's afraid that my teeth might move slightly when they put my lugs on.  So, he wants me to come in and try the splint to make certain it fits before the surgery.