Nose recovery day 3

Today is a whole new day. Yesterday was kind of rough. Yesterday, my nose was still bleeding quite steadily. The hardest part for me was sleeping, I think. I never got more than 3-4 hours of continuous sleep so I've felt really tired. My eyes have been watering like crazy and it has left large crusts around my eyes. And because they've been watering so much, my eyes are very dry.

Woke up today and my eyes are still watering like crazy. However, my nose bleeding has slowed down quite a bit. I can feel the splints in my nose and I think that is what is causing my eyes to water so much. They are really irritating. I'm looking forward to getting them removed on Wednesday, that's for sure.

I did go on a walk yesterday around the block. It felt good, I hope I can go on another one today. I took a shower this morning already. I didn't drip blood every where which is a good sign!

My eyes have been bothering me a lot yesterday and today. The shower helped a bit but they are still leaking like crazy. I can sorta breathe out of my nostrils but it feels like I have a really bad head cold. I'm trying not to breathe out of them so that they don't dry out completely. The more moist they are, the faster they'll heal.

Infection pt. 2 and my birthday!

I woke up this morning and my lip was still swollen. Not as bad as Monday afternoon but still sensitive to the touch and a tad uncomfortable. I went and saw Dr, Keith and he confirmed my pcp's diagnosis. I had an infection inside along my upper jaw incision. Fortunately, it was not to bad. He said that the area is slightly open which is allowing everything to drain out. GROSS. That's good because it means that he doesn't have to drain the area manually. I didn't ask what draining it manually would entail, didn't really want to know. He said that I'll have a gross taste in my mouth until everything drains out and begins healing. It'll probably take about 7 days.

He advised me to continue taking the antibiotics until the bottle was completed, use a hot compress on the outside of the infected area, do salt water rinses every 2 hours for the next 48 hours, and use chlorhexidine mouthwash for the next 7 days. He said that I was lucky I caught it so quickly because it could have been worse. Worse meaning that the area around the implants would become infected. That's super bad so I'm glad it didn't come to that!

He thinks it might have started due to one of my stitches not falling out. Those little bastards are terrible! I hate hate hate those stupid dissolving stitches. They are the worst! Thankfully, it's only superficial so it should clear up pretty quickly.

Since I started the antibiotics last night, he said I should be good to return to work tomorrow. I really don't want to use up all my earned time so that was a bit of relief. I'm not contagious but he thought it was a good idea to sit back, relax and let the meds do their thing for the rest of today.

I was nervous about what he was going to say so I didn't eat much of anything before my appointment. Just a bottle of chocolate ensure. If I had to have something done in their office, at least I didn't have much in my stomach to cause any delays.

I was told to go home, relax and to enjoy my birthday. Don and I had originally planned to go ice skating and then out to dinner but not sure if that's happening or not. I think I'll take a nap and see how I feel when I wake up. We also have to see what the weather is like since it's been raining on and off all morning. We'll make a decision based on that. 

This post is gross. Don't read if you have a sensitive stomach.

Everything was going great. I was healing really well and felt practically normal. I was fine until Saturday. My lip got super swollen and now my  upper lip and nose are very sensitive. Almost painful to the touch. I just thought it was a cold sore since I've gotten them frequently in the past. But cold sores get better after taking medication and mine seemed to get worse. I went to work this morning and my swelling was even worse. After breakfast, I thought that some ice would help with the swelling so I went to the emergency room to grab some and ran into the charge nurse. She saw my lip and asked me what was wrong so I explained everything to her. She told me that from what I was describing, it didn't sound like a simple cold sore. She told me that my lip might be infected. I told her that I had a routine physical later this afternoon and that made her feel better.

After I had the ice on my face for a little while, it got me worried. My face hadn't been swollen like this in awhile and for it to suddenly come back made me a little nervous. I decided to call my surgeon's office to see if they thought it was in my best interests to be seen or not. I called, described my symptoms and the office secretary told me that she needed to page Dr. Keith and find out what he wanted her to do. Paging a surgeon is typically a last resort, especially when he has lots of people working under him. For her to directly page him meant that my symptoms were serious. Within 10 minutes, she had called me back and told me that I needed to be seen tomorrow. I told her that I was going to my pcp this afternoon for a routine checkup and she said to definitely keep my appointment. In the very least, my pcp could prescribe me something to help bring down my swelling to a comfortable level. 

After lunch time, my swelling became even worse. I grabbed some more ice and was sitting with the ice on my face. I soon realized that I needed to go home. I wasn't capable of working if I had ice constantly held to my face. My boss saw me and agreed that I needed to leave. So I went home for a few hours before my doctor's appointment. I went back a few hours later, saw my pcp and described my symptoms to her. After some gentle prodding, she touched the area and quickly told me that it was infected. 

What happened next was the nastiest thing that has happened to me yet. (Hint: Here's where you skip to the last paragraph since it's gross) Even worse, I think, than vomiting with the palate expander in. She touched the area and liquid puss came out. It came out and went right down my throat (since I was lying down so she could see the area better). I almost vomited on her it was that nasty. And it tasted horrible (which I'm sure isn't a surprise). I rinsed out my mouth but the memories are still there. And it's disgusting. She put me on a dose of liquid amoxicillin at least to start me on some kind of antibiotic. She didn't want me to have to wait for my appointment tomorrow. At least I can start some kind of medication to begin the healing process. Then, tomorrow, Dr. Keith can make the decision on how to continue my care. If he feels the need, he can change me to a different medication. 

So, tomorrow is my 29th birthday. And I have a puss infected lip.This ranks up there with getting kidney stones on my birthday 10 years ago. What a great birthday present to me. I'll post again tomorrow with an update after my appointment. 

Recovery Day 39

Well, today was a big day for me! After talking to Dr. Klein on Wednesday, she said that it didn't matter if I waited or pushed my appointment up a week. She said it was totally up to me and how I felt. Since I've been feeling OK, I decided to just get it over with.

Dr. Klein was super excited to see my progress. We chatted and had a nice long conversation about my recovery. She told me that I looked great which was nice to hear. I still don't feel 100% but it's still nice nonetheless.

Happily, after taking a peak, Dr. Klein said that I was good to get the surgical wire and hooks removed today!! Very exciting! After they were removed, it was discovered that I had 2 broken brackets. Apparently, it's very common for 1-2 brackets to come off during the surgery which is what Dr. Klein thinks happened.

I was fitted with a regular wire again and standard o-rings which felt nice. The hooks had started to bother me so I'm glad that they were removed.

My surgical wires with attached hooks

I've been wearing elastics very religiously since my surgery and today I got a new configuration of elastics. I was wearing them diagonally upper front to lower back. Now, Dr, Klein wants me to wear them in a triangle pattern upper incisor to lower incisor to lower back molar. I can already feel it and I have a feeling I'm going to be sore tomorrow. After I get used to the elastics, I'm to add a 2nd elastic from my upper back molar to my lower back molar. This is to ensure that my bite is completely level. Dr. Klein explained that]when people with open bites get them fixed, sometimes they can develop an open bite but in the back. Wearing the 2nd elastic will keep my bite touching from front to back. 

As I was leaving, I finally remembered to ask about my x-rays. Dr. Klein did have access to them and even printed them out for me. I have copies of them but I just have to edit them since they have some personal information on them. When I get them copied onto my computer, I will definitely post them here. 

My next appointment is in about 6 or 7 weeks, so after the holidays. Dr. Klein mentioned that if I am good about wearing my elastics, I may be looking at getting my braces off in time for the spring! Wow, I can't wait! This has been such a crazy journey that it feels like I'll be wearing these things forever. It's awesome to know that the end is in sight and is almost here. 

Recovery Day 36

This past week has been a bit of a blur for me. The holidays were good! Since I was told to take it easy and focus on recovery, Don took a few days off work and we were able to spend the whole week of Thanksgiving with his family out in the Berkshires. It was very nice and relaxing. On Thanksgiving, I was able to eat the whole Thanksgiving meal! It was wonderful not having to "fend for myself" or make something that I actually could eat. I was very thankful for that and for not having to cook much on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for us is pretty traditional/tame. We had turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce (had to do the can since I couldn't chew the real stuff), squash, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and dinner rolls. We came home Friday evening since we didn't want to have to deal with any traffic and I think we timed it perfectly. We didn't go out for any black Friday shopping, we were lucky enough to find plenty of good deals online. 

Today marks 5 weeks since surgery which is crazy! I returned to work today which is also crazy. I didn't work a full day due to an issue with my return to work letter. They called me after it was clarified and I went in right after that. I only worked about 6 hours but it felt good. I'm very tired mostly from talking to everyone. Everyone at work was super sweet because they all wanted to check in on me which was nice. I'll be working full time but I'll be on light duty for awhile. I'm not scheduled to work in the OR until January so I've got a month to really transition back to my schedule again.

Nothing much has happened with the braces except... I'm pretty sure that I broke one of my brackets. Not sure when it happened but I noticed it tonight when I was brushing my teeth. I'm going to shoot Dr Klein an email tomorrow and find out if I need to get it looked at before my appointment next week. Don't want to ruin my progress so hopefully I'll find out tomorrow if it needs to be fixed immediately.

Week 5 Progress Photo

Week 5 Progress Photo

I took these photos last night since I'm pretty tired today. I can now smile without it looking super fake or looking super painful (smiling hasn't really hurt so much since I couldn't feel my face much but the stretching felt VERY weird). I still have stitches inside my gums which is a pain. But it looks like I only have about 3 left which is pretty awesome.

I've been kinda lame with not posting as often and I think I'll blame the holidays. Hopefully should get a little better from now on.

Recovery day 22 - post op #2

Today was my 2nd post op appointment. Dr Keith was indeed impressed. He couldn't get over how well I looked. I guess the majority of his patients don't heal as fast as I currently am. I may look like I'm 5-6 weeks healed but I feel like I'm 3 weeks into my recovery. I still get tired very easily which is completely normal. My body is still healing and trying to figure out what to do with its new everything. He was a little concerned about the dizzy spells I've been having. He decided that I should stay out of work another two weeks and then be on light duty for 2 weeks once I go back to work (maybe more if I feel I need it). For the next two weeks in supposed to relax, drink more water and not lift anything over 5-10lbs. Hopefully the dizziness week pass with some TLC.

He changed my elastics around so now I'm wearing them differently. You can see the difference in the photos below. I was wearing them vertical but now they are top-center to bottom-middle. Wearing them this way has made my jaw a little sore so that's probably why I'm tired so early.

He also wanted me to see Dr Klein earlier than my original appointment which is nice. Hopefully I'll get this surgical wire removed but if not, oh well. I'm interested to see what she thinks of my new bite. I have a couple of teeth that have shifted slightly so hopefully she'll address those tiny issues in the next few months. Again, nothing major but I happened to notice them. The only appointment she had available was 4 days earlier but I took it anyway. I'm going to see if I can fit in another doctor appointment that day so I'll probably need the day off. My work is flexible though so it shouldn't be a problem.

I totally forgot to ask about x-rays and if I still had to be on nasal precautions. I've sneezed and haven't had any bloody noses so I think I'm OK to blow my nose. I've been doing it very gently so I think I'll just continue normally unless it starts to hurt and bother me. I'll see if Dr Klein has access to the x-rays since I'll see her first.

I am still on soft food which is a bummer. But he told me I could enjoy thanksgiving dinner which is nice. Then I realized that thanksgiving is pretty much all soft food so it's a win-win. Stuffing, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, pretty much my diet now haha. Well, everything except the turkey.

I had fish tonight and that was a nice treat. Just pan fried haddock with garlic and lemon. Made me feel like I was eating a semi normal meal!

My face is still partially numb, no changes there. The upper stitches are also still there and those suck. Whenever I smile, they move a tiny bit and I get twinges of pain along my upper jaw. But sometimes, I can't help but smile! Smiling is awesome and shitty at the same time.

Dr Keith wants to see me back in a month so I have another appointment in December a few days after my visit with Dr Klein.

All in all, today was a good day!

Recovery Day 20

Today, Don and I went to brunch at a friend's house. Breakfast is the easiest meal for me to eat even though eating still takes forever. My jaw can only open up a little less than half an inch which is not large enough to eat anything solid like a normal person. We had a breakfast egg scramble, some hash browns, fruit (which I couldn't eat unfortunately), and cinnamon buns. The cinnamon buns were a little hard but I wasn't going to not try at least part of them. I cut one in half and shared it with another friend. It took forever but was delicious and worth it. (Thanks Meaghan and Jim for hosting and cooking!)

After brunch and food, we spent the rest of the morning playing some board games which was a lot of fun. I haven't played any games in awhile (even before my surgery, too much to do and to plan) so it was nice and relaxing. We played two new games that were easy for me to play with my limited jaw ability. We played a game called Concept which is like charades for lazy people. It was nice because I didn't have to talk much. The other game we played was called Slash. It's like a dating game with non-fictional and fictional characters. I laughed so much and smiled a lot that my jaw got a pretty good workout today. Smiling and laughing causes my stitches to stretch which is slightly uncomfortable 

Earlier today, everything felt like it has for the past couple days. However, after dinner tonight, I washed out my mouth and felt something strange. A few tingles and suddenly the right half of my upper lip has slight feeling in it! Hell yea! I can also sorta twitch my nose but that also bothers my stitches in my upper lip. The right side of my face is definitely more active than the left side which apparently makes me look even more like a stroke patient than before. I just have to be patient. The other side will wake up eventually. 

Recently, I've been experiencing weird dizzy spells. Like, usually at least 1-2 a day. When I have one, I usually sit down and drink a whole cup of water but they still freak me out a little. I might be overdoing it so I'm going to talk to my surgeon about it on Tuesday when I see him for my second post-op. If I keep having these, not sure if I'll be able to go back to work as early as I'd like. We shall see. 

Recovery day 11

Nothing much to report. Most areas of my face are still numb which is OK. I can now feel the top of my nose but that's the only thing that has come back.

I woke up this morning with a wad of stitches floating around in my mouth. They are supposed to be those dissolvable stitches but they don't really dissolve completely. Waking up with a bunch of them in my mouth was super gross but I guess that means they were ready. Part of the healing process I guess.

From the photos you can still see that I'm still swollen on one side. Mostly been eating the same stuff, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, pudding, and soup.

I still get random bouts of sleepiness. Took almost a 4 hour nap today and I'm still tired. Will probably still sleep through the night. My energy level is definitely not back to normal but I guess I should get as much sleep while I can.

Recovery Day 10

Wow, I can't believe it's already Thursday. Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been doing a lot of sleeping recently. Last night was particularly bad, we were watching wheel of fortune and I fell asleep before the end of the episode. Don woke me up and brought me upstairs a few hours later and I still slept through the night. The past couple days I've been taking naps during the day and then still sleeping 10+ hours at night. My body must obviously still need lots of rest so I'm not too concerned.

I had my post-op appointment on Tuesday which went very well! Dr Keith was very impressed with how I looked and even more impressed with my jaw movement. I told him that I only took narcotics until Friday and he was astounded. Astounded but very pleased. I honestly didn't really need them. He switched out my elastics for larger ones that give a wider range of motion. He also took off the two elastics in the back and told me I wouldn't need to wear those anymore. He also gave me the good news that I can now slowly introduce softer foods into my diet. I am allowed to take the elastics out while eating but must brush my teeth and then replace them. I've started with mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, really mushy mac and cheese, and applesauce which is great. I'm still on nasal precautions which kinda sucks. At least another 2-3 weeks without blowing my nose and having to use nasal decongestants sprays. I still have a pretty large bruise on my right side that sorta extends down to my throat. It's more yellow green than blue black. Don says that at first look if people didn't know me, they'd think I had jaundice which sounds funny to me haha.

After Tuesday, I started soft foods pretty much immediately. I soon realized that it's a lot harder than I thought it'd be. My jaw can only open so far and my lips are still very numb. I can't really feel the food trying to get into my mouth so I ended up making a HUGE mess all over myself. I figured out a way to not make as much of a mess and that is eating with a mirror. Sounds kind of weird but it actually works. I'm not fully off a blenderized diet, so this is only really a problem when eating soft foods.

My face is still very numb but not as badly. My upper lip and cheekbones have  pins and needles which has been driving me crazy. I haven't sneezed yet which is a blessing. I've heard that the first sneeze can be a little freaky. Not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I have yawned a few times and it feels very strange. Hurts a little but not bad. I can also smile a little without it looking like i'm in pain! It's the little things.

Movies I've watch so far: Edge of Tomorrow, Wall-E, Big Hero 6, A League of their Own, Guardians of the Galaxy

Since today is November 5th, Don and I will watch V for Vendetta tonight (Guy  Fawkes Day tradition). I'm a little excited because it's a tradition we've upheld every year since we started dating. I've been getting a little better each day so I may not continue to write so many updates. I will definitely write up a little something if and when things change. :)

Lastly, some photos! Sorry for the crappy lighting, lol.

Recovery Day 9

I know it's only 1 photo but I've been a slacker with taking pictures. Can sorta smile?? It looks sorta painful but it's not. 

Recovery 1 week! I've made it!

This update is going to be a little short mostly because I'm tired and there isn't much to report. I do have my post op appointment tomorrow morning so there's that too look forward to.
Things are just getting better and better. I can't believe how hard this first week was. It's unreal how difficult the first 4 days were.
I've begun to start changing out the elastics myself which is a little terrifying and exciting at the same time. They get stained pretty badly and looking at them in the mirror after eating with them in all day grosses me out. I haven't been able to change out the back ones yet so hopefully Dr Keith will be able to help me out there tomorrow.
I hardly took any drugs today! Just used the nasal sprays and that's it! I can't stand the taste of the Tylenol so I have decided to forgo it. Maybe Dr Keith will allow me to switch back to ibuprofen tomorrow, doubtful but maybe.
Still looking like a chipmunk haha but swelling is definitely going down, just very slowly.
I discovered this evening that my whole face is sorta peeling? Not painfully, just like the dead skin after a sunburn which is weird. I haven't been washing my face in the shower because I can't get my stitches wet but I have been using facial cleansing wipes instead. Maybe they just don't do the same job as me in the shower. Can't wait to get these stitches out and I can shower using my regular routine again.
Went on another walk this morning with don and Bailey. The fresh air felt nice but I couldn't tell if my face was legit cold or numb due to the surgery. Also, I think I spent the whole walk with drool down my face so I'm glad we didn't run into anyone in our neighborhood.
I did also sleep through the night last night and was able to drink exclusively out of a cup today which was great. I only spilled on myself a little bit which was great.
I finally weighed myself this morning and was shocked, already lost 10 pounds. I couldn't believe that it came off this fast. You can't really tell though since my face is like a balloon. I'm not a super small girl in the first place so the ten pounds was easy for me lose. Hopefully I can keep the weight off permanently.
Anyway, here are the pics! Enjoy!

Recovery Day 6

The days keep getting better and better. Thankfully, I think its safe to say that the worst is definitely over. Man, they weren't kidding when they said the first week was going to be tough. Definitely the hardest thing I've had to do so far.

I finally took my first full shower which felt amazing. I've been taking showers since coming home but I was given strict instructions to not get my facial stitches wet so I've been avoiding washing above the neck. Well, my hair was so nasty I just couldn't take it anymore and decided I needed to wash my hair or else I would go insane. Don helped me by covering up my exposed stitches with a makeshift pad and then he helped me to wash my hair (what a guy!). Don also attempted to dry my hair with the blow dryer which was an utter failure. It was cute that he tried but it was by far an epic fail. If we ever have girls when we have kids, we know who's going to be doing their hair, hahaha. I was able to dry my hair myself if I sat down which worked perfectly fine. Now that I know he's sorta competent in hair washing, he'll have to help me again to wash my hair on Tuesday before my first post-op appointment. 

I also sorta figured out how to drink from a cup without completely soaking myself today so I'm going to count today as a success. 

I haven't had much pain, just discomfort from being swollen. My swelling goes up as far as my upper cheekbones so my eyes are partially numb? Trust me, it sounds as weird as it feels. The only other thing that bothers me are the stitches I have on each side. They are starting to get itchy so I'm hoping that those will be removed on Tuesday.

Today, I spent most of the day watching football which is very nice. I've been so busy that today was the first day I actually was able to sit down and just watch as much football as I wanted. I'm probably going to lose this week fantasy-wise but I don't really care at this point.
EDIT: I totally forgot to add that I went on a walk this morning! Don and I have our dog bailey and I felt good enough to walk around the block this morning. I didn't hold the leash because I'm not allowed to yet but I was able to be the poop-carrier which was better than sitting on the couch doing nothing. The fresh air really helped a lot so hopefully I'm going to go on as many walks as I feel up to from now on!

Don took some photos of me post-shower today so here they are! It's amazing how different I looked before I took a shower. I looked so much worse and it showed quite a bit. I seem to be in better spirits today though so I'm just happy to be done with the worst part of recovery. 

Side profile - That little mark near my ear are the 2 stitches I have. Very swollen cheeks and I have a chin!

This is my natural look. Yea... I look like I'm on narcotics but I'm in fact not! 

And this is me attempting to smile. Unfortunately I look more like sloth from the Goonies than myself. 

Recovery Day 5

Ok, I think the worst is behind me. Hallelujah! I don't think I could survive another night like I had from Day 3 to Day 4. Today has been the best day so far. I haven't taken any pain narcotics in the past 24 hours and I feel OK. I've been taking tylenol instead and it seems to do the trick. I don't really like how I feel on the narcotics, it makes me very queasy. But since I've been off the liquid narcotic pain killer for a full day, I can feel my body starting to go back to the way it was before but very slowly. I only wish the tylenol could taste better.

I have begun to start bruising. It's not anything super hideous but there's this yellowish greenish hue on the right side of my face. The one thing that is still bothering me is the nasal swelling. It was definitely the one thing I did not expect. And it's very bizarre to have feeling in some parts of my face and none in others. I've been alternating with an ice wrap that I have but sometimes feel like it's choking me.

So, I have 4 elastics holding my jaws together. 2 in the front and one on each side. One of my elastics broke this morning so I had my first elastic change today. It wasn't bad at all! I had to wear an elastic before so it wasn't completely foreign to me.

I had my first bowel movement since surgery! TMI? Oh well, I was excited when it happened since that's a good indication of healing.

I'm glad I made the decision to not watch the newest season of project runway and to keep it in the dvr until now. It's been a good show to watch on binge and if I pass out and miss stuff, oh well. Not a big deal.

I really really really REALLY want to blow my nose. And I can't for another 3-4 weeks. ;( The countdown is on! Today is Halloween and I won't be able to eat any halloween candy! Oh well, hope everyone has a fun night!

Recovery Day 4

Well, here I am on Day 4 after surgery. I'm not going to lie, I feel terrible. My nose is completely blocked even though I'm taking tons of nasal decongestants. I am a champion drooler right now. And the meds are making me very nauseous. Not much I can do except drink ginger ale, keep hydrated and eat whatever I can get down my throat. I'm still very swollen, especially in my upper jaw. I would have thought that my swelling would mostly be in my lower jaw but I was totally wrong with that. The swelling goes all the way up into my upper cheekbones towards my eyes and there's not a whole lot I can do to bring the swelling down except for ice. Unfortunately, my face can only handle so much ice at one time. Everything is very tingly.

Last night was the worst night so far I think. I woke up super nauseous and felt like I was going to pass out. I took a shower this morning and it helped me feel better. I just can't wash above my neck due to some minor stitches I have on my face. I really just want to wash my hair. I hate the taste of all my medications, especially the cherry flavored tylenol. I wish I could take ibuprofen liquid instead but Dr. Keith probably won't allow me to for awhile. Bummer. Man, I really want to pick my nose right now. So gross. Hahahaha.

I'm hoping that my swelling will start to diminish tomorrow or the day after. Don says that my swelling has gone down a lot but to me it feels worse.

No photos mostly because I feel like the loch ness monster. Depending on how I feel, I may post some photos after this weekend or after my post-op appointment.

Also, to my friends who sent me flowers, you all are amazing. It totally lifted my spirits when I felt terrible. Thank you cards should be on their way to you soon! 

More impressions and PEA 2.0 is on it's way!

Well, on Thursday, I had my 5 week post-op check up with my orthodontist. She seemed happy about my progress with PEA and told me that I would need to graduate to a bigger palate expander. In order to get a new one, they needed to take another impression. (Which makes this impression #17 since I started this journey) This involved taking PEA out, doing the impression, then reinstalling PEA.
I'm not going to lie, it was actually pretty uncomfortable. Getting PEA taken out sucked. A lot. It's glued in place and just didn't want to come out. Apparently, the technician didn't use anything to help remove PEA, she just yanked him out. That's probably why it hurt so much! My orthodontist ended up yelling at her though (since I just had oral surgery but NBD). And when she took PEA out, she bent one of the brackets a little making it almost impossible to put back on. They finally got it on but it sits lower on my teeth than it used to so now it's been irritating my lips and getting caught on my upper lip.

Thankfully, I'll only have to deal with PEA until Wednesday. My new palate expander should be in and they'll take the old one out and replace it for me. Can't wait to deal with the pain of getting it removed again! ;_;

Sarpe Recovery - 3 Week update

Well, the last of my stitches finally fell out! It's been roughly 3 weeks since my surgery and I'm so happy that all my stitches are finally gone. The last two stitches were in the center of my incision and have been really bothering me the last couple days. I really wanted mother nature to just take its course and wait for them to either dissolve or fall out. But if they hadn't fallen out by next week, I was going to mention something to my orthodontist at my next appointment. Thankfully, they fell out on their own so I don't need to mention it to Dr. Kline.

I can now sorta use my tongue to feel the scar around my upper jaw and it sorta freaks me out a bit. I try not to do it a lot but most of the time I can't really help it. I also got some feeling back into my upper right teeth which is good. Makes me feel like I might not accidentally drool on myself as much anymore.

Still cranking PEA but now only once a day. I initially did it 4 times a day for 1 week and then 2 times a day for 1 week. Once I get fitted for PEA 2.0 then I'll probably go back to 2 times a day until I'm completely finished.

surgery weight loss

Recovery has been going really well. The bruises are all gone and almost all of my stitches have fallen out. I just have 1-2 more stitches left near the center of my top lip. I really just want to yank them out but I'm trying to be good.
Some of the stitches fell out over the holiday weekend. I was drinking a glass of juice and felt something in my mouth. Apparently, I had a huge giant clot near the top of my mouth. It fell out while drinking my juice and it even had a few stitches still in it. Totally grossed me out. I ended up throwing my juice out and brushed my teeth for a good 10 minutes after. Thankfully, I didn't vomit. Can't imagine that throwing up with PEA would be any fun.
Since my surgery,  I've lost roughly 10-12 pounds. And I've kept it off too! Its made me realize that I should try and make healthier choices. Since the weather is nice and its july, I want to try and fix up my bike. I might not be able to do much but I can ride a bike! And Don's parents have an old stationary bike that I might be able to use. That way I could use it all year long. I've been good and stayed away from bread and I think it's working. I can't say no to pasta all the time but I can say no to bread. We shall see!

SARPE Recovery - 10+ days

I am now 11 days post surgery and I feel pretty good! My bruising is very minimal and almost completely gone. I also have a noticeable space between my front 2 teeth. Food is still somewhat difficult to chew and process which is why I'm still eating a lot of softer foods. Fish, applesauce, yogurt and ice cream are some of my favorites. Mostly it's hard to chew because things get stuck in PEA or they get caught up in my scar/stitches and it's uncomfortable to fish them out using my tongue. I feel that this will be the way of things for a while. I'll just have to get used to it I guess. :)
Bread is still one of the harder things to eat so I've decided to just forgo it as much as possible. I think cutting out bread will help me to keep off the weight that I've lost. I didn't realize how much bread I was actually consuming before my surgery. Crazy because I didn't think of myself as a huge bread eater! I really only like french toast and sandwiches but I guess I was eating them all the time. I had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today and I think that'll be the last sandwich that I have for a while. I felt kinda yucky after eating it and it took me almost 25 minutes to eat the darn thing. Thanks but no thanks.

I have 2 more orthodontist appointments in July and was warned that I will probably need to get refitted for a new PEA. It'll be PEA 2.0! I guess the screw that widens your jaw only has so many turns and it looks like mine are going to run out before my jaw gets to be the right size. AKA they get me a new PEA with a reset screw. Thankfully, I won't have to turn it forever.

Now that I'm 10+ days into my recovery, I know for sure that this was the right thing to do. Yea, it was a little difficult and I know I have a long road ahead of me but I know that it was part of the journey I'm on. If anyone is thinking getting this done but is on the fence about it because they are afraid of surgery or the recovery after the surgery, please don't be afraid. Yea, I was a little sore and bruised after the surgery. And the whole soft food/liquid diet thing was a pain in the butt but it just doesn't compare to how I will feel when everything is done and I have a brand new smile. The confidence boost alone will change everything. I can't wait!

Updates for the next few weeks might be a little sparse because the 4th is coming up along with my vacation! I'll try and post some short updates after my orthodontist appointments. Until then, Happy 4th everyone!

Sarpe Recovery - Day 7

It's been a full week since I last had surgery and I feel pretty good! I went back to work today which was exciting. I've been given a special project at work that doesn't involve answering the phones or lifting anything too heavy which is exactly what I wanted. I'm just glad that I don't have to stay home anymore because I was starting to go a little stir crazy with all the free time I had! Although I probably could have spent another 3 or 4 days power-watching the 2nd season of Game of Thrones that I recently acquired. Oh well, work is better anyway! Gotta save that earned time and make some money!

I've slowly started to eat tougher foods but not a lot. I had a hot dog and potato salad for dinner tonight which was perfect. I might go and have a bowl of ice cream before bed. It's sorta calling my name. :P

People at work have been very supportive. However, I don't think some of them expected me to come back so soon after surgery. I work in a larger department so I don't get to see everyone on a regular basis. Some people work a limited schedule and quite a few people left for vacation the week before my surgery. Now, the bruises around my face are slowly starting to get worse, especially now that I am talking more and eating a wider variety of food. They've gone from a yellowish-green to a greenish-purple in some spots. When I came back today, a lot of my coworkers seemed surprised at the bruises around my mouth and along my jawline. I guess people were just surprised that I came back so soon after surgery with the way the bruises look. I honestly don't really care. I'm not going to let a couple bruises stop me from going back to work and doing my job. One coworker said that it almost doesn't look like a bruise, it sorta looks like I got bbq sauce on my face and was too lazy to wipe it off! It made me laugh which I appreciated.
I'm sure some people thought I had just taken a week off for vacation, lol. A Blue Cross Blue Shield vacation maybe, HAHA. It was just amusing to see people's reactions. As one of my coworkers put it, "They broke your face!" Which, yea, they kinda did but in a not so bad kinda way.

I've got a teeny tiny space starting to appear between my front two teeth which is exciting! My front two teeth are still kinda numb though. When I brush my tongue up against them I don't really feel anything. I hit one of my front teeth with a spoon yesterday and expected to feel something but didn't. Doing some more research online, I found that this is actually quite common and the feeling will come back eventually.

Since my teeth have started to separate, I've discovered that I have a cavity on my front left tooth. It was hiding behind the other tooth! However, I'm not sure when I will be able to get this cavity filled. I might have to wait awhile since I don't know how novacaine will affect my upper jaw now that there are stitches and such up there. I'll ask the orthodontist tomorrow what she thinks and go from there.

Anyway, here are some more images of my recovery!

Sarpe Recovery - Day 7

Attempting to smile.

Sarpe Recovery - Day 5

Today was the big day! I had my post-op appointment this morning at 10:30am. My surgeon was happily surprised at how good I looked. My jaw has started to bruise and I was a lovely shade of yellow/green when I had my appointment. However, according to my surgeon, most of his patients who go through the same procedure bruise more heavily than me. He said the bruises will probably become more pronounced within the next couple of days but to just keep using the heat pad to help promote blood circulation. They should slowly start to diminish as I heal.

He told me that I can start to amp up my diet (which makes me very happy). This means I can eat more than ice cream, yogurt and mashed potatoes. My local grocery store had a sale on some really nice looking salmon and wild cod so I think I'll make that tonight to celebrate. Oh man, just thinking about it makes me so hungry!

I was also told that I can now take ibuprofen again. You have no idea how happy I was when he told me that I could start taking the ibuprofen again. Tylenol helps to take the edge off but doesn't even come close to what ibuprofen does. If I want to take the ibuprofen I will have to amp up my diet though because my stomach will be very upset if I take the ibuprofen without eating first.

I am still not allowed to blow my nose or use a straw. I can do both starting next week which is good cause I've been dying for an iced coffee and to be able to blow my nose. I think I can wait a little longer though.

And lastly, the best part, he gave me the ok to go back to work! He told me that it was up to me and how I felt but that if I wanted to go back, he said he was fine with it. He was a little concerned with me over-doing it though so he suggested a modified lite duty. For the first week I'm back, he doesn't want me to do any heavy lifting and to limit my talking on the phone which I'm totally fine with. I work in a pharmacy and there's a bunch of stuff I can do without answering the phone or lifting heavy stuff so I'm not concerned. I have another appointment tomorrow morning at the hospital where I will get cleared to go back to work. I can't officially work until occupational health clears me. It's a little bit of over-kill but I understand why they do it. Patient safety comes first and they need to make sure that I'm well enough to work so that my patients leave happy and healthy. I'll just have to talk to my boss about coming back early and hopefully she'll have something for me to do.

There was a slight hiccup with the orthodontist though. Apparently, I was supposed to also have a post-op appointment with my orthodontist. When I was last there, I asked about when I should see her again, and was told 6 weeks after my surgery. So that's what I scheduled. When I told Dr. Keith that, he said that there must have been some kind of mistake because I should have had an appointment to see her 1-2 weeks after my surgery. It doesn't really surprise me, the people at the front office can be super spacey. And they have a lot of new staff that aren't that familiar with schedules. But he called my orthodontist and fixed everything. Now I have an orthodontist appointment Friday morning at 8am. I'm not looking forward to driving into Boston on a Friday morning but I will do it.

Anyway, I feel a lot better and am looking forward to getting back to work.