Week 1 post op!! Here we go!

Monday morning 4 days post-op, I went to see Dr.G! He took a look here and there and was quite happy with my bite. He then proceeded to cut my elastics that were holding my jaw shut. *snip*..... *snip snip*....*snip*. You know how you wind up a jack in the box and at that final moment he springs up annoyingly to hit you in the face? Yes that happened, with the final snip of the elastics holding my jaws. The union between my upper and lower jaw split and my mouth felt like a bear trap. What the hell just happened?  Did my jaws snap back into their old place? Am I okay? My surgeon seemed to get a chuckle out of my confusion, and reassured me that nothing would happen to my jaw. He wanted me to practice open and closing for a few minutes, give my joints a break before cleaning more gunk out and rebanding me.

So over the last few days, I've been struggling with talking, specifically trying to get my mom to understand what I am saying. Unfortunately I've had to repeat myself 3-4 times and it turns out I've been overtalking and not drinking enough fluids. Wednesday morning I went back to see Dr.Arnett since I had this weird (to me at least) lump on my right jaw line that felt somewhat hard. At first thought it was an infection, but no pain or fever coincided with the bump. He looked around and said it was normal that my swelling what somewhat lopsided, swelling can subside or spring up unevenly. He also said that if I still felt uncomfortable to come back Friday to see him. I appreciate that he is taking good care of me even though he is not my surgeon.

Besides that nothing new has happened. I've been trying to take little walks in a garden nearby for 5-10 minutes. I get frustrated because I want to take long walks and do more than my body will allow me. For example I climbed a set of steps to get to this park nearby and felt my heart pounding out of my chest. I had to sit down for awhile and respect my body.
On the food front- I think I'm getting fed up with the liquid diet already... Unfortunately I have at least another 6 weeks of this to go! I really enjoy Gatorade, Izze fizzy drinks, grape juice, broths, roasted red pepper soup, blended ice cream and that's about it. I'm open to any suggestions/advice for things to eat or drink as I'm getting super bored!


Everyday since surgery I've been taking sudafed, tramadol, antibiotic and saline nasal sprays. My ears have been painfully blocked since surgery- and I hope that this will go away as the swelling subsides. If not I am in trouble lol. 

These pictures were taken a few hours after my surgery. They are the only ones I feel comfortable posting at this time, but I plan on posting daily pics in the coming weeks. I was quite exhausted and drugged up here.






Week 1 Summary!
  • Swelling: 9/10 I look like a cross between Quagmire and a basketball. Its really attractive lol. I reached my peak swelling on day 5, and I've noticed my right side is starting to go down. The swelling has also made it hard for me to hear clearly.
  • Pain: 2/10 so long as I remember to take my tramadol 1-3 a day I'm fine. If I do forget my face feels like its burning up with sparks. 
  • Bruising 7/10 - mostly under my eyes and cheeks, has started as green then yellow and now is a purpley/black color. 
  • Tenderness/Soreness: 9/10 Its very hard to move my lips or animate any other part of my face besides my eyes at this point. I am also NOT allowed to touch my face at all or put cold/heat packs because of the grafting that I have.
  • Sensation: Hmmm this is a tough one. The only place I am completely numb is my lower lip to my chin. Everything else has either full or some sensation (tingling). I hope that with time it all will come back
  • Energy: Depends some hours its 2/10 and at others 9/10- I have most of my energy in the middle of the night which is very frustrating because I cant go anywhere!



14 comments:

  1. Wow, congrats! It just gets better from here! You've gotten past the worst of it. Are you in Santa Barbara w/Gunsen? I'd find a juice or smoothie bar and try to get some nutrients. Glad the weather has been nice these past few days - what a nice place to recover!

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    1. Amanda, good to hear from you!!! Thank you for your advice, I hope things get better! I am indeed in SB with Dr.Gunson,its a MUCH needed change from Chicago and the endless winter. Im getting slightly frustrated with my swelling, I look like a basketball and I feel awkward going out.

      How long did it take you to feel comfortable to go out without feeling embarrassed ?

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  2. It took at least 8-12 days to feel like everyone wasn't staring and pointing. ESPECIALLY when you are not at home, in a random city! I flew home on Day 11, and it was my worst day (after 1-4). Big face + slurred speech was terrible. When do you go home?

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    1. Amanda that sucks that you had to leave on the worst day :/ how did you manage? Im on day 12 right now and this probably is one of the worst days, as the drugs and whatnot are leaving my system and Im highly emotional. I feel my swelling hasnt really changed or gone down from day 5-6. I leave in a weekish, I miss my bed, but I'd much rather stay here haha.

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    2. I was originally scheduled to leave on day 14, but I was feeling so good that my doc said I could leave early. And I SOOOO wanted to go home! I felt great that morning, but the traveling beat me down. I was literally crying on the plane I was so exhausted. It didn't help that they switched my seat to the middle and the flight from boston to la was over 6 hrs:(

      How are you feeling now? It really does get better every day... hang in there!!

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    3. How funny you went from the west to the east coast and I went the completely opposite direction! lol Im sorry that your surgeon gave you all the clear and you had the most miserable trip back. Its such a LONG flight especially for a jaw surgery patient, cant believe they made you sit in the middle, you should have had a complete meltdown. I know what you mean about going home, having your space, your bed, your stuff- I miss that element of it certainly, but love the sun and warmth of CA.

      Im doing okay now but day 11/12 were not good days for me, i'll update in a bit. Thank you for your support woman I appreciate it :)

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  3. Congrats! I'm about 6 weeks post op. It definitely gets easier from here on out. The fact that your on a liquid diet becomes easier because you kind of get to the point where you don't care anymore. Even though I could eat a little more now I always find myself going back to a Boost Protein drink. I find them to be delicious and filling. Be prepared to be numb for longer than you think too. My chin is still numb and all the feeling hasn't come back yet. It's almost there but I was surprised how long it has taken.
    Best of Luck on your Recovery!

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    1. Laura thank you! How is life at 6 months post op- much better? One can hope that it gets easier, its quite the challenge everyday. The liquid diet is driving me mad, I've tried blending all my favorite foods and finding that it tastes "off"?... and if I want to hate something I'll blend it lol.

      Thank you about the numbness, its helpful to be realistic instead of dreamy about results, so you don't get disappointed when things don't go according to schedule. When do you see your surgeon next and what milestone are you looking forward to? :)

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  4. Hi, congrats on your surgery! I hope you're not feeling too bad! You commented on my blog the other day and asked if I had any advice, so if you would like to email me with any questions you can contact me on SarahF1407@aol.com and I'll be happy to answer any questions! Get well soon!

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    1. Sarah! I'll message you shortly, thank you so much :)

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  5. Replies
    1. Hi Nicole!! Thank you for checking in on me, I just updated my blog :) ! How are you doing?

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  6. Any update? How are you doing? I had surgery 13 days ago...I would love to see you are doing!

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    1. Hi Camilla, I just updated my blog! I'll definitely go check your blog out now, cheers xo!

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The pursuit of a beautiful smile, healthy bite, and balanced facial aesthetics.