I decided to try and post the infamous "attempted smile" post surgery picture. Still no side shots yet though, I really want to wait until the swelling goes down almost all the way before I do that. My bite is still feeling great, can't wait to put it to good use! Earlier today I talked with my friend Candice about how much I want a burger....with cheese and ranch dressing and onions... ugh! only weeks to go! ha ha, oh how cruel, i shouldn't tease myself. But I can't help it when Steve sits next to me and I enjoy soup after soup after soup, while he enjoys meatball subs and hot dogs. *Sigh* soon enough.

This morning I was in pain again, the same pain I had when I went to bed last night. I think I just over did it with talking because I was so excited. But it was also because I'm getting more feeling back in my face, so it's tingly, as well as the fact that my teeth do not like being clenched together! The only thing other thing that annoys me is that my left side of my face hurts more than my right, but there's not clicking or anything and nothing to worry about, so I won't stress either.

Based on some advice I got from a website from a fellow blogger, I decided to take a walk today to help with the swelling. The
pictures I took above are right after I got back home, and I think it did make a difference. If anything, it helped to get me moving and feeling good, as well as get me out of the house, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Beyond that, I still have school work that I haven't started, and today was supposed to be the day, but I'll admit to some procrastination on my part, but I also blame the pain I was in this morning! I woke up at 6:30 and took some of my pain meds, then headed straight for bed till 10 am. Happily though, I did go on that walk and am feeling better since I got to sleep in, so I'll be happy with that.

Well, that's really all I have for today, not much excitement, and hopefully not much more pain. And lets hope the left side of my jaw relaxes a bit more, too. Good night all!

oh- and I just (literally) got a call from my surgeon, who I had just (literally) left a message for about anti-inflammatory vitamins I wanted to take! He said they certainly wouldn't hurt, just to take them on a full stomach (which it always is ;) ). The vitamins are:

• Bromelain
• Tumeric
• Quercetin

Now i want to run to the store and get them! Anything to help with swelling that is also good for you is a win win!

Can you believe it has already been EIGHT days since I had surgery?! I remember looking at so many people's blogs and on their accounts of "day nine," etc, I always thought, wow can't wait to be there, it seems they're been recovering for awhile now! Oh, but it wasn't so, it's been only a measly 8 days for me! And what a wonderful day 8 it was.

This morning I went back to Doctor Busino's office bright and early for another check up. I was so excited because they took out the bite plate that was holding everything tight and now I only have to wear the bands! AND i can take the bands out three times a day for a few hours each time! What's even better is that even though I have to wear the bands, i can still communicate! and I mean people KNOW what I'm saying! I was so excited I forgot how many bands I was supposed to wear and had to go ask him again!

The rest of the day involved me doing... not much of anything to be honest! I feel so great, and I wanted to be able to relax on a day that wasn't a result of not being able to move anyway. So, tomorrow's another day to get movin with the school stuff. But I won't stress about that here.

The only pain that I'm really having is that my teeth (mostly the bottom) are getting used to being where they are, so I'm just taking so medicine to help "them" get used to it a little easier :) And that's still one of the best feelings in the world! I'm sure I'll say it again when I get my braces off, but I can't believe what a difference there is! My bite feels so good, and I can't help but look in the mirror and just see how great it looks (ego?) to see my bottom teeth right behind my front-where they're supposed to be!

Other than that, today was pretty mellow. I made a couple of videos for my youtube channel, and have been spending time working editing them, and then I hope to be making some delicious soup for dinner!








Side note- a big thank you to Kathy, who is originally from my Ortho's office and now also a 'visitor' at my job (she's a customer, but too fun to be called one), whocalled me today to see how I was doing! It made my whole day, so if she reads this, kudos:) and I'll see you at the next funday sunday ;) Goodnight, all!

I'm writing this in yesterday mode because I ran out of time to update! (SORRY MOM!) But luckily yesterday was very productive, despite a baaaddd sleep. We lost power THREE times, which would mean much but I'm one of those people who have to listen to the fan every night, so I woke up six times in order to turn it on each time, and every time the power went out. Plus, even though Steve doesn't usually snore (at least not too bad ;) ) He decided to use that particular night to let out the mother of all snores. I was so frustrated, let alone that I was already upset because my back was in pain from sleeping elevated and my heat packs felt like they weighed a million pounds! Basically, it was a lousy night.

That morning, I got up, made some breakfast and took my medicine as usual, and although I was planning on going back to sleep, it was Steve's last day off before going back to work, so we decided (i.e. I told him we were) to clean the house so
that I wouldn't have to worry about it during the week. We finished all of the dishes (team effort!) and picked up some of the mess around the house, and then I gathered some laundry to send down to my mom at the laundramat (once again-SORRY MOM!)

During that fiasco, I took off my bands for a few hours and began trying to stretch my muscles as we cleaned up. Not a lot, just opening and closing the jaw, moving my lips around a bit. I was achy all day, unfortunately, but I think it was because I'm getting more feeling back in my face, so I can deal with that. IT feels so good to take my bands off, and for anyone who wonders, it does not feel like your jaw is going to fall off!

Like I finally convinced Steve, since we finished all of the cleaning, we were able to relax the rest of the evening and watch some movies on Netflix, although I was so exhausted I took another nap. Since the surgery, I've taken about one 2 hour nap per day (don't tell my father!). I'm assuming this is because of how tired your body gets from surgery, and I can't wait for that to pass! Although, I think that by the time I go back to school, I'll finally be one rested woman! I sometimes just get annoyed that picking up a few things makes me want to crash!

I tried to update my blog the rest of the evening, but Steve was very content with "just ONE more episode" or "just let me finish this movie," and I couldn't be mad. After this week, he deserved one last evening of relaxing. I ended up doing some spa like treatments for myself, a hair mask and face mask (except over the suture stitch things), which hopefully will help. I mention this because I've noticed some extra hair fall out the past week, which I'm assuming is from not enough nutrients. I have been trying to get as much as I can, but I'm sure the stress from the surgery doesn't help either.

My skin has also been dealing with some new issues since surgery. I have always had acne prone skin, and use proactive, but I knew after surgery that it would be way too rough on my skin. I've heard that a side effect of surgery your skin can break out, and so far I haven't had much acne, but the level of oilyness has gone through the roof! I have been washing my face every day, twice a day as usual, but I have been using a product that is easier (gentler) than the proactive (although I will switch back once I can), and for those of you who are still worried about skin care I absolutely recommend them! I have been using Olay facial cloths, the ones that already have the cleanser in them, and you just add water. What I do is

1) wet the cloth and later it up, but make sure it's not dripping, because you can't bend over to rinse it off
2) apply the cleanser (with cloth, obviously) on your face, avoiding the sutures on either side of your face
3) rinse the cloth of the soap
4) use the cloth to gently wipe the cleanser off of your face

This method works really well for those of you who still want to keep your face clean and fresh, but can't scrub, have to avoid certain areas, and can't bend over to rinse soap off your face.

I've also been using a homemade face scrub that I have used every other day since day 2 to combat and remove a lot of the oilyness, and it works WONDERS! I'm just going to add the link from the person on youtube I got the recipe from. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e--d_n073pc) It also helps to protect break outs, which for those who are acne prone like me know is important. This a time where you already may feel less self confident because your face is swollen and you can't talk well, and just basically a downer. So, any way to keep your skin as clear and healthy as possible will keep you feeling great. Oh, and as a side note, when removing the scrub after the ten minutes, once again, you can't rinse, so just take a warm, wet cloth, and wipe it away :)

Hope all is well in everyone else world, I'll be back in a few hours to update for today's excitement!!

oh, and another note. I was very disappointed in myself eating wise. I realize I ate only TWICE today (very, very bad), which I think was just because I was busy running around. Actually, I'll correct that and say I ate three times because after i realized that i made something before i went to bed. However, that's not so much better considering I normally eat six times a day (so friends who are reading this, please don't stress!) I was writing down how much I ate in the beginning, but then I gave up because, well I'm not really sure why I just kept forgetting most likely. But I think I'm going to keep it up again, at least writing down the calories if not the meal, so I know what I'm taking in a day. If it makes anyone feel better, the meal I made before I went to bed had 660 calories, which is about half of a typical daily intake! But for me, and for anyone else going through this, it is very important that no matter how busy your are you make sure you are taking in as many calories and nutrients as possible, to keep your body (and tummy!) happy and healthy. SO with that, I will go enjoy a mid morning snack!

I'm feeling much more clear headed today, despite the somewhat awkward sleep. I woke up at 3:30 because my brain forgot that I had major jaw surgery and decided to try and cough-not so much fun. So I got up and re filled my heat packs (twice-first time they were barely warm ) and took some medicine because I was pretty achy from the previous day's excursions. But after that I slept wonderfully with my new heated blanket (that thing is amazing!) and even slept in later than Steve. Of course, I woke up with a puppy in my face begging for love, but how could I resist? So up and went and made my own breakfast- a peach pillow.

I have that recipe listed below on another post- you all should really check it out, it's great! And I'm happy I've been trying to make my own foods now, it feels good doing a bit more now. Steve and I then had to go to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription, which I of course knew would be fun! I don't know if I mentioned this before, but the liquid antibiotic expires, so for those of you about to go through this make sure you get the bottle a couple of days before surgery. I was going to pick up two (the third bottle from the first fill and new bottle from a refill) but the pharmacist said it would best to do this later, so I went home with one bottle instead. Another note, I wanted to do this because the medicine only lasts about 3 or 4 days, and I didn't want to have to go out all the time. But still, at least now it won't expire on me :)

Today I also received a visit from my best friend Brianne, who came by when I took my bands off so that we could chat for a little while! I made a new recipe while she was here as well, Broccoli soup, and it turned out pretty successful, but next time I need to strain it.

That's probably one of the other difficult things. After blending five million times and adding cup and cup of milk, a lot of items need to be strained in order to eat well. There are only a few spaces where the foods can go in, and if you have "solids" stuck in there you'll never get anything else in there! So, invest in a good, small, strainer, you'll be glad you did!

Luckily for me, Brianne works at facility that deals with a lot of patients who have tracheotomies, so when I put my bands on she actually understood everything I was saying! It was a miracle! Steve's been doing a great job, but I must say it was great having someone to talk to without have to repeat and then give up and write it down. I'm sure Steve will be a pro by the time this is all over!

Brianne commented that I almost look normal now, and I'd say from my pictures that is true. Although it doesn't look like a huge difference, it is for the person whose face is going back to a more proportionate size! Neither of us can wait to see how the surgery has/will effect my facial features. I just can't wait for the bands to be gone for good!

So, that's all for now, I'll post again tomorrow on how things are going in the world of swollen faces like mine!

Well Merry Christmas everyone! Actually, Merry Chrismahanahkwanzakah just to be safe :) Today was a really great day for me, even just surgery wise. I was able to take off my bands by myself and take out my plate for a couple of hours. It felt so different! The first thing i did was brush my teeth with a child-size tooth brush. I can only my mouth a little ways, probably an inch or less I think, but it was just enough to get in their and clean, clean, clean.

Then, of course, I had to call so I could actually SAY Merry Christmas to my parents and my good friend Candice, who were all happy to hear my voice, although it does




sound wierd when you can, because it doesn't like you just yet! I spent the next 2 hours eating wonderful mashed potatoes and getting ready to greet family members who stopped in. My mom even brought

mashed potatoes for me (the creamiest!) so I will enjoy them tomorrow when I take my bands out again. I plan on doing so when my best friend, Brianne, comes by so that I can actually chat with her (In case she's reading this - that's why I didn't call my dear!)

Anywho, it felt so great to be able to talk again, I absolutely did not want to put my bands back in , which of course had to happen BEFORE everyone came over, and then I had to struggle to talk again.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank my Dad, who had no idea what I was saying but played it up as though he did for almost a full 5 minutes before i asked if he actually understood me. I'm pretty sure my mumbling makes him want to punch me in the face but luckily he just deals with it. Good Job, Daddio.

So, after such a long day, I am not sitting at my computer exhausted and about to take another round of antibiotics and then relax with my boyfriend for the evening. Oh- and his family got us
an AWESOME gift- and electric blanket! I am ALWAYS cold and have been wanting one for a super long time, so I really happy to finally get one :)




Hope everyone had a good holiday and enjoys the upcoming new year. I'll continue posting day by day to show my progress, I think I actually noticed a difference in my pictures today! Good night everyone, and a special good night to my Mom, who has been waiting for me to update all day.

Okay, so usually I like to start off from the beginning of the day, but then something just happened. My dog fell on my face. I have a picture of him from a previous post, and he's a small thing, but he went on top of the couch and fell on my face. So, then, of course, I spent 5 minutes freaking out afraid my jaw was going to fall apart! I ran to the kitchen, heat up my ice pack again, and now am sitting here telling you this my the right side of my face begins to throb with pain. So, as of right now, I am NOT a happy camper. What makes it worse is that Steve had just left literally TWO minutes before it happened! Ugh, and now Boe (the accused) is laying in his cage (And no, I didn't throw him in there or beat him or anything- he just knows he really hurt me and went into his cage by himself).



So, as a for warning, my picture for tomorrow may show a more swollen face then the picture above. AH, did I really need more trauma to my face?! Sigh, well, let me try to move on with this blog. Have any of you ever gone through that? For example, if one of your kids got slap-happy? lol.

Anywho, beyond this, today has been both good and frustrating. I got up on my own this morning (usually Steve gets up with me to me breakfast and what not) and was feeling very clear headed, which was great. I finally opened my own medicine (darn child proof caps!). and made myself a protein shake with strawberries! However, the frustrating part came when I tried to drink out of the cup. I had to blend it, then shake it in the blender cup, and then strain it, and then moisten my mouth so it wouldn't go everywhere! Eventually, I was able to enjoy it, but by then I was hungry for something else. Ugh.

The rest of the morning I spent mostly sitting on the couch and re microwaving my ice packs. I have to tell you, switching to heat is an amazing thing and I see the swelling going down nicely (I'll be needing them after Boe's hit and run, won't I?). I think the picture shows my face looking the same as yesterday, but I noticed this morning that my neck was not as swollen, and it seems to going down around my cheeks as well. I have been using the aquaphor alot, but as you can also see from the pictures, my lips are taking QUITE a beating. I can't really scrub them with anything, so I use a washcloth when I can to clean them up, and then reapply the Aquaphor. It's a lovely process, really.

I'm in some pain right now, so I'm going to try and move through the things I wanted to. Okay, for startes, I can have warm stuff to eat now, and the soups have been great. Steve made me mushroom soup today, but it had extra milk and chicken bouillion in it, which added so much. Of course by the time he finished it and brought it to me it was cold, and then he had to re micorwave it, but is definitely worth it. I'll be posting more recipes as time goes on.

Hmm, what else? Well, I 've been trying to talk more with my bands, and though it's still defficult to understand a word I am trying to say, it's getting better. There's still many misunderstandings, such as when I told Steve that my friend was "better now" he thought I said that "got around." ha ha! Oh, and that made me laugh, and I should warn you that sometimes laughter makes your face hurt! But still, a genuine laugh is what I needed :D

Oh, and I was trying to avoid taking my pain medicine today but I eventually had too. The hydrocodone makes me tired, which I am sure it does for everybody, but I was trying to avoid too much sleep. I really wanted to get some things done around here (don't worry, just sitting on the couch stuff, like school work), and I didn't want to be so tired. But, eventually my mouth just told me

"take it!!!!!"

and I happily obliged. In a few days I'd like to move on the the liquid Children's motrin I got, but I'm afraid of it not working! oh well.

As for now, I believe I am going to go remicrowave my ice pack, and then take a nap. I would prefer getting those other things done, but when I dog falls on your face, you get a little wiped out! (literally!).

Day Three and everything is going great! I went to the Doctors this morning bright and early and the nurse mentioned that day three is the worst swelling wise (my brother mentioned yesterday that I looked like the Nutty Professor-he's so sweet ha ha). So hopefully it'll start going down from here. The Doctor said I can switch my ice packs from cold to warm now, Steve just warmed one up for me and it feels a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

The Doctor and his assistant moved very quickly while I was there, they just snipped off the bands and took out the plate and THEN... oh, then, they did the best thing ever. They BRUSHED my TEETH. it was heaven! The mintyness, the nice clean feeling all around, I loved it! And while it was sore, none of this hurt at all. BEST of all, I could TALK when he took the bands and the bite plate out! I also had a small proud moment when the Doctor asked me to figure out which way the bite plate went and I got it on the FIRST try. This plate thing just keeps the teeth where they need to go until my jaw figures out that where it's at is where it's going to stay!

On Friday, I'll be able to take out the plate and bands myself for a few hours, and, GET THIS, eat SOFT FOODS. Even Scrambled eggs! Which I most definitely WILL be having for a lovely Holiday Brunch. Oh man, I cannot wait for that!



So, beyond this, everything is going really well. I've been trying to eat what I can and get plenty of nutrients, and also drinking plenty of water and other liquids. I should also be able to move onto warm foods today (the nurse said cold liquids are better the first couple days) so I believe I will be enjoying some SOUP today. Oh, what a wonderful day it is.. Christmas miracles DO exist! haha.