Pain- 1/10 Discomfort- 2/10 Weight- 124/122 Energy Level- 7/10 Eating I have not eaten as much as I hoped I would today. I had two Ensures, a cup and a half of beef broth, a lot of water, one of those apple sauce squeeze pouches, 8 ounces of Gatorade, and a half can of Campbell's beef tip soup. I think the 2 pounds of weight gain came from the swelling. My head feels like a bowling ball, especially with the ice packs on. It is also more difficult to swallow because my neck is so swollen that it is partially cutting off my airway. It basically feels like I have a lump in my throat that a good cough would get rid of, but it won't go away. My throat seems to be my biggest complaint at the moment. Sleeping I am sleeping in two hour increments and staying up for two hours and then going back to sleep. I woke up at 2:00 pm and I have managed to stay up for the last six hours and I am feeling pretty good. I just got out of the shower, which helped open up my sinuses. Plus, it feels good to be clean. Pain The pain I have experienced is soreness in my neck and shoulders. Like I said, my head is like a bowling ball and my muscles are not used to supported a swollen head and a ton of ice. My neck is stiff and the warm shower helped that feel better too. My husband is calling the surgeon tomorrow to make my first post-op appointment and he is also going to ask when I can switch to heat. Numbness I am beginning to gain some feeling back. My bottom lip and chin are 100% numb and the rest of my face is slowly coming back. I can feel my face pulsating and tingling and itching, so something must be happening. Medication I only took the narcotic one time today and have decided I will only take it if I need it. I have been continuing to take the liquid Ibuprofen every 2-4 hours. Not because I am in pain, but to keep the pain away and it is also an anti-inflammatory so, hopefully it will help with the swelling. I began my antibiotic this morning as well. It tasted like Pepto-Bismal, so it wasn't too bad to take. I have to take this two times a day, so I took it again after dinner. I brushed my teeth using a tiny Monster's Inc. toothbrush. I mainly focused on the top row and the front teeth, staying completely away from the incision sites. I spent a good 5 minutes with my Waterpik (I have been given the ok to use this on the lowest setting) rinsing out the toothpaste and getting rid of food particles. What works the best for me was to allow my mouth to fill with water and gently swish it around and letting it fall out of my mouth into the sink. I'm sure I didn't get all of the food out, but definitely a good bit. Lastly, I rinsed my mouth out for the first time with the bacteria killing mouth wash, which tasted like Listerine and thankfully did not burn. Other My bottom lip has also turned blood red and I have no idea if this is normal. My mom had determined it's a bruise, which would make sense since there are other bruises that have appeared today. I also cannot tell if my teeth are banded super tight together or if I am clenching my teeth. So, my teeth are a bit sore today from that. It's probably a combination of the two. Yesterday, I could talk fairly coherently, but today I cannot be understood at all. The swelling has gotten worse and I cannot be understood at all when I talk. I don't think I mentioned this in the last post, but I do not have a splint in. The surgeon said he rarely leaves those in when working on single jaw surgery patients. Hopefully, that will help me keep my mouth cleaner and minimize nastiness. Overall, so far so good. This is no where near as bad as I thought it would be, which I am very grateful for!
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WelcomeThis blog documents my journey through lower jaw surgery in hope of providing help and insight involving the experience. Archives
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1 Year Post-Op 9 Months Post-Op 6 Months Post-Op Paying for Jaw Surgery 5 Months Post-Op Retainers Braces Off 4 Months Post-Op Fear vs. Reality 3 Months Post-Op 12 Weeks Day 81- Ortho. Apt. 2 11 Weeks 10 Weeks 9 Weeks Day 59: Surgeon Apt. 4 8 Weeks 7 Weeks 6 Weeks 1 Month Post-Op Day 27: Ortho. Apt. 1 Day 25: Surgeon Apt. 3 3 Weeks Day 17 Day 12: Surgeon Apt. 2 Day 10 Day 9 Day 8 Day 7 Day 6: Surgeon Apt. 1 Day 5 Day 4 Day 3 Day 2 Surgery Day (Day 1) Pretesting Appointment Surgical Hooks 1 Week Pre-Op Insurance is Complicated Caution with Insurance Pre-Op Appointment Planning and Preparing Orthodontist Apt. My Fears Pre-Op Date Surgery Date Phases of My Journey Life with Braces The Operation 3 Months Pre-Op |