Day 1

I slept pretty good last night. You always have the interruptions of the attendants coming to get your vitals but I was so tired I would fall right back asleep afterwards. I iced all night and made sure I had ice all day.

 

I was so nervous I would not make my goal of going to the bathroom at 6am since the catheter was out. It was down to the wire. I got up and went to the bathroom myself without calling anyone because I wanted privacy. Phil got mad when I told him, but he wasn't there to stop me. I sat down and gave myself a pep talk. As weird as it is, it almost feels like you have to learn how to go to the bathroom again. And I went, yay! Otherwise they would have given me a straight catheter and I was way too scared to do that.

 

 My Dr. Came in very early, around 730 am. He checked my wounds and said my bite was still perfect. He took the tube out of my nose which made me feel a lot better. He put down a towel and quickly pulled it out. It was such a weird feeling but over so quick. A bunch of blood flew out, hence the towel. They confirmed that they did not change the orders about the catheter and apologized about the nurse.

 

The Nurses keep trying to give me the suction tool for my mouth, but honestly my mouth doesn't have much in it. I get a little drooly, and use baby wipes to keep that at bay, but I don't have a bunch of blood or anything in my mouth. 

 

My nose was congested so I took advantage of one of my days I could use Afrin. It felt so good!

 

My favorite attendant was on staff today and she forced me to change my gown and linens. I was so tired yesterday I didn't want to, but she said today I had to. She brought me some warm baby wipes and helped me clean myself. I felt so good afterwards!!

 

 

This is the setup that I came up with. There are four trays and syringes here, and I have a fifth one not pictured. One is for water, one for Gatorade, one for broth, and one for my ibuprofen. It works really well. The trays work really nice to catch the dribbles. I am back to using the Peridex mouthwash. I was concerned how I would do this because I really did not want to swish it around for fear of moving my jaw. My nurse told me to just turn my head back and forth to let it naturally move around. I was not able to do it for the 30-40 recommended seconds. I could tolerate it for about 10 seconds, but that was better than nothing.

 

I had quite the appetite again today. I switched it up and had beef broth, two helpings again for breakfast. I got the lemon ice as well, and it always feels so nice to have the cold in my mouth. I have to let it melt quite a bit because it is hard eating it frozen. Eating with a spoon is still a little bit of a challenge. 

 

The resident came to visit me again that night and thought my face looked red. He asked if I was itchy and I was. I didn't really think anything of it but my legs were really itchy all day. He thought it was a reaction to the morphine, so he said he was going to take me off of it. He switched me to the liquid hydrocodone that I would be taking at home. 

 

My body did not like the change. I got really irritated and tired. I had friends that were supposed to come and Phil almost cancelled. Thankfully they wanted to show up anyway :).

My friends came and brought me flowers, it was so sweet of them. It really brought up my spirits to see them. You can see how red my cheeks are in the picture. 

 

After my friends left, my favorite attendant came back. She asked if I wanted to walk, and I definitely was up for it. I was supposed to be walking 2-3 times a day, but instead I was just taking myself to the bathroom instead of calling and counting that :). We walked around the halls 3 times, and it felt so good. I saw my Dr.'s partner Dr. In the hall checking on one of his patients, and I said hi and he told me he recognized my drains. 

 

After the walk, the attendant sat with me and we talked. Well, she talked and I wrote down notes back. We both lost our Moms five years ago, so we shared a bond. It was so nice to have some social interaction. She is off tomorrow and so she gave me a hug goodbye. I love all the Nurses and attendants at the hospital, they treat you like family. 

 

My Day 1 was deleted and I could not recover it! Here is my recreation to the best of my ability!

 

 

Day 13

 

Swelling went down immensely today! I am still icing every night, and I have to think that is helping. I have been reading other people's blogs about the roof of the mouth and gums being numb. I was brushing today and realized the roof of my mouth is pretty numb. Not in a bad way, just weird. I also tried flossing for the first time and it proved difficult. My mouth and lips are still a little too swollen to get to the side teeth. I couldn't feel the floss hitting my gums and I was a little worried I would cut them up so I gave up.  

One of my wonderful friends at work had Phil meet her because he had some soup and food for us. He came home with three huge bags!! She made me some rice and beef soup, as well as some split pea soup. And got my some almond milk for my calcium :). She got Phil some beef and rice, and some pho soup. She also got me some packets of pho soup that are just broth and noodles. So sweet! I attached a picture of me eating and Eli trying to steal my food.

 

 

We had girls night at the apartment. We went to the club room and had ice cream and wine. I just had a tiny bit as it has been forever! It was so tasty. I missed you wine. Everyone thought I looked really good which was nice to hear. Speech is still a little mumbled, and it still hurts to smile and laugh. But it was nice to get out of the house!

 

Day 12

 

Swelling looks pretty good today!! Had an orthodontist appointment this morning. Waking up at 10 am felt like torture. I don't know what I will do when I have to go back to work :). I set an alarm but kept waking up every 15 minutes or so because I was worried I would miss it.

 

The orthodontist appointment was so disappointing! The orthodontist looked at my teeth for 10 seconds and then said see you in 4 weeks, keep using your rubber bands. The assistant took a picture of my bite. I am kind of glad no adjustments though because I did not want to be in pain. I know the incisions are not 100%. The assistant mentioned that I looked really good as far as swelling. I go back to the surgeon Friday, maybe I will get some exciting news then.

Day 11

Nothing too exciting in news today. Cheeks are still swollen, but not as bad. Still missing a lot of feeling in the chin and right cheek. Left cheek is pretty much back to normal. Lips are getting more feeling every day. Yesterday when I put on lipstick, it was so funny because I could not rub my lips together to distribute it. More and more stitches are falling out. I never did ask when they were supposed to come out, but it doesn't hurt, so I guess it is fine. I am still using the wax on my hooks which I know I keep saying, but it makes a huge difference.

I went downstairs to the office to go over our lease renewal and look at open apartments. I was down there for two hours and did pretty well. I wasn't exhausted. Phil brought me some soup home from the store for dinner and got me some baby goldfish crackers to put in it instead of oyster crackers. They didn't get as mushy as I thought they would, but I was still able to swallow them. It was so nice to have a different taste of something. 

Day 10

Today is the first day since before surgery that I wore makeup! I straightened my hair as well. We met a friend for lunch and I was excited to get out of the house. I had two different types of soup at the restaurant-tomato and potato. They came with garlic bread, so I tore it apart and put it in the soups. Carbs! Yay! It was really soft bread so it really soaked up the soup and I was able to eat it pretty easy. It was so tasty! I was stuffed and pretty happy. Afterwards, I was feeling pretty tired. We ran to a book store, and then I came home and took it easy. I took a nap, then we went out to eat again right next door at the patio with our dog. I got some more soup :). I will be a soup expert by the time all is said and done.

 

Brushing my teeth is getting easier and easier. It doesn't hurt as much at the incision sites. I think the wax is really helping. I am seeing a little bit of blood on my toothbrush. There is no pain so I am not too worried. It is hard to brush the tops of the teeth because I cannot open my mouth that wide. I am sure it will come with time. 

 

Both friends I saw when I went out to eat both times said the swelling is going down a lot and I look good :). That makes me happy. Still feel some pain, but it is not terrible. I still wake up in the middle of the night and need my meds. My body feels the pain  and wakes me up :). Other than that, feeling better every day! Oh and one exciting thing. While I was brushing my teeth, one of my stitches fell out. That makes me so happy!

 I am still icing. It feels nice on my cheeks and mouth to ice. I usually ice in the morning when I wake up, and keep some ice on at night. I think I will keep it up as long as I have the swelling. I am still taking the ibuprofen, but not as much as before. Before I was taking it as soon as I could have another dose. Now I am taking maybe twice a day. I am still on my pain medicine. My teeth feel very tight and I will have pain when I get close to needing another dose. My talking is getting better every day, my swelling is getting better every day, and I am feeling better every day :). I feel bad because I only used my Ninja blender I bought one time. I need to make a better effort. I bought the protein powder and all kinds of frozen fruits for it. 

Day 9

Woke up in the middle of the night again for pain and needing my meds. Woke up early and went with Phil to take Eli to daycare. I didn't go inside because I felt extra swollen today for some reason. My face looked extra puffy. We went to Jamba Juice-again :). I was craving it again after yesterday and it is definitely a good change from my Ensure.  We hung around the house during the day. I got some laundry and dishes done which felt nice. We got some wedding planning done. For dinner, we went out to a soup and salad bar. While I couldn't eat any salad, I grabbed three bowls of soup and loaded them with oyster crackers. I was so happy. I love going out to eat, so this was a good substitute. I felt like I was treating myself to a steak dinner. I was thinking about all the kinds of foods that I cannot have today, so I was pretty down. I am finally missing food pretty bad. I will need to show some restraint when I can eat, or I am going to gain a ton of weight. Brushed my teeth really well today. Still cannot open wide enough for the insides of teeth very well, but I brushed the outsides very thoroughly and it felt so good! The wax is helping allow the incisions to heal. I highly recommend as soon as you can after surgery, place wax on the hooks and brackets by your incision sites. Apparently my hooks kept irritating them and that's why they hurt so bad. They are starting to heal and it feels so much better. 

Day 8

 

 

I woke up this morning after my follow-up visit from yesterday. My face and lips were extra swollen. It must have been all of the poking and prodding they did! I was also in more pain than usual.

 

 I knew that I had to change my rubber bands and brush my teeth. I was dreading it. Last night was not very fun trying out the new elastics. I took off the wax I put on the spots near the incisions and took off the bands. It hurt a little bit to take off the bands, but not too bad. I took my baby toothbrush and started brushing. I slipped by the bottom right incision and the toothbrush scraped it. Instant pain. It hurts so bad when that happens-it's instant tears. I gave up brushing my teeth and promised myself I'd try again later. I changed out the rubber bands and immediately went to go ice my face. The ice seems to help a lot.

 

I know the doctor told me I could take the bands out for eating as well, but it just hurts too much to put them in and out that many times. The way the incisions stretch and you hit them with the bands is not pleasant. So while I did change them out at lunch time, I did not change them out when I ate.

 

To treat myself for my hard work, I got a large Jamba Juice. Since I'm not eating much, the 700 calories was not daunting at all. I added in the whey protein and vitamins. Even though I was extra swollen and talked extra funny, the cashier was very nice about it. 

 

 

I didn't do much today except nap and surf the web. And ice my face when I can. It still feels good on my face, so I will continue to ice. I tried to brush my teeth a little more and made some progress. It is still very sore, so I did what I could and placed more wax to help let the incisions heal.

 

 

 

Day 7-One week Postop

 

Follow up appointment day! I straightened my hair for the occasion, but did not put any makeup on. I wanted to make sure my Dr. Could see all the swelling. My friend came and helped me walk my dog again. It really helps to socialize with others to feel better.

 

When I took my shower today, I felt safe to use my normal facial cleanser. I avoid the wound sites and cleaned those with the Hibiclens. I also felt safe to start my moisturizer again. My face is so dry since the surgery so this definitely helps. I keep using my Carmex. I think it is the most moisturizing lip balm out there in my opinion. It is really helping.

 

I had my first post op appointment today! My Dr.'s partner Dr. Saw me in the hall and said I looked really good for being one week out.  I got an X-Ray done first thing so the Dr. Could see his work. He looked at it and said, "Not bad, for a beginner." I told him not to make me laugh because it makes my cheeks hurt.

 

The Resident and Nurse took saltwater and cleaned my teeth. They took off the rubber bands and kept asking me to open my mouth more but honestly I was scared. It feels so weird to open my mouth without the rubber bands. I explained to my friend it was almost like the back of my jaws are in a black hole and if I open them up it won't stop opening. I guess I was worried they would fall apart or something. Totally irrational. So they brushed my teeth afterwards and man, it hurt so bad. Those incisions hurt when they are stretched or touched. I had tears coming out of my eyes because of the pain. It felt so good to get my teeth cleaned though. I hadn't had much luck doing it myself.

 

The Dr. Then took a q tip and had my close my eyes. He brushed it against different parts of my face and asked me which direction it was going. I told him it felt like trick questions. Based on my answers, he said I should get all of my feeling back in all parts. Yay!! I think my left side is pretty good, the right side is still swollen and a little numb. Not terrible though.

 

He gave me some more pain meds thankfully. He showed me my x-Ray and where my plates and screws were. It was pretty interesting. On the bottom jaw, he cut each side and left a gap that was secured by a plate to make the bottom jaw longer. The top had plates right by my nose, which now I know why there has been so much nasal discharge. I'm sure my sinuses are revolting! He said everything looks perfect so that makes me happy. He was worried about the effect of the antibiotic, so he gave me some probiotics. 

 

I got new rubber bands and my Dr. Wants me to change them three times a day. I can take them off for eating and brushing. I found out the rash was probably from the antibiotics, and next time I need some, I should get something else.

 

I had a heck of a time getting the pain medicine though. The liquid pain medicine was so hard to get last time because it is such a large quantity and not a lot of people get it. We went to several pharmacies and finally had to have a pharmacy call around for us. I was so tired and it was such a long day for me. We finally found it and got home late. I was exhausted. 

 

When I got home, I was so worried about changing my rubber bands. I knew it was going to be painful. I iced my mouth before I tried anything. I tried to brush the best I could but didn't make much progress. It hurt so bad. Putting on the new rubber bands was also painful. They kept touching the incision sites and it hurt!! I was so glad to be done. I put some wax on my teeth near the incision sites. I wanted to make sure nothing was poking them to prevent healing. I iced all night again. It felt so good after all of the pain from today.

Day 6

 

Wednesday was my first day on my own. Phil's Mom left last night. First order of business was to try and brush my teeth. I tried to use some of Phil's mouthwash, and even thought it was alcohol free, it hurt my incisions. I tried to brush with just water and it was pretty painful. I did not get much accomplished. I ended up buying some ACT alcohol free mouthwash, that is also for dry mouth. I don't know why but I feel so thirsty all the time and my mouth is so watery. No matter how much I drink. So I figured this mouthwash would be good for both cleaning and helping with the dry mouth.

 

Swelling went down a little bit and pain seems a little better. I think I am now on an upswing for healing. Sunday and Monday made me really nervous. Today has me feeling optimistic.

 

Did not get much accomplished. Slept a lot of the day. My friend came and helped me walk the dog so I got out of the house. I went to visit our office employees and they were happy to see me. Still kind of embarrassing though because my face is so swollen and it is hard to talk. It is getting more understandable though. I forced myself to make small talk with my friend which was definitely an excercise. I started to get a little sore. But it felt good  to talk. Everything except laughing. Laughing and smiling hurts my cheeks so bad. They are so tight. I try not to do it. 

 

My friend asked if I wanted her to get me a smoothie or lunch. I said it was okay, but I had my new Ninja blender if she wanted to help me use it. I bought some protein powder that had greens in it which I thought would be good for fiber. We added ice, the powder, milk, and a frozen organic berry blend I got from Costco. The taste was a little weird, which I think may be just getting used to the powder. The berry pieces got stuck in my braces. I am scared to use a straw, and with a spoon it is still a little hard to eat with. It just wasn't worth the effort so I gave up and had an ensure. They are so easy to drink and it always makes me feel full. 

 

 

Day 5

 

No more syringes yay! I am getting better and better at using a cup and spoon. Spoon takes a while so I have mainly been eating things I can drink like my Ensure and soups. The syringes are so slow so I am glad for this. I have been pretty thirsty so I have been drinking a lot of glasses of water. I think it is pretty good progress. My lips are still numb, but not as bad as they were. It's good enough to drink and only get a few dribbles.

 

I am still very tired. I set an alarm to wake up early and try to spend time with Phil's Mom before she left. I was sitting on the couch and she told me I didn't look well. I did not feel well. I felt so tired. I went back to bed until just before she had to leave so I could say goodbye. I only got one walk in with the dog today. I know I need to walk more to gain my strength and I am going to work on it. 

 

Pain is still there. I woke up a couple times last night and just waited until I could take my meds again. I read other jaw surgery blogs to get my mind off the pain and remind me I am not the only one. 

Day 4

Some of the worst swelling yet. I'm going to be honest, yesterday and today were my worst days. Lots of pain, tiredness, and swelling. The swelling hurts just as much as the jaw pain. My cheeks hurt like someone is pinching them. I woke up several times in the night needing my medicine and thankful both times it was time for it. I just had to get my mind off of it until it kicked in. Taking ibuprofen along with the pain medicine is definitely helping. I am taking the ibuprofen as soon as I can take another dose.

 

My face is very dry. I am using some moisturizer, but very little and only on the flaky spots. My lips are still chapped. I am using Carmex and it is helping a lot. 

 

I had read a lot that icing is only good for the first three days, and after that doesn't help. So I stopped. I spoke with a friend who had jaw surgery before and she said she iced the whole time and it should still help. So I started icing again. Even if it does not help with swelling, it feels so nice. It makes me feel better. So I have been icing during the day and night. 

 

I am trying to start drinking from a cup. I have to be careful because of the numbness and can't do it all the time, but I am practicing. I only had ensure all day. Phil's Mom wants to make me soups and smoothies, but the Ensure is so easy. It is very filling too. And I know I am getting my vitamins for healing. I really don't have the energy to eat anything else or put in the effort. I can drink my ensure and water without a mirror.

 

My Dr said I needed 1800 calories per day, or about 7 Carnation drinks. There is no way. I forced myself to have 4 today. I feel a little queasy afterwards from being too full after having one. But I know I need the nutrients. They are pretty tasty. I don't have much of an apetite-but I am trying! Phil's Mom keeps asking me what I want to eat and I feel bad-but I really don't want anything. Just the Ensure for now. She did get me some baby food fruits and I had one. It was pretty good and nice to have something sweet.              

Day 3

First full day home from hospital-yay! I was able to take off the bandaid on my chin since my doctor asked me to wait a day to take it off. Today was pretty bad in terms of pain and swelling. It really got me down because I felt so good when I was in the hospital. Now I feel so bad and hope that it will get better. Of course it will :).

 

I am still dealing with a lot of congestion in my nose. I have been taking qtips and carefully cleaning out. It makes it feel so much better. This was not Dr. Recommended, but I read in another blog someone else did this. I know I probably shouldn't be messing with my nose, but it makes me feel so much better!!

 

I took my first shower. I was a little nervous because I read you need to be careful with the hot water and your incisions. I made the water lukewarm  and it still felt so good. Thankfully I had the strength to take a shower. I am a little wobbly, so I was just extra careful. I was worried about bending down, so I asked Phil for help getting the things I dropped. I am worried about using any skin care products on my face because I do not want to irritate my wounds on my face. I used my Hibiclens to wash my face since I knew it would help with the wounds. My face is still really shiny and I do not know why. I didn't want to use the moisturizer yet since all of the wounds are still fresh. 

 

This is one of the worst days for swelling and pain. I felt awful. I slept almost all day. I could not wait long enough  to get my pain meds and ibuprofen. I got a little rash underneath my armpits. It doesn't really hurt, so I am not too concerned. I will ask the Dr. On Thursday.

 

My face is so dry and lips are so chapped. I am worried about putting moisturizer on my face yet, so I did not put anything on. I switched from my Aquaphor to Carmex. My lips have layers coming off, which is pretty gross. I am a little drooly. I carry around some baby wipes to wipe the corners of my mouth when needed. 

 

I am finally starting to talk a little. It's very mumbled and hard to understand. 

 

I realized I overpacked a little for the hospital. I brought two outfits, and only needed one to wear to go home. I had a pajama set, and a robe, and a pair of flats. I never needed the second outfit. When I changed for surgery, they asked if I wanted my clothes to go in a locker, or sent home with family. I sent them home, but I had to remind them to bring my shoes back before I left because it was my only pair. I brought two books that I never had time to read. I mostly just slept at the hospital. I did not even turn the TV on one time. 

 

I didn't get to use my eye mask I brought, but I was glad that I had it just in case. I ended up asking for ear plugs one day because there was construction noise and I couldn't sleep. They hunted some down for me. I didn't get to use my baby wipes at the hospital since they had some, but I definitely needed them for home. I brought a mirror, which would be an essential, but they had one connected to my tray table. I am still glad I brought one just in case. You will need it for eating, checking on your face, taking meds, etc. I brought a pedestal one so that way I'd have my hands free.

 

My friends came over at night again. I was able to sit on the couch while they were here but I was very tired by the time they left and went straight to bed.

Day 2

 

 

At the hospital in the morning

 

 

Today was an eventful day. Around 1 am I woke up and realized my hands were underneath me and kind of bent. I was in such a deep sleep with the new pain medicines. I looked at both of my hands and they were extremely swollen and full of fluids. I tried not to panic. I called for the nurse, and he came in and asked if I wanted both IVs taken out. Definitely. He took them both out and put a new IV in my arm by my elbow. He was so nice about it. I was so scared. He used a little ultrasound machine to find a good vein for me in my arm. Apparently my veins are hard to find :). I had to make sure to keep my hands elevated above my heart, and he said I would be okay. 

 

It was really hard to take a picture, but I knew I wanted to take one to show Phil. I had to do it one handed and with the fat fingers on my left hand. I was kind of shook up and laid there just waiting and hoping the Dr. Would come in early so I could show him. I took this picture of me waiting because I felt so miserable.

 

 

The Dr. And Resident came In and I was so relieved to show them my hands. They said the same thing, to make sure to keep them elevated. I was young and would recover fast from it. It just took hearing it from the Dr. To make me feel better. They then took the drains out of my neck. I thought it was just a little thing at the bottom of the neck. These were long drains inserted pretty deep in. It was the weirdest sensation to have him pull them out. I could feel them sliding through my skin. It felt good to have them out and have the freedom to move more. 

 

They took the tape off of my chest and it had irritated my skin a little bit. It was pretty red. They checked my rash from the morphine and it is getting better. They asked if I wanted to go home and I said No :). All the Nurses were so nice and it was so nice being taken care of so well. But alas, for healing purposes, they said it was time to go :).

 

After the Dr. Left, my attendant came and put my flowers from my friends in a makeshift vase for me. It was so nice and they turned out beautiful. He talked to me about life and his struggles, and mine. He really was an inspiration and made me feel so much better. I went to shake his hand when he left and he gave me a hug. All the Nurses were like family here. 

 

 

The Nurse had me sign some release papers, honestly I didn't really know what for-but I didn't really care either! I kind of missed my bed. They had someone with a big wheel chair thing that had storage for all my stuff. I was a little nervous because I really hadn't done much sitting up. I was a little worried I'd fall over :). They wheeled me down and Phil met me with the car. The whole ride home I kept hoping no one would hit us. I didn't want to ruin all of that work!!

 

We got home and Eli was so excited to see me. Apparently he hadn't eaten the whole time I was gone. He jumped right in bed with me and slept at my feet.

 

I really didn't have much of an appetite so I didn't eat much today. I can have non-clear liquids now like the ensure, smoothies, yogurts, etc. I slept mostly all day. My congestion in my nose was awful. I could not bear it. I had a humidifier by the bed which I read helps. I asked my Dr. About Breathe Right strips as I have seen those mentioned a lot. He said not to use them-they would widen my nose. I could not stand feeling so congested and being uncomfortable trying to breathe out of my mouth. I did read on a blog about using q tips to clean carefully. I was so miserable it was worth it even if I started a horrific nosebleed and had to go to the ER. I cleaned very carefully, and the grossest nastiest things I have ever had in my nose came out. And they were long and thick. No wonder I couldn't breathe. I felt incredibly better after that. It was so worth it. 

 

I was worried about using the Afrin too much since my Dr. Said if you use it too much you can relapse and get more congested. And of course I am not allowed to blow my nose for a month. So I take the saline which I was told I can use as much as I want, and squirt it in, then clean as needed. It definitely has helped a bunch.

 

The bed has to be elevated and thankfully  have an adjustable base foundation. So we moved it way up for me. I brought ice packs home from the hospital and iced like crazy. I am trying to get all my icing in as it is the third day, and after that I read it is not as effective. So I iced all over my face, cheeks, and sides of face.

 

I would highly recommend having wax at home ready for your braces, and when you get home, start putting in on the hooks by where your incisions are. This will better allow the incisions to heal for both pain relief, and for you to be able to brush your teeth earlier.

 

I am making it a habit to get up and get my own meds. This way I am getting at least a little bit of walking in.

 

My friends came over at night again. They made me laugh which still hurts my cheeks. I laid in bed while they were here because I am so tired.