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.
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