3 months 9 days Post-op (FIVE GUYS!!!!)

    Okay it's been forever since I have posted and I'm very, very sorry:(

    I went to a ortho check up and had to have a bracket replaced (do to a small cavity and fake tooth decay) After my appointment my mother, lil brother and I were trying to deicide where to eat and we all decided on FIVE GUYS!!! 
     It feels like I haven't had a good cheeseburger in years. It was sooo good:) Plus my Dad was able to come and eat with us. So, great cheeseburger, fries and my both my parents were able to experience this with me.
     Besides the awful taste of the bracket glue, today was a pretty good day.

Well, good luck with your life and may you have a good time with it:)

P.S. I'm starting college this June!!!!

Peanut Butter & Jelly!!!!!-1 month, 11 days since surgery

    I was able to eat a pbj yesterday! They are one of my favourite foods and I was really starting to miss them. I had my post-op orthodontics appointment the 20th and was disappointed to find that my surgeon was not able to make it in that day. My orthodontist was not willing going to move my diet until he talked with my surgeon so my food remained the same:( My surgeon did give me a call two days ago and ask me what food I had been craving. I said pbj and he told me that as long as I keep to soft breads that I should be fine :D I'm soooo glad I can quench my peanut butter and jelly cravings!!!! Well, that's all. Sorry for the long wait between posts. G-bye
 
   P.S. since it has been a month since surgery I hope to do a quick "before and after". It will be only the first to come. I'm wanting to do multiple to show my progress.

Day 18 Post-op

    Went to the Doctors on Saturday. I thought my Doctor was just going to put the elastics that close my mouth back on. Big Surprise!! He didn't!! He did put elastics on but I can open my mouth pretty far. I have already eaten pudding, ice cream, breakfast ice cream (it's like a smoothie but a lot thicker) and yogurt. It's feels really nice to be able to eat something that isn't just liquid.
     My energy has been slowly coming back. The only issue I have been having is sleeping 11-13 hours a day. I feel like I'm lossing half my day! If I wake up any earlier though, I feel like I can barely do anything.
     Going to Doctors tomorrow. Hopefully my sergeon will be taking off the bands and I will be free!! Well, almost free...I'll probaly have to wear them when I sleep. That's all for right now. I should have a post either tomorrow or the next day.

Day 14 Post-op...

     Went for a check up yesterday. He removed the wires that were keeping my mouth shut. I was disappointed though because the elastics he replaced the wires with are just as tight. Unfortunately, I have a very bad gage reflex and when anything is wrong with my mouth or breathing I can't eat anything warm. This has limited me to smoothies, milkshakes and instant breakfasts. All of these are great but when that's all I get to eat for the past two weeks. It's not so great. I was really looking forward to eating scrambled eggs, over cooked spaghetti and soft pancakes. The Doc. did say that the bands will be coming off next Tuesday and my mouth will be completely free. I'll just need to wear bands at night (so much more manageable)

     Because of the lack of calories and fat in my food I have dropped about 15lbs just in the past 13 days. That's almost a pound a day. I am a little over weight. So, I don't mind losing, but losing this fast is not always the best. I have been trying to make sure anything I eat/drink has a good amount of calories in it to keep my strength up. A good way to do that is any milkshake or smoothie I make I add a instant breakfast to. Most instant breakfasts are made to have the nutrition of a good breakfast but be in a convenient little drink pack.

     One problem I have definitely been having is: for the past two days I have felt well enough to want to do the things I used to. I don't have enough energy though. This is causing me to feel frustrated and worthless. I don't like not being able to help my family! Hopefully this will come to pass as I get my strength back.

Day 12 post-op

Hello,      
      Just thought I would make a quick diagram of what is numb and what is not.
                                

    Because of so little being numb I am and was experiencing a lot more pain than most double jaw surgery patients. I am getting a lot of odd tingly feeling in my right lower lip and chin today. I have also been drinking out of a cup since day 3. It was pretty messy at first, but I got it "pretty much" down.

    I have been having a sensation that almost feels like the beginning of a sneeze. I Haven't sneezed just felt like it. Sniffling, I have found, hurts really bad, DON'T DO IT!! My surgeon/doctor told me to start using nasal spray 2-3 times a day. At first I was a little weary of it, but after using it for three days now, I have found that my small nose bleeds have all but stopped. Well, that's all I can think of now. If anything else come up I'll make "continued" post. See ya later and good luck.     

First Post-op check up. Day 5

      Went to see the Doctor Monday, January 21st. He took the wires off that were wiring my jaw shut, did a quick x-ray and a good clean up before putting wires back on. Then he asked me some pain level questions and asked about my drinking. Unfortunatly my drinking isn't great. I have always had a hard time drinking, but now I really have to force myself.

     A couple of my favourite things to eat/drink are Carnation french vanilla instant breakfast, strawberry and banana milkshake and chocolate peanutbutter milk. My mother has also spoiled me on a variety of juices like grape, white grape and apple. You just gotta watch out; if you drink too much your tongue becomes sensitive from all the ascorbic acid (vit. C).

     I am still having an issue with jaw pain. Not when I swollow but just a constant throbbing. The liquid ibuprofen really does help it though. I have found that a rice bag really helps relieve muscle pain in my lower jaw. Directions on how to make a rice bag will follow.

     Something kinda of funny I have found I really hate is yawning when my jaws are wired shut. It really hurts and is very unsatisfying. My surgeon has set my next appointment for next Tuesday. I sure hope my wires will be able to come off then.    

X-ray of Post-op jaw

 

Strawberry & Banana Milkshake

 

Ingredients:

  1 whole banana (very ripe)

  1 Handful frozen strawberries or 1/2 c. sweetened frozen strawberries w/syrup

  1/2 envelope Carnation French Vanilla Instant Breakfast

  1 t. sugar (omit if using presweetened strawberries)

  1 c. milk

 

Direction:

  Blend until smooth, adding extra milk to reach desired consistency.

  

Peanutbutter Cup "Shake"

 

Ingredients:

  1 c. milk

  1 envelope Carnation Chocolate Instant Breakfast

  2 T. creamy peanutbutter

 

Directions:

  Blend till smooth, adding extra milk to reach desired consistency. 

 

How to make a Rice Pillow (Fancy or Simple)

   Simple Version:

     Take a crew sock fill half full with uncooked white rice. Tie a knot just above rice.

      DONE!

  

   Fancy Version:

      Take a 10"x10" piece of muslin. On one side fold over 1" to create the top. With fold facing outward, fold in half. Stitch along open side and along bottom. Turn right side out. You should now have a small pillow case:). Fill bag 2/3 full with uncooked white rice. Stitch remaining open end closed. Congratulations! You have a rice pillow!! You can even make a nice little flannel pillow slip for it.    

 

        

 

      Baby Version:

         Take a small unmated baby sock. Fill 2/3 with uncooked white rice. Whip stitch top tightly closed.

          My mother made this for me to slip into my "Marley" band (the stretchy fabric they had the ice bags in that was tied around my jaw after surgery.) We call it a "Marley" band after Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol.

          I used this after switching from ice about 4 day post-op. The heat began relieving a lot of the soreness and pressure pain in my jaw.

 

 

 

 

Just a little catching up to do......

    Hello guys!! Sorry for the delayed post. I think I'm going to show you what the days in the hospital was like for me. I don't have a lot of pics, but I'll do my best.

                                               *WARNING*
               The following posts were experienced while under the
        influence of heavy pain killers and drugs. Days may flow into
         each other and experience may be a little crazy compared to

                                        what really happened.

                           Reader's understanding is requested

Day of the surgery

     I woke up at 9:25 am (actually had alarm set for 9:30 but apparently my brain disagreed with that time) I took my last shower before the surgery, made sure and got myself gooood and clean. Then, I sat at the table while my mom braided my hair into piggy-tails (the entire time wishing I could have some yummy breakfast. I'm a Big breakfast eater LOL.) After my mom and I had made sure we had everything for the stay, we jumped in the car and headed to the hospital with my dad. I was really glad that my dad was able to get my surgery day off! :)

     When we got to the hospital the parking lot for "Surgery Patients Only" was soo full that we had to wait for one to free up. It was a really big hospital! We walked in the front door and took a left for a couple minutes then we walked in the door marked "Pavilion B." I checked myself in and we all set down waiting to get called back. At this point I could tell my parents were really nervous, frankly, I think I was too:). I filled out about half my paperwork before being called back. In the back room they weighed me, checked my blood pressure, had me get in a hospital gown and (a new one for me!) had me pee in a cup for a pregnancy test. This was weird for me because I've never even held hands with anyone but family let alone done things to get me pregnant LOL. My mom really help me get the giant foamy feeling gown on. It was really weird. Next it was onto my IV. Unfortunately I have very small veins that like to roll when their trying to insert the needle. They ended up having to put it in my wrist.

     My surgeon came in and reviewed what he's was going to be doing and had me sign a lot of papers. After the surgeon came, the anesthesiologist (the doc who was going to make me sleep.). He had me sign a couple more papers and explained how he was going to be in charge of making sure I'm good and asleep. He also told me how at the beginning he was going to insert a small q-tip with medical grade cocaine on it in my nose. To numb the nostril for the breathing tube to be inserted. After getting all the papers signed, all the wires in and cords attached, I was ready to go back. First my mom, dad and I had a little personal time. They prayed for me and sang their special song to me:D. Then I was wheeled out of the room and to the surgery room.

    The surgery room was REALLY BIG. It looked just like they do on tv (I just had a funny angle of it) I was transferred from my bed to the operating table and they added even more wires. I don't really remember anything else after that though. The next thing I do remember is sorta waking up in the recovery room. Then I was moved to my room. I don't really know what happened for the rest of the day. The only thing I do know that I had an pretty bad reaction to morphine.

Day 1

     That morning I woke up feeling kinda of like a zombie. Very weak and kinda of out of it in the head. I had a really hard time with taking the morphine. I didn't want deal with the pain but I didn't want to have to feel the way I felt with the meds. Just five minutes into the morphine, I would start to feel like even when I took a deep breath it wasn't enough. My face and chest would become splotchy and I would feel very panicky. This would last about half an hour then I would sleep. When I would wake up after the medicine, I (for the situation) actually felt pretty good.

    Drinking was a challenge. I had to use a syringe with a plastic extension to get it closer to my throat. I had some apple juice, it was pretty tasty. I was having some pain in my jaws when I would swallow. I was already starting to have feeling in my chin and lips. My Doctor said that is actually a good thing in the long run. It means that the nerve damage was very minimum and the healing will proceed very well. The bad thing about it is because of the numbness being little, I didn't have the luxury of the numbness covering the pain.
    My goal for this day was walking at least four time troughout the day and try to start drinking. Drinking was really slow for me and I found having to use the bathroom annoying. Everytime I would have to go, I'd call the nurse and wait for her to come and then have to get unpluged and then I could go to the bathroom. I never realized how much I like my bathroom freedom until now. I did really like walking around the hospital though.
    The swelling wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. All in all I would say that day one was pretty easy. The worst for me was the pain and difficulty that swallowing brought. I did get my catheter removed today though and that made moving a lot easier.
    *WARNING* if doctor advises a pain medication called Lori Tab, pleased be warned that it's base is alcohol and it burns the mouth when it comes in contact with incisions.      
                                          

my first swelling pic

     

Day 2

     I had a good amount more of pain today. A lot of it was in the roof of my mouth and the incision marks on the lower jaw. I wasn't having an easier time with drinking today either. I was also having more of an issue with feeling very anxious when I would start to hurt or get very tired. My mother help me a lot to use my tools to overcome these small episodes and remain in control. When my pain medicine would kick in though I actually felt pretty good and happy during the afternoon.

   I tried chocolate Ensure today too. It was pretty awful. Not something I'm interested in ever having again. I was having a really hard time eating anything today. Which was not a good thing because they couldn't remove the IV until they were sure I could keep myself hydrated. I also took my first shower since the surgery. My mom helped me a lot. It felt soo nice to be clean again.

    My Dad came and visited us today!! It felt like a week since I had seen him last. He brought me my favourite pair of pj pants. They are so comfy. I was actually starting to feel human. But for every good there are bads. Only a half an hour after my dad got there I started feeling really bad. Unfortunately the rest of the day was not a good one at all. My jaws began to hurt again, my arms felt like noodles, my head and neck began to hurt and mentally I felt very agitated and panicky. This continued until I fell asleep and was almost as bad when I would wake up in the middle the night. 

    I was also having issues with bad stomach aches from not having ate any food for three days. He did wire my mouth shut today. It really removed a lot of the swallowing pain. I did have a mental frustration about not being able to move my mouth though. I did have problems with feeling like I couldn't breath as well. Now looking back at all the days I have experienced so far I would have to say this one was the worst.  

     

my swelling was the worst today

 

Day 3

        COMING HOME TODAY!! Woke up feeling okay today. Still didn't sleep very well. The Doctor came and checked on me. He said that my lack of numbness is way ahead and my drinking is good. I will be seeing him again on Monday. I felt kinda weird though. It has only been three days since my surgery but it feels like it's been so much longer. My IV was taken out today though. I feel completely free now! Nothing tying me to any machines. I also got dressed and put shoes on (they weren't tied but still). My dad came and picked us up around 4:00 and we headed home. I was very very happy to finally be home. All my siblings were so excited that I was back. I'm doing a lot better now that I'm home. I still have my downs but they're not nearly as bad as they were in the hospital. 

 

YEAH! GOING HOME