15 months post op pics

I took these photos in June at my 15 month mark.  I didn't get around to posting them until now. It's been a fun summer with vacations and pool time but sadly, it's coming to an end.

My surgeon is extremely pleased with my outcome.  I am fairly happy about things also.  I was super happy until I started my veneer work in July.  Don't get me wrong, it's taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that jaw surgery did not and could not make me drop-dead gorgeous.  There are still things about my face I thought would be better, but I was slightly delusional pre surgery.  I mean, they sawed my face apart, had it all out on the table, why couldn't they put me back together to look like Cindy Crawford?!  I know, I know, they are surgeons not miracle workers. (Well, I know that now.)  But after a few months of coming to terms with my new, not Cindy Crawford face, I'm OKAY with it.  I know it looks a bit better and it works a hell of a lot better, so that's good enough for me.

Veneers added a new level of drama. Now I'm bummed, in pain, and worried about how to handle it.  But I'll try to stay positive and talk with my cosmetic dentist tomorrow about it.  I'll update when I have some answers. 

For now, current pictures...

                                         

Not my typical profile pics, but the half-side angle was one I avoided like the plague for years.  Now, I don't hate it so bad...

   Teeth close up (before veneers) and clear retainers (luckily NOT like the ones I had as a kid)...

My mouth is looking great these days, but what the hell is up with the bags under my eyes?! 

Damn you old age!

 

And just for kicks, before surgery and 5 months post op (that I thought I would look like for-evah) to compare to now...

Freedom!

After almost three years of dental purgatory, I am brace free!  I feel naked, and I like it!

Here are a few pics of the 2 hour process of removing ceramic braces...

 

 

  Here is my bite positioner I have to wear for 4 weeks.  I'll wear it 4 hours a day at least, and every night until my bottom teeth are straightened back out and ready for veneers...



Cute look, no?  I don't even care that it's foul, and tastes bad, and makes me drool and I can't speak with it in.  I'm just glad to be brace free!  Well folks, I'm off to eat me some corn on the cob, woohoo!


 I'll leave you with one last awful pic.  It's unflattering as all get out, but I love my new big cheesy smile!

One year plus

It's been just over one year since my surgery.  I meant to post last month, but never got around to it.  So, the bad news...I'm still in braces

The good news...they come off in 17 days!

The fantastic news...I feel great!

I still have a bit of numbness around the sides of my chin. I'm sure it's as good as it will get at this point, but it only bothers me when something brushes it, like my coat collar.  There are things about my appearance that I will always wish better improved, but functionally I feel fantastic.  I can chew and bite normally for the first time in my life.  My TMJ pain is at least 90% improved from before surgery and I hardly ever get a headache.  This last point is amazing to me.  I didn't realize that my head, along with my jaw was in constant pain for so many years.  I also have great range of motion, 44mm's, which my OS says is astonishing considering my case. 

So, now I count down the days until de-banding.  I'll have an articulated bite positioner (or something like that) I'll have to wear for a while, then I'll get my lower veneers and be done.  I can see the finish line finally and I'm over the moon happy!  Hope you are all well :)

Scratch Plan B

Shortly after surgery, my OS told me the plan was to complete my treatment down the road with veneers on 6 bottom teeth.  My bottom teeth are teeny tiny and have gaps between all front 6.  To prevent shifting of my teeth and for bite retention they would need to be touching.  I discussed this with my OD and asked him what plan B was.  I told him I was not comfortable with 6 lower veneers if I had another option.  I just couldn't stand the thought of altering my natural teeth which were perfectly functional even though they didn't look perfect. I shuddered at the cost, the fact that veneers would need replaced at some point in my life, and the thought of my bottom teeth looking different from my top teeth.  So, he came up with plan B for me which was to pull the bottom 6 together with braces then build up the two teeth behind my bottom eye teeth to close those two gaps.  I was much more comfortable with this plan as it only altered two teeth. So, we progressed with this plan and have been working on it for the past several months.

Skip to last week...
It didn't work.  My bottom teeth did come together.  But my jaws are wonky and not symmetrical, so to keep the midlines lined up I ended up with a very large space on the left side and none on the right.  You could almost put another tooth in that gap!  So, we've had to nix plan B and go back to plan A.  I'm very frustrated.  Not with my team or anything, just with the situation.  They tried, and I'm thankful for that.

I saw the cosmetic dentist my OS wants me to see.  He said 6 lower veneers are my only option at this point.  If I would have gone along with this recommendation from the begining, I'd be done and brace free today.  Oh well.  Now, we must spend the next few months spreading the teeth back out to where they were to prep them for veneers.  I know, I know, I'm an idiot!  I've had these braces on since July of 2010 and I'm antsy to be done.

Over the next 3 months, hopefully the teeth will cooperated and I'll get started on my veneers.  I have to come up the 10 grand ASAP to cover the cost.  Nauseated!  Between the $5,500 for braces (this round), several hundred dollars in out of pocket expenses for surgery and $10, 000 for veneers, I'm financially drained.  At least the surgery was covered I guess, but I wasn't expecting the braces to cost so much and I was never planning on 10 grand in veneers so I'm feeling quite stressed about all the money.
Sorry for the whining, I should be more grateful I suppose.  I'm just stressed about the unexpected costs.

Almost over

I just came from the OD.  He said it's possible I'll get my braces removed in 2 months!  I'm so excited about this.  I could have gravel free teeth in 8 short weeks :)

Once they are removed, I'll go for my retainers.  Then I plan on having my teeth bleached but not sure what my options are.  I'll have to look into it, but I'll probably go with what ever works the fastest.  I'm tired of waiting, and waiting for results.  So, I'm looking for some instant gratification here.  Anyone have some advice?  Then, I'll have to have some cosmetic work done on a few teeth to fill the gaps.  Then new retainers again.

So, in 3 months (fingers crossed) I may have a perfect smile.  I can't wait!

Recent pics

Keir and I went to a wedding on Sunday.  We managed to snap a few photos.  I am so much less paranoid about my face now.  These pics were taken quickly, no posing or posturing of my jaw like I've done for years.  It's nice to finally not HATE the random pictures.

Almost 6 months!

I can't believe I'm almost 6 months post-op now.  At times it feels like just yesterday I was a big ball  of misery on my Mom's easy chair.  I'm feeling pretty good these days and don't have any major complaints.  My pain is minimal and at this point I'm in much less pain than before surgery.  That said, I'd have to consider this journey all worth the hassle.  Though, I'll admit, there were times when I wasn't so sure.

I'm so greatful to be at this point.  My jaw and face are mostly healed and I didn't have any major complications.  I'm back to a normal life and I'm starting to forget about my broken face.  Most days I'm not freaked out when I look in the mirror, so I guess the new look is growing on me.  There is a small vain voice in my head once in a while that wishes I could have had a better asthetic outcome.  You know, more symmetry, less jowls, a better nose.  I mean, they took my face apart, so why couldn't they put me back together to look like Cindy Crawford?  I know, they are surgeons not miracle workers.  So, I'm just thankful to have a slightly improved look and greatly improved function.

I saw the OS yesterday.  He is very pleased with everything and doesn't want to see me for 3 months.  That is such a relief because the every 4 week appointments were getting bothersome.  I see the OD on October 2nd and we will talk about how much longer I'll need these wretched braces.  It's taking a while because the OS and OD wanted to have veneers placed on my bottom teeth to close the gaps on my very tiny lower 6 teeth for bite retention.  I really didn't want to go that route, so the OD is trying to pull my lower 6 together with a power chain, then I'll have some bonding done behind them to close those 2 gaps.  Seems to be working.  Fingers crossed!

Blog settings

Does anyone know how I can make my blog slightly less public without setting it to private?
For instance, when  one googles "droopy dog jaw"  my blog pics come up in the internet search.  I'm not too sure how I feel about this level of public access to my messed up mug.  I do want my blog to be accessible for public searches but I'd rather my pics not pop up everywhere.  Any suggestions?

5 months or 155 days

It's been 155 days since they sawed my face apart.  Although I expected to be much more recovered at this point, the last few weeks have shown drastic improvement.  A quick run-down of key jaw surgery talking points for you:

Pain
SOOOO much better the past 2 weeks.  I thought it may never let up.  I'm able to be more
active without paying for it the next day.  I even managed yard work in the heat last weekend without my face getting sore.  I actually climbed up on a ladder and trimmed trees!  Go me.  It's still a bit sore and tender to touch on either side of the bridge of my nose, sort of on the front of my cheeks.  Also, the spot on my left mandible (where I was afraid a pin was loose) is still sore to press on or lay on.  My TMJ pain is significantly better the past 2-3 weeks.  All in all, I'm fairly pain free.

Swelling
My cheeks are still puffyish, but it is slowly melting away.  I've always had kind of chubby cheeks though, so I don't know if it will get much better at this point.  I think the puffiness is just slightly relocated from where it used to be.  I know my joint swelling is still decreasing though because things are lining up with my bite and the pressure feels a lot less in the joint. I'm still taking Ibuprofen twice daily (doctor's orders) and if I miss a dose, I start to feel it.

                         "Seriously? With the cheeks? Still?!"                                  

Numbness
I still have two spots of tingly numbness on either side of the bottom of my chin.  It feels really strange to touch it there.  My lips are maybe 20% numb now, but I don't notice it much.  My top 4 teeth and the roof of my mouth directly behind the teeth is all still fairly numb but it doesn't bother me a bit.  If my numbness didn't improve beyond this point, I could live with it and not be very bothered.  At the end of the day, I still have a bit of that mask-like feeling of my cheeks and lips where it all feels tight and weird.  But it's not a big deal.

Bite
My bite is finally starting to feel comfortable.  I don't have to think about lining up my jaw when closing my teeth together.  Most of the time, it just goes where it should.  My four back molars still don't touch but the OD took the brackets off those teeth with hopes they will come down and eventually make contact.  My midlines are lining up better and I haven't needed to wear my guiding elastic in over 2 weeks.  Yay!  The gaps to either side of my top 4 teeth (where they segmented my jaw) are almost completely closed now.  So it's looking slightly less wonky.  The gaps in my lower teeth (that I have always had) are closing up nicely also, thanks to the closed link power-chain from hell.  Ouchie.

                                                                               
Eating
I am at one with the lettuce!  I can now manage to eat a salad without incident, talk while eating without spitting, and have a proper social lunch with friends.  I've conquered steak and potato chips lately also, without pain.  I've come to conclusion that black beans and rice are the anti-braces meal for a proper social lunch with friends.  Regardless of how easy they are to eat, and regardless of how yummy they may be, trust me my friends, you do NOT want to attempt this meal in public.  Unless, of course, you would like to make a true spectacle of yourself while flashing a grill FULL of black and white lumps.  That, and cooked spinach.  For goodness sakes, avoid the spinach!

Speech
No real problems with my speech now.  I've learned to say my S's and T's without biting my tongue.  Very happy about this accomplishment.  My lisp (pre-surgery) is mostly gone now that I have top teeth over bottom teeth.  I do whistle accidentally through my teeth once in a while (like granny's ill-fitting denture whistle) but I cannot manage to whistle on purpose.  Go figure!

Hope you all are doing well either in your recovery or in your pre-op preparations.  And if any of my posts worry you, just remember that I was a more complicated case than many, and most people will recover more quickly than I have.  Despite this long road, I'm fairly certain I will have no regrets in the long run.  Smiles!

                                                                        

Almost 5 months post op

Time is really buzzing by these days.  Over the last two weeks I've seen the OS and the OD.  The surgeon is really happy with how everything looks.  I was worried about a pain I've been having on my left mandible.  Around where the hardware is, when I rub it too hard, like when washing my face or applying sunscreen, I get this sharp pinch in my skin like something is cutting me.  I was concerned a pin may be coming loose.  But they took an xray and said it looks fine.  He said the area of pain is where the ligament connects to bone and it's probably just sore still.  I'm also worried about my abilities; the heat is hard on me.  When I get overheated more than one day in a row, I get lots of swelling and pain.  I'm also still not able to bend over for long without a lot of pressure and aching in my face.  I told the OS, "I still can't scrub my floors."   His response was, "well, you shouldn't be doing that yet, tell your husband to do it."   HAHAHAHAHAHA, yeah, sure doc.  He's a good guy and all, but not exactly a scrubbing the floors kinda guy.  He said, "you tell him I said it's doctors orders."  I love my surgeon :)   He told me not to worry and just take it easy.  And that total recovery for this surgery is 6 to 12 months.  I know he said this prior to surgery, I just didn't believe him I guess.

The OD has fit me in a couple extra times to make adjustments to my wires.  I've had problems lately with a couple teeth on the front left hitting first and throwing off my bite.  It then flairs up my ongoing right joint pain and is truely a bother.  He's getting it sorted out though and things are feeling a bit better.  Eating is getting easier, but I have to back off because I've put on a few pounds lately (sigh).  But I'm working on that now.  Last night I had my first salad.  I've missed my salads, it's the one thing I really can't eat well.  But, after 50 min, I consumed and entire Insalata Mista with grilled chicken from Bravos and it was delicious! 

I go back to the OS and the OD in about 4 weeks.  I'll update then with pics.  Hope you all are feeling well and enjoying this beautiful summer!

Blocked from blogs?

Some of the blogs I've been following won't allow me to read now.  I'm not sure if maybe I've annoyed some people or they have changed their privacy settings.  When I go to certain blogs, I get a message that I haven't been invited to read.
So, if this was done intentionally, I'm terribly sorry to have offended or annoyed you.

Happy Days

Just a quick update.  I think my jaw is finally lining up.  I've only worn my guiding elasitic for about 2 hours over the last three days and my bite is staying in place!  This makes me more happy than you could imagine because this issue has been my biggest worry since the surgery.  The pain in my joint is much less lately, even though I've been chewing more things along with being significantly more active.  And my bite feels much more stable.  This is the light I was looking for at the end of this long tunnel!  I guess the joint swelling is finally going down.  Thank goodness!

11 weeks, before and after pics

Sorry I haven't posted.  We've been so busy!
I had my check up about 2 weeks ago.  It went well.  Doc was very pleased with how well I was doing and how everything looked.  Said the bones were all healed and I was free to do what ever I felt like I was capable of.  But no chewy or crunchy foods, it would aggravate my joint swelling.  He said I still have a good deal of swelling, in the joints and in my cheeks, and that it will take me several more months to get rid of that.  He said considering my case, it's common to have the lingering swelling.  They removed the stubborn stitch that was under my top lip and discussed use of the guiding elastic.  I still have to wear the guiding elastic, but it's on an "as needed" basis now.  I'm able to leave it out for a few hours, then I feel my bite shifting, so I put it back in.  It doesn't bother me anymore, but I worry about my bite shifting once I don't have braces.  He also said that my 30 mm opening was pretty good for this stage of the game, that's all you really need to be functional.  And it will continue to increase over time.
The OD did some fun (insert sarcasm) stuff the following week.  But I'm excited to wrap this up, so wrench away doc!  Here are my pics before and at 11 weeks:

                                             
                                                  The biggest cheezy smile ever...look, top
                                                   teeth over bottom teeth, woohoo!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful Moms out there. 

We are all blessed to have the best job in the world.  I never thought so much responsiblity would be so rewarding.  I am greatful every single day for my precious little girl.  I was chosen to be her Mommy, and I couldn't be more honored. 

Have a wonderful day!

Week 5 pics

I got a call from my boss yesterday.  They got my leave approved and I return on the 1st.  My checkbook is so relieved!  I'm still super dependent on my my Ibuprofen and Tylenol for pain relief.  Sometimes I still need a Vicodin at night.  But it's all pain in my right TMJ.  If it weren't for this darn joint problem, I'd be mostly pain free.  But, it's getting better, so I'm not trying to whine about it. 

Not too excited about my looks yet, I'm hoping there's A LOT of healing ahead.  I feel like my face is cartoonish, resembling Droopy dog.  The flipped up nose and long space between my nose and upper lip are the things which concern me most, but maybe it won't look so bad in 6 months.  Not liking the jowls either, but I had a bit of that pre-op too.  That can go away easily with liposuction if I still hate it in a year.  I'll try not to focus on my looks for a while, because the OS said it will be 6-12 months to see the final result.  Some pics from today...

Where oh where has my upper lip gone?  Where oh where can it beee??!  (singing)

Droopy dog reincarnated...

This is as wide as I can open right now.  The right TMJ is the painful one, but the left has limited range of motion. 

Looks really wonky to me, hoping it will all straighten out

Weeks 4 & 5- phantom cobwebs and bee stings

Right around the 4 week mark, the cloud lifted.  I woke up one day and didn't feel like I'd been hit by a truck.  Everyday after, the pain became noticeably less.  And within a few days I was down to half a Vicodin ES plus 500 mg Tylenol twice daily.  Please keep in mind, if you are reading my blog preop, most people don't experience the pain I have.  Most people are totally numb through most of it.  I had very little nerve damage, partially due to luck but mostly due to a fantastic, experienced surgical team.  But, that means I have more pain early on.  I'm okay with that, it will serve me better in the long run.  I also had quite a bit of joint damage, particularly in my right TMJ, prior to surgery.  That is because I delayed my surgery for so many years.  Most of my post-operative pain has revolved around that right TMJ, which is expected to heal.  My suggestion is to do the surgery before you end up with so much joint damage in the first place (hind sight is 20/20).

Right around the same time, I hit a wall with food.  I thought I might vomit at the mere sight of one more bowl of soup or mush.  My daily regimen of gruel was dragging me down.  I just NEEDED some real food.  One day I had made Mara a lazy dinner of chicken nuggets, tater tots, and canned green beans (homemade meals have been scarce lately).  I looked at my can of soup and decided to not blend it and see what happened.  So I mashed the chicken and carrots with my fork and swallowed bits of them mixed with broth and whole grains of rice.  I just didn't care anymore.  Then I thought, if could swallow rice whole, then I can swallow other things whole if I cut them up to the size of a grain of rice.  So, I commenced to dicing up a chicken nugget into 1mm cubes.  I then dipped each tiny piece into ketchup and swallowed it whole, one by one.  Forty-five minutes later, I had eaten 2 entire chicken nuggets, 5 green beans and 2 tater tots!  I felt vindicated, despite the pain it put me in.  The next few days I continued to swallow tiny bits of real food and my energy really started to kick up.

The process of nerve regeneration is quite fascinating to me.  The areas where I have more numbness are my cheeks, nose and upper lip.  They feel tight, heavy, mask-like and falsely sticky.  Over the last two week though, I feel the numbness slowly melting away from my upper eyelids downward.  As the nerves come back to life, they fire intensely or incorrectly.  This gives me weird sensations of phantom runny noses,  cobwebs on the cheek, and bee stings on my lip.  Shocking as they are every time, I'm grateful for them because it reminds me I am healing a little more every day.

Monday, at around 4.5 weeks, I had my splint removed.  It was planned to be on for 6  weeks, but because my bite was so off and I couldn't close my teeth without moving my left inner cheek out of the way, the OS wanted to take the splint off to evaluate the situation better.  He said everything looked good even though only my left canines touched.  They took more x-rays and handed them to me with a note for the OD.  I snuck a peak on the way to OD, wow, just crazy!  I have a total of 6 plates, 32 screws and 2 pins!  Add all that to the plate and 6 screws in my wrist from a quad riding accident and I think I am officially  THE BIONIC CHIC!   I want a tee-shirt or something :)

The OD said everything looked good too.  He didn't seem the least bit concerned about the sideways jaw.  He said jaw surgery isn't an exact science and there are usually discrepancies which need corrected with orthodontics post-op.  I personally don't quite understand why it can't be put back together perfectly, but perhaps my expectations are too high.  So, the wicked band made an unwelcome come-back that day.  Looks like I'm stuck with it 24/7 for the next 4 weeks at minimum.  It's going to pull my jaw back to the right and square it up as the joint swelling decreases.  Well, that's the game plan anyhow.  Fingers crossed, 'cuz this bad boy HURTS.  It better be worth it.  They removed all my surgical hooks, wires and bands then let me brush and floss.  I asked if they had a wire pot brush and some bleach I could brush with.  My mouth felt that gross. Then I got new wires, bands, an two new hooks for the wicked band.  AAAHHHH, all clean.  After that, I made Keir take me to Bob Evans for some pancakes and eggs.  Wow, real food with a real fork.  Good riddance splint.

The last few days have been good.  I can now speak without spitting and drink without drooling.  Eating more foods, feeling less pain, and becoming more active happens slowly but surely.  Mara told me, "Mommy, you can talk like a big girl now.  Good Job!"  I just love her so much.  She has made me smile through the pain and get out of bed when I didn't think I could.  She makes me pretend cakes and soups to "help me feel better" and kisses my  "boo-boo face" with the sweetest little smile.  In the beginning she said, "see what happens when you don't brush your teef Mommy? You get cabities and the doctor has to cut your bones!"  So stinkin cute!  I'll post pics tomorrow, just don't feel like putting on any make up today.  I'm packing up boxes of clothes and shoes that Mara has outgrown to send off to a dear friend and her little girl.  And that just does not require mascara :)

Day 23- grasping for optimism

Sorry I haven't posted all week.  I've been a bit down in the dumps.  I'll do my best to minimize this airing of grievances.  Tuesday morning I woke up to a gusher of a nose bleed.  I didn't know a nose could bleed so profusely without having met the business end of an upper extremity.  I could not get the bleeding to stop.  So, I call the surgeon and they say come right away to the office.  That was fun, getting dressed one-handed (other hand pinching my nose with a dish towel), and getting my 3 year old out the door for school.  Although, Keir did most of the work.  By the time we made it to the office my nose had stopped bleeding.  That was probably an hour and a half.  OS says it may have been the motrin I was taking regularly in between my Vicodin.  He had told me to take it, and I was.  I've taken large amounts of NSAID's for many years due to my back problems and never had any complications, but perhaps this was too soon after surgery to resume.  So, he said no work on Tuesday or Wednesday and I may return on Thursday. 

Thursday I go to work only to have another craptastic day.  Got screwed over by a co-worker, then subsequently told that I was being relocated to another office which would add an hour drive each way to my commute.  So,  I'm barely able to do my job now, which is local.  Now, I'm to drive an hour plus to work, learn a new job, talk way more that I would have to at this office, then commute an hour plus home each day.  Can I drive that far while still taking pain pills?  I'm thinking not!  SHIT!  I could barely process all this because of the pain, so, I went home and cried some more.

Friday I wake up to more bleeding and so much pain I just want to chop my head off.  Why is my pain getting worse instead of better?  And why is my freagin mandible so far off the left?!  I've had it.  I feel like the OS isn't listening to me,  I can't take this pain anymore, and I obviously can't work when I'm spewing blood everywhere.  So, it's an understatement to say that I went back to work too early.  I'm a tough cookie. I've had chronic pain (and I mean PAIN) since I was 14.  I have never taken narcotics for it, I take my NSAID's, I get my injections, I shake it off, and I get on with life.  I limp down the halls at work, cry in the bathroom when it gets the best of me, shake it off and do my job.  I'm a, "go to work with a fever of 103 and a mask on my face to protect my patients" kind of person.  I rally and I get it done.  Always.  But I'm afraid I have finally met my match.  Double jaw surgery has beaten me,  and I'm finally saying, "I can't handle all of this".  I'm not trying to scare you all,  but take it from me...work at two weeks post op is NOT A GOOD IDEA! 

I took off Friday, this is Saturday and  I'm taking off Monday to get a hold of my OS to see what they say about working.  I know I need more time and I'm going to have to take it, even though it almost guarantees I'll get fired.  I just don't know how much time, or what restrictions I could follow to make it easier on me. 

Some pics from tonight. Please forgive my shameful hair and not enough make up look. It was a very long day and I just felt obligated to post some recent pics.

Day 18- giggles and teardrops

Overall, I'd have to say today was CRAPTASTIC.  It was my first day back to work, which I was not ready for, but I had to go back.  Woke up at 630, took a pain pill, then went back to bed until 730, which was the plan.  Shower, dress, hair, makeup, and packing lunch all proved to be exhausting at 0730.  Got to work to find my boss was there (actually my boss's boss), so I had to put my game face on .  Talking had my face in knots by 0900.  At 1200 I slopped my soup into my sore mouth as gracefully as possible, then went for a walk with my boss.  That sounded like a great idea when he suggested it, but proved to be quite taxing from the cold-induced pain.  I don't know him well, we are both new.  But he seems like a genuinely nice guy and it was so nice to have a non-surgery related adult conversation.  I came back from our walk, tried to get back to work, then the pain hit me.  And then came the tears.  Luckily, nobody saw.  I quickly composed myself, took a Vicodin AND 3 Ibuprofen and got back to work.  The rest of the day was a cycle of laughing or smiling with/at someone and then immediately cringing in pain.  Wow does it hurt to laugh! 
When I got home I went straight for the cozy clothes and plopped my butt down on the couch.  I skipped dinner, no energy to even deal with it, took more pain meds, had a bowl of ice cream, now I'm off to bed. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will feel like groundhog day.  And I'm completely sure that I'm being a whiny asshole.  I'm okay with that.

This concludes tonight's self-pity party.  Tomorrow I will look for my dignity.

Day 15- One wicked band

I've been in quite a bit of pain since my check up.  They pulled my cheek way out from my teeth and I think they tore some skin around my sutures.  My whole mouth is nothing but sutures and they hurt.  But the left side HURTS and is really swollen since Tuesday.  Also, this wretched band in my mouth is causing more pain than imaginable.  My joints hurt so badly since he put this on.  The only good news is, if I put my finger in my mouth and move my cheek out of the way then attempt to bite down, I see that things are squaring up quite nicely.  My lower jaw is much less "off to the left".

This one wicked little band has me back up to 3-4 Vicodin per day.  I hate taking pain pills!  I'm also getting really nervous about my appearance.  I thought the jowls from hell were mostly swelling.  Then I went on some other blogs to look at their 2 week pics.  I see no other jowls from hell.  Please tell me this is not my new face!

Aren't I just a ray of sunshine?! (insert sarcasm)