3 Weeks!

It has been a whole 22 days since surgery! I have to say this past week has gone by a lot faster than the previous two when I was wired shut. I've been out and about much more this week - I'm feeling more like my old self and only having to pop the occasional advil or tylenol here and there.

Last Friday (the 2nd) I had my appointment with my surgeon where he clipped my wires off. It went pretty well, however, I did almost faint. I'm not exactly sure why. I wasn't nervous or scared. I didn't have any pain either. My doctor explained that this can happen and in fact a patient he had seen earlier actually did faint. It's the feeling of the release I think - the wires were my jaw's security blanket and when they were removed, my jaw felt "loose". Luckily that feeling lasted only a few minutes and now I'm completely used to my two little rubber bands which I remove only at meal times.

On the 8th, I had my first post-op appointment with my orthodontist who just gently prodded and took a look at things. There's not much that can be done until my splint comes out (at the 6 week mark). Speaking of this splint, it is quite annoying. Food gets stuck in there every time I eat and it now looks just plain nasty. It's the one thing keeping me away from a completely clean mouth and clear speech. Well, at least I've only got 3 more weeks to go. Anyways, pictures and x-rays were taken and everyone in the office oohed and ahhed at my post-op appearance. My surgeon should be proud.

Even though I can only open wide enough to barely fit a (baby) spoon in, it still feels so much more liberating. No more bland foods! My first foods I devoured after my appointment were mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. It was so nice to finally feel satiated again. I'm quite grateful that I can now have foods like hummus, ice cream, applesauce, rice, pudding, polenta, and gnocchi. Today I actually had my first meal out in public: oatmeal pancakes with maple syrup. It was delicious and I didn't even care if I had some extra hanging off the (numb) right side of my lip. I've even been able to cut up fruit into small pieces and eat that with only a little difficulty, but I see myself making progress everyday. I'm still a bit swollen and obviously quite numb, but it has only been 3 weeks so I can't complain.

My next appointment with my surgeon is this coming Wednesday when we will be working on some jaw stretching. Fun! Here are a few pictures...


20 days post-op





22 days post-op