Long-Overdue Status Update

Well, it's been a whirlwind 3 weeks. I apologize for not posting earlier. With everything moving so quickly, I didn't have time to set up my Internet at home before the surgery. I also apologize for the quality of my pictures. They were all taken with my iPhone. Anyhow, here's a quick overview of how I got to today . . .

1/6/11: Pre-opp appointment. Learned how I thought they were going to do the surgery (more on this later). Confirmed it would only be upper jaw. At that time, I was told I'd be wired shut for 10 days and would be in the splint for 6 weeks.

1/7/11: Got a phone call from the surgeon's office telling me they had to move my surgery up by four days. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it meant going from having my surgery on a Tuesday to having it the previous Friday -- which meant one less weekend to prepare. In the end, it was a good thing. I was able to get this process started earlier. But, it was a lot to process on that day.

1/8-9/11: Got out of dodge. As my last weekend before surgery, I wanted to make it a good one. My boyfriend (who deserves more thanks than I could ever possibly express in words) and I went to SF for the weekend and had a great time.

1/10-13/11: Got ready. Did my labs; bought my prescriptions, liquid food, water circulation machine, humidifier, etc.; and tried to finish up work. I also had my last Mexican food meal for awhile. My wonderful girlfriends and I went out for dinner and had a great time. Mmmm . . . chips, guac and margaritas! Had my last real meal on the 13th with my boyfriend and it was great -- my favorite sandwich from my favorite marketplace.

1/14/11: Surgery day. One of my great friends (who also deserves a ton of thanks) had the procedure six years ago. So, we agreed a long time ago that she would take me to the hospital and pick me up. Got there super early. Did all the pre-surgery stuff. My BP was sky high at first, but it came down. There were so many things to do before the surgery. Most were fine, but the nasal sprays weren't any fun. But, worth it to let me breathe during the procedure. I talked to both surgeons, met the anesthesiologist and his assistant, and met the nurses. They started my IV and told me the next few steps. They said I probably wouldn't remember going into the operating room, but I actually did. I remember looking up and there were a ton of people around me. Next thing I knew, I was in the recovery area and was being moved into my hospital room. I stayed there until the following day. I slept most of the time. It was during this time that I learned I was not wired shut. I had my splint and I was banded shut. More on that later.

1/15/11: Discharge day. After fixing some things with my prescriptions, I went home. My boyfriend stayed with me until my mom came. I didn't do much of anything. Just tried to recover.

1/16/11: Woke up and one of my bands broke. After finally getting through to the right people at the hospital (it was a Sunday of a 3-day weekend), one of my surgeons said to come to the emergency room and he'd meet me there (awesome!). So, back to the hospital we went. He fixed it and we were on our way back home.

1/17/11: Went on my first public outing. We walked to Starbucks and the local froyo shop, which are about a quarter of a mile from my house. I'm not gonna lie . . . it was tiring. I had a little breakdown moment in the middle of Starbucks. It started when I realized (or at least thought) that people were looking at me and all of my swelling, etc. and it got worse when I realized that I couldn't drink the yummy-looking drink we bought. I can't use a straw and couldn't find a way to get the drink to the back of my mouth so it could get around my teeth. So, we walked it home and used one of the fancy-schmancy syringes I used to "eat." I think everyone has (and probably needs) that breakdown moment at some point. It's one of those things that seems dumb in hindsight, but at the time your emotions are so high and just need to be released.

Over the next several days, I continued to recover. I used my water circulation machine to help the swelling and bruising go down and did a lot of sleeping. My mom, dad and boyfriend stayed with me on different days. Darla, my boyfriend's wonderful dog, also stayed with me for that next weekend. She is so mellow, it was great. The weather got a little better and by then I was able to walk her around the block and get some fresh air, which was nice. I also spent a lot of time cuddling with her.:)

1/24/11: First post-opp appointment. This is where I started to get a little anxious. I'm not really at a point where I can write about it because I'm still processing it and want to minimize my anxiety. But, the gist is that the surgery was done differently than I was initially told. I got the splint off and continued to be banded. Getting the splint off was great -- I could talk much better and people actually understood what I was saying for the most part. During the few days before this appointment, I started to get some pretty bad headaches. After the splint came off, the headaches increased in intensity and frequency. I contacted my surgeon and set up another appointment for later in the week.

1/26/11: Follow-up appointment. By this point, I had discovered where the pain was coming from. All of the pressure was focused on one area. The surgeon took off most of my bands. I'm supposed to watch it and see how it goes. If the pain doesn't stop, they'll have to get creative. My headache was horrible last night. Horrible. But, it was the same day he took off the bands and I'm hoping that was just residual of the bands and that the pain will be gone soon. I've decided to have faith in God and the surgeons, practice my patience, and have a positive attitude. One of my best friends had brain surgery a few years ago and is doing great. Another had a lung transplant and has an amazingly positive attitude. When I think of them, I get perspective and remember not to complain about this process, which is so minor compared to what they went through.

So, with all of that explanation, I'm still pretty happy. I am happy with how my smile looks and believe the headaches will go away and I'll have a functional bite. I just have to continue being patient and understand there's still a little work to be done through orthodontia to get everything in place. And, with each day, I get closer to being able to do all of the things I miss. I've started to do a little work from home and am trying to ease my way back into life.

I'll try to keep you all updated as things progress. For now, I think it's just a lot of waiting. It looks like things have quieted down a bit in the jaw surgery blog world. I hope everyone going through this process -- and everyone supporting someone going through this process -- is doing well. Thinking good thoughts for everyone!