Day 43 - Unwiring Day!

Hey everyone! Since today was my last day wired shut I thought I would tape myself talking so you guys can hear what I sound like with my jaws wired shut:

Like I said, I taped that video on the way to the doctor's office. I was so nervous! Dr. Fujimoto had warned that it would be a pretty weird feeling once my wires were cut so I wasn't really sure what to expect. As we all know, Jen does not do well with the unknown! So as Mom, Kevin and I were escorted into Dr. Lee's office (Dr. Fujimoto was on vacation) my anxiety was peaking. 

By the time he came in, I was just ready for this to happen! We chatted a bit, and then he decided to just get on with it. He laid my chair back and started snipping away. It took quite a bit to get those damn wires out of my mouth. At one point, he snipped a wire and it was digging into my lip. I think he thought that my lips were still numb because he was not in any rush to move it until I told him I was in pain. After he snipped the last wire, he lifted my chair up and said he'd give me some time alone to work on opening my mouth. 

I'm really struggling with words to describe how it felt when I first opened my mouth. It just felt so insanely foreign. I also felt like my mouth was so wide open, but when I looked in the mirror, my mouth was barely open. It was a weird flood of emotions too. I saw Kristin Bell once on Ellen and she said that emotionally, if she's not between a 3 and an 8 on a scale of 10, she's crying. That pretty much perfectly summed up how I was feeling. I immediately welled up and started crying. I was just so happy that this first leg of my recovery was over, but at the same time, so scared and frustrated at what was yet to come. After I calmed down, I was able to check my mouth out a bit more. Without the plastic splint in my mouth, my teeth felt so weird touching each other. Dr. Fujimoto had warned me that some of my back teeth would hit each other after the surgery, but that Dr. Kaprelian would work on fixing it once I could get back to working with him. 

After a bit, Dr. Lee came back in and checked my progress and bite. He said that everything looked really good. I asked him if I could brush my teeth, and he kinda chuckled and said I would't be able to fit my toothbrush in my mouth. But I was determined, dammit! So I tried…and he was right. But I did my best, and just being able to open my mouth and rinse it out felt phenomenal. After, Dr. Lee came back in and put my elastics on. I was very confused, because he never put my splint back in! So I asked him about it, and he said that my bite was doing so well that I didn't need it. You see, since I had an asymmetry in my jaw, the muscles have built up and are always going to try and open/close my jaw the same way it always has. The elastics are there to train my bite to open and close properly in its new alignment. And since Dr. Kaprelian did such a great job setting my teeth up before the surgery, I don't need the extra help that the splint provided. So huzzah! No more splint!

Dr. Lee handed me a baggy of elastics, explained that I need to wear them all the time except when I'm eating or brushing my teeth and sent me on my way. The whole car ride home I just couldn't believe how my teeth felt. For example, now my front bottom teeth fit snugly behind the backs of my front top teeth! I've never felt that sensation before, and I know it's just going to feel weirder once I start eating. 

I tried to stay relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I ended up having to take some tylenol, because I was just a bit sore. After a bit, I figured it was time to try my first meal unwired! I was really craving refried beans with cheese and taco bell mild sauce! So Mom, Dad and I went on an excursion to Taco Bell to grab some. After we came home, Dad got everything together, I pulled out the special gelato spoons that I had bought because I figured they'd be small enough for me to fit in my mouth and I sat down to enjoy my first meal. I took off my elastics and went to dig in…but no dice. The beans were too thick and big and wouldn't fit into my mouth! The other problem is that the beans kept getting caught on the inside of my lips, but I couldn't fit my tongue between my teeth to lick it off! Quite the frustration… So I ended up heating up a bowl of tomato soup and having that as my first meal. I guess I'll just have to try again tomorrow…

But before that, I decided to film myself talking without the wires! The doctor said I'm not supposed to do any unnecessary talking. I really need to baby my jaw for the next two weeks, so don't get too used to hearing me talk :P

Going forward, I'll probably start updating the blog on a weekly basis, since my life is starting to get back to some semblance of normality. But don't worry, I'll keep you all updated on the important stuff ;)

Thanks for reading!

6 WEEKS!!!!

Today's Craving: EVERYTHING

I thought that for my 6 weeks post, I would post some of my before and afters and some progress pictures:

Here you can see the change in my midline. I tried my best to draw a line from the center of my nose, through my cupid's bow (the dip in your top lip) and straight down. You can see how much more centered my jaw is now.

Here's a close up of my teeth, which is the real reason for me having the surgery. As you can see, the alignment on the left made my bite really inefficient. I could't really bite straight through anything (steak sandwich?? forget it) It's also what caused my jaw joints to be out of alignment, causing my TMJ problems. Now, my teeth line up almost perfectly. It's a little hard to see with the splint in my mouth (that clear piece between my teeth). After I am done recovering from surgery, my orthodontist will work on making sure my teeth are straight and fitting in my mouth as best as possible. 

Here are my progress pictures from every week:

Tomorrow, I am set to get my wires taken off! I'll be able to brush my teeth and eat soft foods. I honestly cannot believe that 6 weeks has gone by already. I feel good about my recovery so far, and I feel like I am in good spirits. I can only hope that it continues through the rest of my recovery!

Thanks for reading!

Day 41 - We're almost there!

Today's Craving: McDonald's French Fries

I was exhausted this morning. Even though I've transitioned to sleeping in a bed now, for some reason it doesn't feel like productive rest. I just keep waiting for my energy level to get back normal, and I mean it has definitely rebounded a bit since the surgery, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm hoping that once I'm unwired and can eat some actual food, that it will help. 

So I spent the morning laying low and resting. After a bit, Joanna texted me and we made plans to meet up at the pool. Dad came by and picked me up and we headed over to the apartment. It was such a hot day so Joanna and I spent most of our time in the pool. After soaking up as much sun as we could, Dad and I went back home. 

After a quick shower and some rest, I had some visitors: Anthony, Linda and Lucas! They're Kevin's cousins, but I know they like me better :P Linda was sweet enough to make me not one, but two big containers of homemade soup! I absolutely can't wait to dig into both of them as soon as I get my wires off (which is in two days, if you're counting). They smell delicious. They hung out for a bit while we all caught up on what is going on in our lives. It was so good to see them!

After the visit, Mom, Dad, Kevin and I headed up to Whole Foods so they could grab dinner. Meanwhile, I ran next store to CVS to get some more liquid Allegra and Ensure, although now that we're coming to the end I'm pretty sure I'll have some left over. 

Tomorrow is officially 6 weeks since my surgery. I can't believe it! It went so fast, but at the same time, drug on and on and on. 

Here's my progress picture for the day. Savor these last few people :P

Thanks for reading!

Day 39 & Day 40: Weekend Recap

Weekend Craving: Linguica…in any way, shape or form

Day 39 - Saturday

This morning, Kevin and I slept in while Mom and Dad walked to Starbucks. When they got home, we got ourselves together and headed out to run some errands. First, we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings so everyone could get some lunch. I had figured that they had to serve milkshakes there, but once we were seated and I checked out the menu, I realized I was wrong. So we tried to sneak out before our waiter saw us. As we were sneaking out, the manager asked us how our experience was and Mom asked about the milkshakes. When we told him that I was wired shut, he was very accommodating and assured us that he would blend up whatever I needed. So I had a chocolate milkshake for lunch. The other great thing about Buffalo Wild Wings is that they have a restaurant wide trivia game, so I was able to play that rather than staring at everyone eating.

After lunch, we headed over to the Nike Store to check it out, since none of us had been there. They were having a good sale so I picked up a few things. Then we ran over to Old Navy because they were having their $1 flip flop sale. I mean c'mon, who can resist a $1 flip flop?!? I also picked up a birthday outfit for myself since we're less than a week away. We rounded out the errands by doing a Target run, where I only remembered half of the things that I originally planned on purchasing. Why does that always happen when you don't make a list?

Now, when I woke up that morning my nose was a little tickly. I took my allergy medicine (the children's liquid form, of course) and continued on with my day but the tickle never really went away. It wasn't until we got home from our errands that my nose went crazy. I had crossed over into full-blown allergy attack mode. My nose immediately blocked up, meaning that I could only breathe through my mouth. Which, in case you forgot, is wired shut. Also, I did something I've been dreading since my surgery: I sneezed. And…just as I expected, it was pretty uncomfortable. Luckily, I have some pretty good caretakers. Mom set me down in my recliner with a cold compress, while Kevin ran to the store to buy liquid Sudafed and some breath right strips. Luckily, the combo seemed to really help and I was eventually able to breathe again.

After my allergy attack had subsided a bit, we all decided to check out the festa that was happening in San Jose. This was Mom and Dad's first festa experience and, quite frankly, they didn't know what they were getting into. We quickly ran into Kevin's family as soon as we arrived. Everyone else enjoyed linguisa sandwiches and I sat and watched the band. It actually worked out really well allergy-wise, because I was able to hang out in the open air and it made me feel much better. After a bit, we all went back home and immediately passed out.

Festa time!

Day 40 - Sunday

After an exhausting Saturday, I slept in as much as I could on Sunday before getting up to take care of a few things before heading out to Dominic's birthday party. He was turning 7 and was having a pool party to celebrate. Kev and I packed up our suits, sunscreen and some banging gifts (if I do say so myself) and we were on our way.

We got to the pool a little early to help set up for the party. I was helping decorate and Kevin was on lifeguard duty. I brought an Ensure to enjoy while everyone was eating, but Kevin said that the food was awesome. Plus Dominic's grandpa had made this bangin pirate ship out of a watermelon!

I mean, c'mon. Too cool!

When it came time for cake, Amy's mom was even nice enough to get me a milkshake since she knew that I couldn't eat! It was so sweet! She even figured out what flavor is my favorite. It was such a thoughtful gesture on a day when there was already so much going on. We had such a good time celebrating and hanging out with everyone.

After the party, we hadn't had enough pool fun, so we had Mom and Dad meet us at our apartment pool. We all swam for a bit before making our way back home. We spent the rest of the night watching "Iron Man 3" and in my case, booking my hotel for Disney World. Huzzah! Overall, it was a great weekend. I was definitely pooped but it was way worth it :)

Thanks for reading!

Day 38 - live blog

I figured today I'd give you a play by play of my day :)

10:15am - woke up from a night of really weird dreams. Dreams about running into Christiano Ronaldo in an elevator while looking for Katlyn. Kevin said something on portuguese to him, and I tried to take a picture of the two of them and no matter how much I tried, the picture wouldn't come out! The second dream had me going to this really extreme theme park with my Apple coordinator friends. What???

11:00am - The boy meets world episode where Corey follows Topanga to Disney world is on. I'm not going anywhere for the next 30 minutes. 

12:20pm - FaceTime with my second family who are having a great time without me in Havasu! Had to include a picture of the Hearts game I'm missing. (Hey guys!)

2:30pm - Get Well card from my orthodontists office! Totally reflects my attempt at a laid back attitude during this recovery. Not sure how successful I've been at it, but I've tried. 

4:30pm - Mom and I finally got around to watching Jersey Boys.

6:45pm - Meh. The stage show is better. 

7:00pm - I blended myself up some chicken noodle soup. It's delish. 

8:00pm - Dad realized he still had grandma and grandpa's car keys in his pocket so we took a ride over there to return them and hang out for a bit. 

9:30pm - It's time to get home and watch some TV before bed. 

11:45pm - bedtime. Kevin gets to move upstairs with me. Here's hoping he doesn't roll over and punch me in the face in the middle of the night. 

Thanks for reading!!

Day 37 - Closer to getting my wires off

Today's Craving: Wet Burrito

This morning, Joanna and I unfurled our mini american flags and watched the US soccer game together. After the rousing game, we headed over to the pool to relax for a bit. After a while, Dad came and joined me.

Luckily, Jeffrey was cut off from too much pool time because I had an appointment at Dr. Fujimoto's office. After a bit of a wait, Dr Fujimoto came in and checked inside my mouth. Again, he was impressed with how clean I've been able to keep it. Clearly he does not realize how thorough/crazy I am… He also said that the incisions have healed, so I'm very happy about that. Then we started about talking about next week, when I am scheduled to get my wires taken off. The doctor explained that I'd need to make an appointment to come in next week and have the wires removed, and replaced with elastic bands. He warned me that it is going to be a very strange feeling once my wires are removed. My muscles and jaw will need to get used to being used again. It's essentially like sitting on the couch for 6 weeks, and then standing up. Your muscles are just not used to moving and I'm going to have to re-train my jaw to open and close in my new alignment. He said that sometime people can even pass out once their wires are taken off, so they will remove them while I am sitting down. He said that once the wires are cut off, I can open my mouth as much as feels comfortable. I'll also have my first opportunity to remove my plastic splint and to brush my teeth and tongue. That is honestly the part I am most excited about. After that appointment, I'll have my elastics on for the following two weeks. I'll have to wear the elastics all the time, except for when I am eating or brushing my teeth.

As excited as I am about getting my wires off and switching to elastics, I'm also really nervous. I guess a lot of that comes down to the unknown again. I felt the same way before being wired shut. I just wasn't sure what it would be like, or how I would be able to deal with it. But quite frankly, I think I've done pretty well so far; way better than I expected. So I hope that trend continues. Also, why do doctors always have to give you the worst case scenarios? Like telling me about people passing out when they get their wires off? In case I wasn't crazy enough and didn't already have the urge to spend all night googling "Is it painful to have your wires removed after jaw surgery?" (most posts on the message boards point to 'yea, a bit', by the way) now I'm just a bit more anxious. I'm trying to stay positive though. Everything has gone according to plan so far, so I'm optimistic that this too will go off without a hitch.

After my appointment, we headed home and cleaned the house a bit. When Kevin got home from work, he and Dad decided to go to Sam's BBQ for dinner. I tagged along, Ensure in hand. They ordered a bucket of beers, so in essence we were all drinking our dinner :P

Yep, these are the people entrusted with caring for me during my recovery...

We had just gotten back home when Mom arrived in her taxi from the airport. I'm happy to have her home :) We helped her unpack, then all watched some TV together before retiring for the night.

Here's my progress picture:

Thanks for reading!

Day 36 - Highs and Lows

Today's Craving: Bruschetta

So like I said yesterday, I feel like my days (and consequentially, my blog) is getting a little repetitive. So rather than telling you again about how I woke up, drank my Ensure, and watched some TV, I thought I'd try something a little different today. In college, my sorority did something every week called "Highs and Lows" where everyone could stand up and share their, you guessed it, highs and lows. I figured I'd share some of the great things, and some of the not so great things that happened to me today.

Low: I had to pull out all of the work I did on my crochet project yesterday because I realized that I forgot to count the stitches, and I was way off.

High: I got to watch "Parks and Recs"while I was pulling out all my work, and while I fixed my mistake.

Low: The stupid little bumps under my chin have still not gone away >:(

High: Dad and I got some more Vitamin D today and we had the whole pool to ourselves (minus the skinny lady swimming laps who is, oddly enough, more tan then dad.)

Low: I missed a part of my chest when I put my sunscreen on :/

High: Dad got a pedicure today. Yes, you read that right, Dad and I got pedicures. He giggled through the whole part where they scrub the bottom of your foot with pumice. I wish I would have videotaped it.

Low: I was so excited about the pedicure that I didn't remember to drink an Ensure before we left. We had to swing by Target after the pedicures, so we went shopping on an empty stomach. It made me grouchy.

Low: I bought some baked potato soup at Target and blended it up for dinner. When I tried to drink it through a straw, it still clogged up my mouth. I didn't even get to finish it. I had to drink yet another Ensure for dinner.

High: Big Brother started tonight! My ultimate guilty pleasure!

Ultimate Low: I forgot to take a progress picture today :( I'm sucking at that lately.

I hope your day was filled with more highs than lows! Thanks for reading mine :)