Day 22

Day 22 since my double jaw surgery and I feel like I've been run over by a truck!

I had a back molar removed and my splint taken out today. They also removed a metal plate and screw(s) due to the loss of my tooth.

This was all brought to me by the gracious, glorious gift of IV sedation.

Everything went smoothly and only took about 20 minutes. I had the nicest, sweetest anesthesiologist in the universe and my surgeon and all his staff were - as always -  incredible.

Brad drove me straight home and put me to bed, after changing the gauze twice. I also took extra pain meds which I needed. Slept a couple hours and feel much better although a little weaker than before.

My mom went home this morning. Bad timing for this procedure but I knew this would be a cake walk compared to what I've been through so far. It's really weird not having her here and I miss her already!

My tongue has been so active over the last three weeks, it's like having a wild animal in there.

It's gotten sore, healed up and started all over again - numerous times. I've tried to tame it but it's difficult. There is so much new territory to explore and it doesn't know where to start, where to put itself or where to head for it's next adventure.

Now that my splint is gone my tongue has turned into a lump. I think it's in shock.

From the few small treks that my tongue has taken it's even more bizarre than I imagined it would be. It's literally like someone has inserted another jaw, cheeks, chin, teeth and mouth into my face.

I'm a no-go for a soft food diet. I've also taken a step back in that I can't use a straw for a while. I can't drink out of a cup yet, but I can use a spoon and the syringe so I'll manage. Not happy about regressing back to the syringe but it's temporary.

For now I have to stick to my seedless, strained, liquid diet. I'm easy with that, the splint is gone and that is a huge step in my recovery.