More Plates and Screws

Remember when I had jaw surgery?

Can you believe this is still going on? Yesterday I had to have the remaining plates removed from my lower jaw. Deja vu? Yup. I had one plate removed in April.

Recently I developed another infection so we decided to take them all out of my lower jaw. The plates in my top jaw will stay.

 (This is what we took out yesterday.)

Today is all about Netflix, ice packs, smoothies and T3s. 

The recovery isn't too bad but definitely worse than April when I only had one plate removed. I have stitches and swelling and I'm developing some bruising along my jaw.

Oh and one last piece of advice:

The day of IV sedation you aren't allowed to eat or drink anything. The night before, you're allowed to have a normal dinner but likely no alcohol.

What did I do? I went to a Christmas party and had 3 glasses of red wine, one small carrot, a small piece of eggplant, two mussels, a piece of bread and a few spoonfuls of cheesecake.

I wasn't feeling great the night before because I didn't eat enough, and the next day: starving and my surgery wasn't until 2pm.

Hopefully my next post on this subject is announcing the date my braces come off.

Elastics...again.

Lately I've noticed it's been hard for me to bite again. I had ramen soup a week ago and was surprised I couldn't bite the noodles. I checked out my front teeth and yes - my bite is opening up again. It's only about 1mm but that's enough to make things difficult.

So I had an intense orthodontic treatment on Monday. He had noticed my bite opening up over a month ago* so he had a plan. 

I had a band and four brackets removed**. He installed new brackets (no band!) to move my bottom front teeth in a different way. I had to have wire ties again too - which I haven't had in a while. So some sore teeth for the last two days. 

The "best" part - I'm back in elastics at night.

Serious deja vu.

The first hour with the elastics was kind of weird - it really felt like I was clamped shut and had to remember to breathe through my nose. However last night was much easier. This morning I had that familiar sensation of feeling like my jaw was going to fall off when I took them off.

I didn't ask about when the braces are coming off, I have a feeling it won't be the end of the year. Honestly, I'll wear these things another year if I have to in order to help save my bite.

One day after that adjustment - my teeth are touching. I'm always blown away by how fast your teeth actually move - no wonder they get so sore.


*Yup, he knows these things before I do. Crazy.
** I've had lots of anxiety about how this is done but honestly, it wasn't bad. Even the band which freaked me out the most.

Plates and Screws

I'll be honest with you: sometimes I wonder if this is ever going to end.

A few weeks ago I noticed a red bump on one side of my gums. Since I still have partial feeling at best in a lot of areas in my mouth, I wasn't in any discomfort.

My orthodontist thought I should have the plate removed that was next to the bump. Yup, I had an infection. Seven months after the surgery!?

Ugh.

I'll spare you the details of how I ended up here, but it's been interesting! My surgeon is still around but he doesn't have his own office anymore so we were texting to set up appointments and instructions....

Luckily he was willing to work with me and organize with another dentist to use his office and get an anesthesiologist in to have me put under IV sedation. He would have liked to do it with a local, but seriously? The thought of someone using a screwdriver on my jaw?

That is not happening while I'm around.

Everything went smoothly. I have three stitches in my gums and a sore jaw but T3s take care of any discomfort. I'm not even on a liquid diet! Soft foods and no straws for about ten days, or when the stitches fall out.

I took today off work which was the right decision. Now I have the weekend to recover fully.

I can deal. Just let this be the last beating.

Jaw Surgery - Six Month Update

Remember when I had double jaw surgery?

Do you realize that was almost six months ago?! Time flies when you're wired shut, lose feeling in half your tongue and almost all of your face, take six weeks off work and have to learn to eat and talk again.

I know you won't believe this, but I'm not over it yet. Obviously it's not as intense, but there are lots of residual effects that I'm still working through.

I haven't had my BLT, cheeseburger or otherwise fancy sandwich yet. I can only open my mouth 25mm wide right now. (That's 1mm more than I could before surgery.) My jaw muscles are also really weak so chewing hard things like steak or almonds is really tiring, if not impossible.

I started physiotherapy to deal with this. The problem is that my muscles haven't opened wider than this in six years. They don't know what to do or how to move anymore. So I'm working on opening wider and strengthening the muscles.

My poor tongue is still numb. I'm not worried because it normally takes forever to get feeling back when stuff like this happens. It's a little better than before but the improvements are so gradual it's hard to even measure it.

I have feeling back everywhere on my face but my chin is still tingly and partially numb. I would say I have 75% of the feeling back there. I have most of the feeling back inside my mouth but my upper and lower gums are still pretty numb. Upper palette and inside of my cheeks are hit and miss.

My lisp is almost totally gone. Sometimes I find myself saying certain words strangely but overall people tell me they don't notice anything wrong at all. Now I'm self conscious about my 's' sounds because I'm not used to making them!

I went for high tea at The Empress with my mom last year and I had a really hard time with these smoked salmon sandwiches. This year was a different story - look at that bite mark!!*

My orthodontist promised that the braces will come off "this year". I hope that doesn't mean December 31, 2015 but only time will tell.


*If anyone is reading this who struggles with an open bite, I know you will appreciate these photos.

Poor Guy

Sorry about that last post. (Hey Christielli - no hangover!)

I'm about to offer another apology - of sorts.

Remember when I had my tooth pulled? About that same time my tongue went numb along one side - the same side as the missing tooth. I completely blamed my tongue and was heard numerous times calling him an idiot for getting stuck between my new teeth and wearing himself out with all the exploring.

Don't get me wrong - I think by now I'm well versed in the area of dealing with numbness and discomfort. But the last couple of weeks my tongue just felt wrong. It's not numb like the rest of my mouth.

You know when you burn the inside of your mouth and it feels sensitive and tingly after? My tongue feels like that - all the time.

Poor guy.

I'm hoping I can see my surgeon next week. Fingers crossed that he doesn't have to "go back in". The thought of taking another beating from him is enough to make me drink lots of bourbon like in my last post.

Old Fashioned

I met up with a good buddy after work tonight for a drink. WE always have Old Fashions so we didn't break with tradition. I had my first drink and the waiter came by and said it was still storming outside so I ordered another.

Woah.

A few of my friends requested that I blog when I was taking my pain meds while recovering from my double jaw surgery. Well, this blog is for them because I haven't been this drunk for a long time.*

Here's a cartoon I whipped up for the occasion. I took my pants off - for real - but I'm not sure what's going on with my feet.

I think I lost a LOT of weight because normally I could drink more than 1.3 Old Fashions**.


*In fact, since the night I got laid off last year. Member?!
** I had to give my buddy the rest of my second drink.

Eating by Osmosis

So I've been trying to get used to my new mouth, teeth, gums and jaw for exactly one month. I can eat lots of things now including pasta, potatoes, french fries and soft fruit like pears.

Biting is a really new thing for me. The first time I bit something I was amazed my teeth just worked. I thought I'd have to do more to make it happen, it just seemed too easy. I guess the hard part will be training my jaw to open wider and bite harder.

This is the only reason why I haven't had a sandwich, cheeseburger or pizza. I can't open wide enough or bite hard enough.

I was craving chocolate chip cookies on the weekend so I made some. They are great practice for biting because they are relatively soft. I'm so used to breaking them up to eat, I have to form the new habit of biting them like a normal person.

So I get the cookie close to my mouth and angle it towards my teeth. I mechanically open my jaw, push the cookie inside and close my jaw. I can only tell I'm biting it because there is resistance when I close my jaw. I can't feel anything.

Suddenly there is cookie in my mouth.

It's the strangest thing.

First Week Back

I just finished my first week back at work after my double jaw surgery. A bit of a shock being back after six weeks off but the timing was right. Honestly, it felt good to be out in the world again.

I have really supportive work mates and felt so pressure at all to work full time. It was a relief to go back to an environment like this after everything I had been through. I took a couple hours off each day, mainly because I was starving by 3pm and had to go home to eat.*

Remember when I quit my job a few months ago? Well, this is my new office.

It's a "boutique firm" which is trendy talk for "a super small office". I've always worked for big firms - minimum 20 employees. In my new office there is one full time employee and everyone else, including me are on contract. The reason is that they're a new firm and just getting started.

This is so refreshing after working for giant firms. It feels more personal - the relationship I have with my work mates, the projects and the clients.

It's also exciting to get in on the ground level and work for a small firm. I'm super stoked.

Today it's pouring rain - a perfect day to stay home. Lots of baking, cocktail drinking, baseball watching and reading happening here.


* I'm still not willing to eat in public yet.

Out of Control

It's baaack.....my appetite that is. Sigh.

Apparently I can't eat enough food now.

One day on the weekend I had eaten three square meals by 2pm. It was insane. I would finish a meal and feel satisfied for about half an hour. Then the hunger would come back like I hadn't eaten yet that day.

The other night I woke up at 3am - starving.

I was worried about going back to work and dealing with this. Since I'm not willing to eat anything in public yet I was planning on taking Ensure for lunch. Seems reasonable to me but my stomach might have another opinion. I guess I'll find out.

Now suddenly today - everything is back to normal. I just finished lunch and feel totally full.

What a concept.

Back to "Normal" Around Here

Back to my riveting, previously scheduled programming....kinda sorta.

The other day I got a card in the mail from my Mom - it made me laugh out loud. I'm not sure where she finds this stuff but it was perfect.

I went through a phase when I was completely sick of smoothies, but these days I look forward to them. It helps that I can have more than just mango and peach* and lately I've been adding coconut milk and cardamom. Seriously yum.

Yesterday I met a friend for coffee near a really good bakery. They had mini apple pies, people.

Mini. Apple. Pies.

Lately I've been thinking about pie. I wanted to follow another blogger's lead and mash it up with cream. My Grandpa used to do this a lot - well, he didn't mash it up because he was never a jaw surgery patient. But he poured cream on his pie. Cream.

Well, I tried it and damn - it was really good. I mean was there every any doubt?!

Remember when I said I was going to draw more? I saw a cool drawing online a few weeks ago and was inspired to draw my bedroom. I spent a lot of time in there over the last few weeks.

I'm upset I forgot one thing - the flowers my orthodontist sent me. Yup - isn't that the sweetest thing ever?!

I've had a huge chocolate craving lately. I have a good recipe for soft cookies. I'm waiting for the butter to get soft. I might eat all of them tonight, in addition to whatever cookie dough is normally consumed.


*No seeds were allowed for the first 4 weeks.

Back to The Machine

I'm going back to work on Monday. I think it will be....an adjustment to say the least. I've been off for five weeks! I think it will be good for me to get my mind off my recovery and spend my days talking and smiling. I can feel a lot of the scar tissue is pretty tight and needs a workout.

I get out every day for a walk at least, but more likely to meet up with friends. A couple weeks ago when I started this I felt over stimulated by almost everything.

Too many noises, people, sounds and stuff to deal with. I've worked my way back to normalcy - well, what passes for normal in my world anyway.

I have a new trick! I can now drink out of a cup and I'm even comfortable enough to do it in public. I always ask the person I'm with to monitor my lips and chin because they are still almost completely numb.

This also means coffee is back in my life! It was something I was really worried about going into surgery, but I didn't even crave it until Day 39 which was the first time I had it. (Today is Day 42.)

I have strange sensations returning to small parts of my face. For example, when I touch my cheek under my left eye I can feel it right on the bottom of my eyelid. When I touch parts of my chin, it feels like water rippling out from that point in weakening rings. I also feel like the corners of my mouth are wet all the time.* I also still feel like I'm making a grotesque face all the time.

In the meantime I'm working on learning to eat. It's slow and I'm not really getting anywhere. I think that will change when I regain feeling inside my mouth - which could be a while. I'm easy with this process because a lot of my favourite foods are now allowed - last night we had lasagna - who could complain?!


*That one has been with me since surgery.

The Hat Grab and Gratitude

I feel like I've pulled off the famous Indiana Jones hat grab.

My surgeon is still performing surgeries but he's moving into a new office and starting to wind down for retirement. My orthodontist seems to be in the same boat. I'm so fortunate and fully aware of how lucky I am to have met them when I did. These two guys are top notch. 

Brad is visiting his family this weekend, so I had big plans. Today I've had:

Haagen Dasz Dulce De Leche ice cream*
super soft buttery dinner rolls
leftover spaghetti with tomatoes and chicken meatballs

Tonight I'm planning my own Thanksgiving dinner. Sweet potato fries and carrots with butter and a bit of  brown sugar. An orange dinner but it's what I'm craving so I'm going with it.

I'm still learning to eat and on the soft chew diet. I'm trying to find humour in it like when I find 50mm long pieces of spaghetti in the black hole that is my mouth. Or when giant pieces of food randomly fall out and stick to my chin - without my knowledge of course. It's getting easier but it's a long road to eating in public.

A quick update on the rest, I'm on Day 38!

- I'm off the heavy pain medications - just on regular Tylenol for discomfort when I need it. (I've been off the T3 for about 5 or 6 days now.)
- My chin is my biggest complaint, it burns and aches - all while being completely numb - which I don't get. I try not to even touch it these days.
- The area between my upper lip and nose is really sensitive too but only when I touch it.
- I'm still swollen in my cheeks, especially my left one but most people don't notice.
- I've gained full feeling back in both my cheeks and nose, partial feeling in most of my upper lip and between my lip and my nose. It comes back quickly. I go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning and have feeling. My chin is still completely numb. My lower lip is just starting to be tingly.
- I have no feeling in the my upper palette for about 38mm behind my teeth, both upper and lower gums and most of my cheeks and teeth.
- I can open my teeth about 1.25 finger widths.
- Most of my energy pre-surgery is back but I'm still working on this.
- Still wearing the triangle configuration elastics, but at night only. 

Overall I'm just thankful the worst of the surgery and recovery is behind me. I'm going to celebrate with more soft chew food. Next craving: avocado.


*I'm not sure why it's taken me 38 days to eat Haagen Dasz??

I Ate Poutine!

My stomach is not happy these days.

Like I said in my last post, for two weeks after surgery I wasn't hungry at all. After that I was battling cravings but I kept pouring Ensure and smoothies in there. I felt like I was disappointing it!

The other night I ate one of those small cans of flavoured tuna for dinner with a bit of mayo mixed in.

My stomach growled and whined the rest of the night. 

It doesn't quite know what to do with solid food at this point. I also get full way faster than I used to. Another example of something I have to "learn" on this long road which is jaw surgery recovery. I'm on Day 35.

I'm still mainly on the liquid diet but try to get soft food in as much as I can.  So far I've had mashed potatoes, egg salad*, cottage cheese, Kraft Dinner**, tuna, roasted salmon and poutine! I can still only open my jaws just over one finger width. (Most normal people can open three finger widths.)

I'm learning how to eat again but not making much progress. My latest trick is not noticing giant pieces of food fall out of my mouth, on to my lap or on to the floor. It's awesome.

This poutine though - damn. A lot of cheese went down whole but that's okay. Then I got brave and ambitious. I decided to try to bite a fry. You know, like a normal person - with my front teeth. 

I did it....and then cried for ten minutes.

Tears of joy!! Brad has it all documented with photos. 


* NOT a sandwich, just the egg salad.
** A long standing, never dying, guilty pleasure for me.

I am a Muppet

For the first two weeks after my surgery I wasn't hungry at all. Brad and Mom has to actually force me to eat. It was easily achieved because they wouldn't let me have the pain meds on an empty stomach. I would have done anything for Dilaudid and an ice pack so drinking some Ensure seemed like a fair trade.

I browsed a lot of social media in the first two weeks. I couldn't focus on books. I was too loopy on pain meds or I didn't have the energy. I saw hundreds of photos of food on Pinterest and Instagram, but nothing piqued my stomach.

Then I saw this photo and my hunger returned in an instant.

Since then I've been known to groan, moan, bitch and whine about my hunger. I craved anything with kale, potatoes or Italian sausage.

I've had the green light on the coveted* "soft chew diet" since Tuesday. This means I can eat anything that's soft like scrambled eggs or pasta. I knew my first meal would be mashed potatoes with butter, salt and pepper.

I cooked it up, put it on a plate** and sat down to devour it.

Now let me explain something. I've had this body and this jaw/teeth/mouth for X number of years. When I picked up the fork and shoveled a small amount in***, it was instant chaos.

Imagine what it's like to chew like a Muppet. This was me.

My tongue is clueless, it doesn't know where to go or what to do. It shoves the food around but doesn't know to get out of the way of my newly connecting teeth. Ouch!? Plus my teeth are all in different places and I can't feel them.  

Food also disappears. It's WEIRD. One moment it's there then poof - gone. Did I swallow that? I don't think so....wait - it's back. A lot of food ends up lodged between my cheek and lower gums and I have to fish it out my hand. 

Nice.

My jaw is also drawing a blank when it comes to chewing. All it's capable of is UP and DOWN. It's like a panini press?! The next time you chew something, take the time to actually notice the dance that's happening between your tongue, jaw, teeth and cheeks.

I know I'll get to sandwiches eventually but for now I can't imagine when that will be.

* "Coveted" for any jaw surgery patient
** What is this plate? I haven't seen a plate in a month!
*** I still sometimes need a mirror to find my mouth. Seriously.

Robocop and Freedom

Behold.

Since about one week after surgery I noticed something on the right side of my jaw, near my chin. I thought it was a metal L-angle or something, like a bracket. Nope. Now I can see it's just where he CUT MY CHIN OFF?! 

I have put a paper bag over my face so I can breathe. No worries. 

I saw Dr. D (my surgeon) yesterday. After these x-rays and more poking around in my mouth he declared himself super happy with the results and released me back to my orthodontist!

I drove over to my orthodontist and he was really pleased with my results too. He'll manage everything from now until I get the braces off. This is where it gets crazy and I'm still in shock... 

I only have to band myself shut at night. 

People, seriously. Please understand.

I was ready, willing and gearing up to be banded shut for 3-4 months. I could have dealt. I will do anything these guys tell me. I would have even listened to country music if they said it would help. See? Anything. 

Next step: soft chew diet. 

The IV Sedation Incident

Last week when I had my tooth pulled there was another Incident.

They asked me if I wanted Brad to come into the room while they put me to sleep, of course I wanted him there. The more comfort the better!

So Brad stood to the side while I had the IV put in. I talked to the nurse and the anesthesiologist about a couple things...then I asked his nurse if she could tell my surgeon how happy I am with my results from the surgery.

That is all I remember.

After that the sedation started to kick in....and this is what Brad told me happened:

My surgeon came back in the room and I started going on and on and on about how much I love my new bite and my new face and how he's the best surgeon EVER and....then I passed out.

Brad was standing there shaking his head the entire time. My surgeon was sitting at his desk doing paperwork like nothing was happening.

I don't remember any of it.

Nice. Just chalking that up to another awesome experience on this joy ride that is jaw surgery recovery.

Five Essential Items for Jaw Surgery

My blog is turning into a jaw surgery blog but since this is the biggest thing going on in my life, it makes sense. Don't worry, I'll get back to my riveting book reviews and randomness soon I'm sure.

It's also cartoon central so I'll also break that that up with this post.

My mom and I were talking about what the five essential items were that I absolutely could not have done without during my recovery. I'm putting this out there in case anyone ever stumbles across this post and is looking for advice.

These are items I believe every jaw surgery patient should have on hand when they get home.

1. Proper Pain Meds (make sure you fill this and have it at home before your surgery)

My surgeon put me on a really good pain med*. I was on morphine in the hospital and of course, it was great. I was pleased that he didn't send me home with a recommendation to take Advil or Tylenol. He gave me a more powerful med and it has helped me so much. You will experience discomfort but nobody should have to writhe around in pain.

2. Blistex (get the economy size!)

Don't use Vaseline, you're going to need something medicated. Don't just use your regular lip balm either - the one you have to squish on your lips from the tube. I'm on Day 23 now and can't imagine when I'm going to get on a regular balm because my lips are still numb.
Your lips will be in really rough shape when you wake up from surgery. Blistex cleared my lips up in 4-5 days tops. Impressive considering what they went through.

3. Kleenex

I went through so much Kleenex! When rinsing my mouth, "eating", drooling, crying, bloody nose etc. In the first ten days I think I used 16 boxes. I'm on Day 23 and I'm up to 26 boxes. Easier than doing a million loads of laundry, especially the first week.

4. Ice

Get a good jaw bra for recovery at home. My surgeon gave me one and it was the bomb. Skip the blue ice packs - the ones you buy in the store and put in the freezer. They don't last very long and aren't that cold! I put ice cubes** in a double ziploc bag and it worked much better. If you're having a hip graft put the ice/Ziploc in a small sock and place that on your incision - it really helped me.

5. Syringes

The syringes are really the only way to "eat" during your first few days but it takes so much practice. I also used a tube on the syringe when my lips were in bad shape, but the syringes alone are better because they're easier to control. Get a couple of them because mine all wore out in less than a week.

I'm so glad my surgery is over and I'm this far into my recovery. I can already tell how much better my life will be!


*Hydromorphone, Brand Name: Dilaudid
** I also went through 2-3 bags of ice in the first week and a half.

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.

Progress and A Stupid Party

I've seen my surgeon three times since my surgery. He warned me that he didn't think one of my back molars had survived the surgery and my open bite. I dismissed this at the time because I couldn't deal with another procedure - however small.

Last time I saw him he confirmed it.

It has to come out.

Good news:
1. He's going to pull it.
2. He's going to take my splint out at the same time. (I've been dreading this.)
3. It's happening next week and best of all...
4. I'm going to be under IV sedation for all of it.

After everything I've been through already, I think I can handle this. 

That tooth has been through a lot. I had a small oral surgery, root canal and crown put on it about 12 years ago. I'm upset about losing a tooth, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm just glad a talented, experienced surgeon who already knows me is going to take care of it.

In other news, I'll share a funny story from my recovery.

For a few nights after I got home from the hospital we switched up our sleeping arrangements. Brad was still working so in order for him to get a good sleep he moved into the spare bedroom and my Mom and I slept in the same bed. I was up every 2-3 hours at that point.

I had just gotten my Mom up to help me get new ice and more painkillers and we climbed back into bed. It was Tuesday, 3:00am.

There was the loudest party I've ever heard going on across the street. We laid there for a while amazed at the noise, then I got up with peeked out the window. My mom was killing herself laughing - me at the window in my underwear, middle of the night, with my gigantic jaw bra on my head. So I honoured the moment with a cartoon.

I'm still doing really well. Day 16!

Just dealing with:
- my revulsion of the liquid diet. I will never have another smoothie again.
- I'm starving - it was easier when I wasn't hungry at all - that only lasted about two weeks.
- I can take my surgical elastics off my braces to eat which means eating with a small baby spoon. I can open my teeth about 10mm (3/8") at this point. How messed up - that that was how much of an open bite I had before all this! 
- I can use a straw but it's really difficult. I abandoned the syringe about 24 hours ago.
- I still have the splint behind my upper teeth.
- I'm still on the painkillers but at a really small dose. When they wear off I can feel where he took me apart - nobody needs to deal with that.
- My hip graft feels much better although it bugs me sometimes - upon which I throw an icepack on it.
- My energy is still pretty low but I try to get out once a day for a walk.
- There is no way I could go back to work now. Take 4-6 weeks off if you ever have to deal with this type of surgery.
- The swelling is still there between my upper lip and nose, on either side of my nose and my chin but only those who know me well would notice.
- My chin and area above my upper lip are painful. Also lately the tip of my nose - which is strange because nothing was done to my nose.
- I can also feel one area where there is definitely a plate/screw/bolt/something. I try not to focus on it. I can't feel anything other hardware yet.

Above all I can tell already that this surgery is going to change my life. I can't believe my teeth meet in the front! I have absolutely no regrets and now that I've over the worst of recovery it can only get better.

The Tylenol Incident

Last night we were relaxing and watching a movie together. I decided to eat, and I announced "I'll do it alone tonight! Just keep the movie going."

It's not like it's a big deal and I've needed tons of help, but my mom or Brad usually sits with me and keeps my company while I dole out syringe after syringe of Ensure or soup. That's real love.

So I sat down and started eating. Everything was going smoothly until I decided to take a Tylenol. I'm able to open my teeth enough to get the pill inside.

Once it's in there it's a little difficult to control it. But it went down surprisingly quickly. I had another syringe of Ensure.

Then I could taste Tylenol. I felt around with my tongue.

Oh shit.

It's stuck in my splint.

There is a little gap between the roof of my mouth and the top of my splint. Just big enough to jam a pill obviously.

"I have a problem over here," I announced through my clenched jaws.

I rushed into the bathroom with Brad on my heels. I'm at the point where I can take the elastics off my braces. I had to get the bands off so I could open my mouth a little wider and get the pill out.

Brad ended up in there with a headlamp. He grabbed this syringe from me and slowly worked it out with the tip.

It was a super tense moment and not funny at all at the time.

Afterwards, once we calmed down we started laughing. Look what happens the first time I try to take care of myself?! 

We went and bought liquid Tylenol this morning.