Neglected Blog

Oops, sorry blog!! I haven't posted an update in forever. SO much has been happening! I feel so far behind.

Well, I am officially ten days post-op, and boy what a ten days it has been!! I've gone from feeling like death, to feeling great, and everything in between. I have progressed so much, but still have A LOT of progress left to make. I'm still swollen, bruised, and banded. But luckily, it's slowly getting better.

I had my one week check up on Thursday in Bend with my OS. I thought I was recovering too slow, but they said I looked great and was right on track. He unbanded me, and I got a good first look at my smile without bands in the way. My teeth look so much bigger than before, which is weird...I'm nervous to see them without braces! haha! It was really scary to open my jaw, and didn't do it much. I talked with my teeth still clamped shut because I was afraid of cracking my jaw. I got to brush my teeth too and it felt SOOOO good! I miss being able to brush:( I got xrays and they're so badass! I have 33 screws in my face right now, and a hook anchored into my septum. Yuck!! My surgeon took out a loose screw in my bottom gums, and it hurt so bad!! I'm nervous for my next appointment, when he takes out the rest. I was praying I would be able to be unbanded, but that didn't happen. I have to stay banded for the next two weeks!!!! ughh! That means I will still be banded shut when I go to school, how embarrassing. He said we might be able to work with my orthodontist though, and if he thinks I'm ready to be unbanded early, I might be able to be. Goddd I hope so! Most people get to at least be on partial bands by now, but of course I can't. The reason why is because during my surgery, they split my top pallet in three places to widen it, and it's trying to grow back to it's smaller size. Stupid pallet.

Good news:
1. Eating is getting alot easier. I can finally use a spoon for broths and other very liquidy foods. I can use a straw for clear liquids, but that's it. I tried sucking Jamba Juice through a straw and it didn't turn out good at all. I'm also keeping food down now that I'm off all medication, and have an appetite again! Today I got brave and made "mexican soup" which had refried beans, sour cream, pico de gallo juice, chicken broth, and cheese. Sounds gross but it was AMAZING!

2. I am able to smile again, and it doesn't hurt!! I can also make fish faces, and pout. I love having movement back.

3. I have energy again! Just a few days ago, I couldn't even take a shower without becoming completely wiped out. This is probably due to the fact I am able to eat again.

4. I am mostly completely back to normal, minus being able to talk, chew, ect. I have my humor back, my energy back, and am ready to go back out in the world!

5. I am done with my antibiotics!!!!!! This is suprisingly what I am most excited about, but they were by far the worst part thus far of surgery. For some reason, they gave us they giant horse pills that we had to crush and mix with food, and they were DISGUSTING!!! I would literally throw up every time I would have to take them, or even think of them. My mom would hate pill time because I would throw the biggest fits ever. Finally, my boyfriend of the fits and pretty much just shoved them down my throat. Gross, but much appreciated haha.

Bad News:
1. I'm still very swollen and very very numb. I'll be numb for a while, so I better get used to it. But I wish so badly the swelling would go away so I can go out in public without a thousand confused stares. My cheeks are so swollen I can't curl my eyelashes with an eyelash curler. hahaha it doesn't fit!

2. My skin and hair get sooo oily!! It's a side effect from the meds and my body working overtime to heal. Sounds like something that shouldn't be a big deal...It's just really really really annoying. I hate feeling all greasy.

3. LIQUID DIET FOR AT LEAST TWO MORE WEEKS!! enough said.

4. I want sooo badly to go shopping, to the grocery store, a park...anywhere!! The quick over-exauhstion and rude stares just aren't worth it quite yet. My goal is Olympia by next weekend. I have to go to the new Forever 21, pronto. haha

5. More recovery=more self discovery about what they really did in my mouth. I've had little pokeys in the back of my mouth on my top gums since the surgery. I thought they were just bracket band things on my teeth. I realized last night they're the back of screws that go through my entire gums. I cried. haha. I can also lift my lips and see that I have stitches all over. Like covering my entire mouth. The roof of my mouth is also shredded, and it really disgusting to touch with my tounge. I miss my tounge too:(

That's about it though. Jeez, these blogs are too long, I need to do them more often I think!! I don't even check the spelling, I'm too lazy. So I apologize for all the misspellings.

Surgery success!

Well, I survived surgery!! Everything went great. I'm happy it's over but recovery is going to be a longgg road.

I didn't get any sleep Wednesday night, I was a nervous wreck! Check in time for sugery was 6am...and surgery was scheduled for 7:30 am. After waiting around for about 45 minutes, everything went reallllyyyy quickly. They wheeled me up to the operating room, and started my IV's. I HATE IVS, and immedietely started bawling. I said one last goodbye to my mom and before I knew it I was completely out. What seemed like just two minutes later I woke up to four or five nurses looking over me and telling me now good I looked. Then my parents came in and we all went over to intensive care right away. I was gorggy the whole time, and don't even remember the ride over to ICU. Once they started pumping the morphine I felt just fine.

I am completely banded shut, but good news: My teeth are touching!! and everything is lined up perfectly. Since they moved my top jaw forward, the tip of my nose sticks out more than it did before. It feels good but I haven't braved the mirrors yet. I am very swollen but not bruised at all! They split the top of the roof of my mouth into three parts to widen it, so my pallet is very swollen, making it hard to breathe. I've been sucking out blood and lots of drool for the last day, but it's basically all gone now. I am starting to get somewhat tingly in my lips, gums, and nose, but other than that I am competely numb from my bottom eyelids to my neck. Not fun.

Ice and syringes have been my best friend lately. I had a mishap last night with ice though:( I woke up completely drenched in ice water from one of my ice bags popping open! That was one of the worst encounters of this whole thing, another is my Iv's. I have one in each hand, they are hurting more than my entire mouth. KInd of embarrassing because I break down crying whenever they do anything to them. Ugh!I am hoping to get them out tonight or tomorrow morning. I really dont need them anymore, since I have been taking my pain meds through liquid.

I managed to get down some chicked broth and a chocolate milkshake tonight, which is the first food I've eaten since Wednesday night. So delicious! It just kind of wears my out to eat since i have to suck is through a syringe past my banded teeth. I am so thankful to have my family and boyfriend here, they have taken care of me so well! I'm not a pretty sight, but the doctors said I am recovering really quickly!

Well, that's ALOT to read. I'll have more updates later but that is basically just an update about what I've been up to! I can a;ready feel a difference and am loving it so far!

This Week!!!

It's finally (almost) here!! I can't believe surgery is this Thursday!! Tomorrow I begin my packing for the hospital, and I leave for Portland early Wednesday morning for a day full of consultations. Packing won't be difficult at all. I'll likely be in the hospital for two to three days. PJ bottoms, bathrobes, and shirts that I can fit my giant swollen head through will be the only thing I'll be packing. Probably the lightest packing I'll ever do, as it usually consists of makeups, straighteners. ect!

I have been doing everything in my power to stay healthy for this surgery. I had to wait an entire year to get this done, after somehow getting strep throat the week before surgery last August! grrr. I have spent a ton of time in my house, alone:( avoiding germs...since I think that was the culprit last year. I've also been cleaning like crazy, which I guess has been working since I have absolutely no symptoms of being sick! This surgery is a go!! (hopefully)

Speaking of being healthy, I've been eating like CRAZY lately! I loveee food, and have been cramming in as much crunchy, sticky, and solid food I possibly can. Today, I gorged on Snickers, Tacos, and Rice Cakes! I am going to miss food soo much! But I think I'll like having an exuse to just eat milkshakes and smoothies for maybe like, a few days haha.

So, enough about myself...here is some stuff about my surgery:
1. It's a double jaw surgery, which means they're working on both jaws. The top jaw is being moved forward. The bottom jaw is having bone cut out from both sides and being moved back, quite a bit.
2. It is a five to seven hour surgery. About two to three hours for each jaw. The anethstia(whatever, I can't spell that) is through a breathing tube ran through my nose down to my lungs. This is the part I'm actually scared of the most out of the entire process. I hate the thought of being put under for that long, and I absolutely am terrified of waking up and having all these tubes down my throat and stuff. Yuck!!
3. Like I said before, I'll be in the hospital for two to three days. The first day I'll most likely be in recovery all day and night. Which means I'll miss Big Brother. Grrrrr. I'll be fed through IV's the first day or so. Another fear. IV's. Ughhh!
4. I will have my teeth tightly banded shut for at least two weeks, with a splint inside my mouth holding my bite in place. I am praying it's only two weeks, because I am moving to school in three weeks! During this banding, I will be on a strict liquid diet. During this, I am expected to lose anywhere from 5-35 pounds (yessss) and can only eat soft foods for the next couple months after that.

This is only what they tell me to expect, but everyone's experience is different. Overall, I am extremelyyyy nervous to undergo this major of a surgery, but it will be soo worth it in the end. I am soo excited to be able to bite into a sandwhich! I can't even eat grilled cheese sandwhiches or bite into pizze my bite is so bad. Recovery wil suck, but it's only a couple months out of my life of happiness ahead of me! I've even read that people recover from this surgery quicker than people who have undergone high impact wisdom teeth removal (teeth still under the gums). Well, I had high impact wisdom teeth removal, and I was fine...so hoepfully it won't be that bad!!

Anyways, that's all for now! I'll post some before and after pictures...eventually! No, I am not going to do a youtube blog (ASHLEY!) haha. That would just be reallllyyy unattractive lol

Wish me luck!