Week 3. Feb 26 - Mar 4.

Feb. 26th  - 15 days post op.

Feb. 28th.  Serenity now.

Mar 2nd - trying to use my eyes more to create the illusion of a real smile.  Came out looking like I need to sneeze or something.

Highlights:

Drank my first coffee through a straw at the Starbucks in Yorkville.  I have to make sure the straw knows where to go, and sometimes I kind of "make" my lips form a seal with my fingers, but it is SO much better than drooling down my face.  Drank wine through a straw.  Don't judge.

Wondering why the cold hurts my face so much.  It's almost intolerable. Teeth feel cold all the time too.  The right side of my tongue feels like there's a piece of ice constantly melting on it.  It's probably just numb.    

Scrambled an egg and forced it through the tiny opening by placing just a little bit on a fork at a time.  It worked.  It was delicious.  And I don't really like eggs.  

Took Ibuprofin for the facial swelling pain.  It's just so stiff!  It sort of helped.

Ate 2 mini baked spanikopita after cutting them up with scissors into what could almost be called a fine "mist".  Just shredded it and got a little bit in at a time.  Yum.  I'm good at getting tiny amounts of food through a 3-4mm opening after having my jaw locked shut in July '07 for 2 weeks.  If I can cut it - I can eat it.   I won't try anything hard or crunchy (still can't really chew and don't want to try), but if it's sort of mushy or semi-soft, I can swallow small amounts whole.  It's just so nice to taste something that isn't sweet like milkshakes.  Also am eating some squash and apple soup my mom made.  Through a straw.  It's fab. 

2nd post-op visit.  Lasts 10 minutes.  Taught me how to put my elastics on.  I don't think so.  I can't get my fingers into the side of my mouth - WTF???  Surgeon-man said I could do it.  I'm all for positive thinking, but he had a thing to pull my cheek out to the side, PLUS a handy pair of grippy-grippers.  I don't have those.  Fingers are so yester-year.  So I went to the pharmacy and got some good tweezers.  Still,  I'm going to try to leave these on as long as I can - I'm so worried I won't be able to do it myself - even with the tweezers.  And I'm worried about a relapse.  I asked Surgery-man the percentage of ppl who relapse and he avoided it.  Just said it depends on how much the jaw has been moved forward or back.  Mine's been moved 7mm on the right, and 5mm on the left to correct an unbalanced midline.  I'll have to ask him again next time.  Sneaky. 

***Just so you know, I was expecting to have less numbness & swelling & stiffness by now.  After reading a LOT of blogs, I now know this is not realistic.  It will take a anywhere from 3 to 6 months time for feeling to come back (and it probably won't be 100% even after a year).  I also  read a study that with double jaw surgery, the nerve regeneration is slower due to the greater likelihood of exposing the trigeminal nerve to trauma.  Also, fewer double jaw surgery recipients regain the same extent of feeling than those who had the one jaw done.  

If you're like me (somewhat neurotic), rest assured that while you may have qualms about your appearance right now, by the end of the year, you will likely feel just as satisfied as the average (non-woody allenesque) person.  This is from some other study.  I don't feel like referencing - it's a blog, after all.