Week gone by...
It's been a week now since I had the big jaw surgery. After all that planning and worrying and preparing, it's finally over. But it's also the beginning-- of recovery, relearning, and a new face shape.
I got up really early last Wednesday morning and we went to the hospital. I was naturally apprehensive because I have never had any surgery aside from the wisdom teeth extractions before. They made me wear nothing but a hospital gown, squirted some Afrin up my nose to dilate the nasal passages and curb the bleeding during surgery. Getting wheeled down the hall was just like a first person POV shot in one of those medical shows. My anesthesiologist's name was Dr. Funk- isn't that funny? He started the IV. Things become somewhat fuzzy after that. I have a vague dream-like recollection after that of them transferring me bodily from one bed to another. I dreamed some dreams I don't remember, and then I was waking up with a wrap around my chin to the top of my head in the recovery room with an assistant named Emily saying, "Okay, your surgery is done." It was just after 1:00 pm. Almost 6 hours gone, just like that. I was tense and shaking and I think they put something in my IV to relax me. They wheeled me into my own private hospital room and I just laid there with my eyes at half mast for hours and hours. My Dad, Mom, and Aunt Gloria came in to see me, and my Mom was there at the hospital to spend the night by my side. I had to keep suctioning blood and stuff from the front of my teeth between my lips.
In the middle of the night I barfed a huge amount of blood into a basin. Mom was freaking out because she didn't know what to do and she kept calling nurses but they didn't come fast enough. They came by and reassured her that it was good what I did, because I was getting it out of my system. I think we finally left in the morning by about 9:30 or 10 am. I don't remember very well what I did those first few days home. I spent a lot of time just sitting on the couch or in my bed with my eyes half shut. My Aunt and Uncle were there through the weekend and sarumann came to visit on Saturday. Speaking of Saturday, my 30th birthday went by in kind of a hazy blur. I didn't mind not having cake because I had cake for early birthday celebrations already. Even though I hardly remember what happened on my 30th birthday, at the same time, I won't forget it.
From last Wednesday through Monday morning, we had two different nurses helping me around the townhouse making sure I was comfortable and making sure I took my meds. Kate and Daina were wonderful and I'm really glad my parents had the idea to hire them to help. Kate is a super-cool aged hippy kind of lady, who has actually been a personal care nurse for John Cleese after he had abdominal surgery. She got on really well with my brother and both nurses took away from some of the early stress. Kate took daytime hours, and Daina kept watch over me at night.
The first few days were particularly hard because I had to keep taking deep breaths and coughing to make sure the anesthesia was out of my lungs. Things that have lasted since last week: swollen face and lips, dizziness, unsteadiness/jelly-legs. My face feels really tight sometimes and it feels like I am wearing some kind of mask or muzzle. It tingles too. It's the most swollen around my nose and sinuses, my lips, and my cheeks. My top lip is kind of yellow with purple spots, and I have yellow bruising at the base of my neck, and a big bruise on my inner right wrist where the IV was inserted. I've used Afrin and salt water with suction. I'm constantly using great globs of Blistex. Also, I have to apply Neosporin to the spot between my brows where they put a screw in my head during the surgery to anchor the measuring device. I had a stitch in there until Monday.
I also have to follow a very strict regimen of medications and nutritional drinks. I am on a liquid diet for these first couple of weeks and after that, can have a more smoothie-like diet. Meals this week have consisted of a lot of Ensure, Boost, non-chunky soups, juices, Gatorade...things like that. If I look in the mirror, I can see that my teeth are banded shut, but they come together! I can sit relatively comfortably without a splint! The discomfort comes from not being able to open my mouth very much because the muscles are probably very sore from the surgery and their new position, plus the swelling. I'm also on antibiotics and the pain med Tramadol/Ultram (which my Mother calls "Tron"). I take Ativan as needed for anxiety, and sometimes before bed to prevent too much clenching at night. Clenching can slow healing.
I'm pretty frustrated with how low my energy is and the fact that it takes so much for me to simply walk down the block or ride in a car (the world tilts and I get tired). I suppose that's normal. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and cry out in pain from accidentally wrenching my mouth open out of reflex. I've gone to the doctor's for a follow-up appointment and they say I'm healing really well though! They say that for someone just barely a week past the surgery, I'm doing as well as someone a couple of weeks out, i.e. better than expected!
It's really going to take a while to get my facial mobility back and for the swelling to go down completely. But if this means I can have a comfortable face and a good bite for the rest of my life, then this was totally worth it. I'll be in Santa Barbara for another couple weeks (I really like this place we're staying), and then it's back for some more rest in L.A. before I have to go back to work. I really hope that I'm not dizzy anymore by then. I miss all my friends, so I'd love to hear from you guys!
I got up really early last Wednesday morning and we went to the hospital. I was naturally apprehensive because I have never had any surgery aside from the wisdom teeth extractions before. They made me wear nothing but a hospital gown, squirted some Afrin up my nose to dilate the nasal passages and curb the bleeding during surgery. Getting wheeled down the hall was just like a first person POV shot in one of those medical shows. My anesthesiologist's name was Dr. Funk- isn't that funny? He started the IV. Things become somewhat fuzzy after that. I have a vague dream-like recollection after that of them transferring me bodily from one bed to another. I dreamed some dreams I don't remember, and then I was waking up with a wrap around my chin to the top of my head in the recovery room with an assistant named Emily saying, "Okay, your surgery is done." It was just after 1:00 pm. Almost 6 hours gone, just like that. I was tense and shaking and I think they put something in my IV to relax me. They wheeled me into my own private hospital room and I just laid there with my eyes at half mast for hours and hours. My Dad, Mom, and Aunt Gloria came in to see me, and my Mom was there at the hospital to spend the night by my side. I had to keep suctioning blood and stuff from the front of my teeth between my lips.
In the middle of the night I barfed a huge amount of blood into a basin. Mom was freaking out because she didn't know what to do and she kept calling nurses but they didn't come fast enough. They came by and reassured her that it was good what I did, because I was getting it out of my system. I think we finally left in the morning by about 9:30 or 10 am. I don't remember very well what I did those first few days home. I spent a lot of time just sitting on the couch or in my bed with my eyes half shut. My Aunt and Uncle were there through the weekend and sarumann came to visit on Saturday. Speaking of Saturday, my 30th birthday went by in kind of a hazy blur. I didn't mind not having cake because I had cake for early birthday celebrations already. Even though I hardly remember what happened on my 30th birthday, at the same time, I won't forget it.
From last Wednesday through Monday morning, we had two different nurses helping me around the townhouse making sure I was comfortable and making sure I took my meds. Kate and Daina were wonderful and I'm really glad my parents had the idea to hire them to help. Kate is a super-cool aged hippy kind of lady, who has actually been a personal care nurse for John Cleese after he had abdominal surgery. She got on really well with my brother and both nurses took away from some of the early stress. Kate took daytime hours, and Daina kept watch over me at night.
The first few days were particularly hard because I had to keep taking deep breaths and coughing to make sure the anesthesia was out of my lungs. Things that have lasted since last week: swollen face and lips, dizziness, unsteadiness/jelly-legs. My face feels really tight sometimes and it feels like I am wearing some kind of mask or muzzle. It tingles too. It's the most swollen around my nose and sinuses, my lips, and my cheeks. My top lip is kind of yellow with purple spots, and I have yellow bruising at the base of my neck, and a big bruise on my inner right wrist where the IV was inserted. I've used Afrin and salt water with suction. I'm constantly using great globs of Blistex. Also, I have to apply Neosporin to the spot between my brows where they put a screw in my head during the surgery to anchor the measuring device. I had a stitch in there until Monday.
I also have to follow a very strict regimen of medications and nutritional drinks. I am on a liquid diet for these first couple of weeks and after that, can have a more smoothie-like diet. Meals this week have consisted of a lot of Ensure, Boost, non-chunky soups, juices, Gatorade...things like that. If I look in the mirror, I can see that my teeth are banded shut, but they come together! I can sit relatively comfortably without a splint! The discomfort comes from not being able to open my mouth very much because the muscles are probably very sore from the surgery and their new position, plus the swelling. I'm also on antibiotics and the pain med Tramadol/Ultram (which my Mother calls "Tron"). I take Ativan as needed for anxiety, and sometimes before bed to prevent too much clenching at night. Clenching can slow healing.
I'm pretty frustrated with how low my energy is and the fact that it takes so much for me to simply walk down the block or ride in a car (the world tilts and I get tired). I suppose that's normal. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and cry out in pain from accidentally wrenching my mouth open out of reflex. I've gone to the doctor's for a follow-up appointment and they say I'm healing really well though! They say that for someone just barely a week past the surgery, I'm doing as well as someone a couple of weeks out, i.e. better than expected!
It's really going to take a while to get my facial mobility back and for the swelling to go down completely. But if this means I can have a comfortable face and a good bite for the rest of my life, then this was totally worth it. I'll be in Santa Barbara for another couple weeks (I really like this place we're staying), and then it's back for some more rest in L.A. before I have to go back to work. I really hope that I'm not dizzy anymore by then. I miss all my friends, so I'd love to hear from you guys!