Day 27

I went back to UNC today to see my doctors.  They seem very pleased with my progress.  I did tell them about my pain and they have put me back on Ultram (Tramadol) which is what I took before.  I couldn't remember the name of it while I was there so I didn't tell them that I took it before and it did nothing for me.  My Dr. also said that I may or may not be getting my splint off in 2 weeks, depending on if I'm still feeling pain.  That was discouraging.  So I left and called mom and told her and she told me that Ultram is Tramadol, which is what I took before.  I decided I would give it one more try.  Perhaps it didn't work before on my post surgery pain, but it will work on my nerve pain.  I'm supposed to call them on Friday and let them know how I'm feeling, either way.  At least I don't have to pay for more drugs, I already had it, ha ha!
I also got my doctor to print out my xrays from before and after.  They aren't the best quality because it's on regular paper.  But here they are!

 

This is my full skull before.  Notice the left side is going up and the plane isn't flat.

And this is after.  Doesn't my face look smaller from top to bottom?  Notice the flat plane.  You can also see the screws in my bottom jaw very well.

This is the side view before.  It looks like I have two rows of top teeth because one side is higher than the other.

Side view after.  Notice only one row of teeth on top.  My chin is forward several millimeters and my nose is up a little.  You can see the plates and screws in my jaws very well.

This is a panoramic of my teeth before.  You can see that the left side (but on the right in the picture) goes up higher.

 

And this is the panoramic after.  My teeth are appropriately leveled out.  You can see all the screws and plates really well here.  They say I won't feel them, but I'm too swollen to test that out yet. 

All in all, I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  I just need to figure this nerve pain thing out.

Day 25

I went and got a haircut yesterday.  I was hoping it would help me feel better about my still puffy looks.  Here is a pic:

 

I just don't look like myself.  Mom and I had a funny conversation.  She said I'm starting to look more normal, I thought she meant this was how I looked before, I said thanks a lot, she said no, no, I mean you are looking more normal than before.  After some more round about back and forth we finally were on the same page, ha ha!  

I got my first bill and an insurance statement telling me approximately what my next bill was going to be today.  The dental school sent me a bill for $547 for 4 x-rays that were done before and after surgery.  It looks like they didn't even file with insurance.  I almost had a heart attack!  I'm going to take the bill with me to my appointment on Monday and see why it wasn't billed to insurance.  The next piece of mail I got was from my insurance telling what they paid for the surgery and what I will probably owe, $804.  This, I'm assuming, doesn't include the hospital bill or other charges that they can come up with.  Oh, thank goodness for insurance, tax returns and health spending accounts...The total cost of my surgery was $3401.  Just the surgery.  Sigh...

Still feeling pain in my chin, its radiating to my teeth now.  Imagine cold air on sensitive teeth.  That's how it feels, even with my mouth closed.  Strangely, I'm getting more feeling in my face on that side.  Nerves are so weird.  Anyway, I'm discovering that the pain is intensely worse at night, starting about the time the sun goes down.  I'm guessing that it may have to do with the temperature dropping.  (even though I'm usually inside at night)  Last night I took Tylenol PM in hopes that it would help me fall asleep.  It still took an hour of tossing and turning before I finally fell asleep.  Maybe after being on all that codene, my body has built up a resistance to drugs?

I went out with Scott on an actual date last night.  We went to Red Robin and I got the fish and chips.  The fish was so easy to eat because it's flaky and it was yum!  We were very late to the movie, though, so I snuck some of my fries in my purse cause I eat so slow.  We went to see Valentine's Day.  "WHAT?" you say.  "You went voluntarily to see a chick flick?"  Yes, yes I did.  I was in the mood for light hearted cheesiness.  Scott was a trooper, even considering that we were surrounded by teenage girls who were texting throughout the movie and making dirty comments about every hot guy that came onto the screen.  It was a cute movie, though.  When we were walking out, I told Scott, "Well, you survived a chick flick."  This girl walking in front of us turned around and was laughing.  Then I said, "Well, I survived a chick flick, too!"  Oh well. 

Day 24

Not much has changed with me.  My rash is going away because I stopped taking the Tylenol 3.  Now, I'm just suffering most of the day.  Last night, it took me a few hours to fall asleep because I hurt so bad.  I really hope that this gets better, I can't live like this.  I don't want to call my doctor again because I feel like I have called so much already, and I have an appointment on Monday.  I'm hoping I can hang in there till then.
Other than the pain, I do feel better in other ways.  I am getting more energy back.  I went in to work yesterday to finish the rest of my sub plans and plan for when I come back next week.  I was worn out, though, from just a couple of hours being there and talking.  I hope that gets better by next week when I have to work all day and talk all day!
I'm driving again.  I went to the grocery store on Wednesday and drove myself to work yesterday.  It was nice to have the freedom again, but felt strange because I haven't driven for three weeks!  I know the doctor hasn't officially released me to drive yet, but I figured since I'm not on narcotics any more, there's no reason why I can't. 
This weekend I'm going to try to do some social things.  Tonight, Scott and I are going to see a movie.  Tomorrow night, dinner with friends and games.  And I think my dad and Mary are coming over tomorrow during the day to visit. 

Day 20

I can't believe that tomorrow it will have been 3 weeks since surgery.  It's just crazy!
Ok, to catch everyone up, apparently I developed a rash from taking too much Hydrocodone.  I had to call the doctor again on Sunday.  He switched me to Tylenol 3 but basically after that, there isn't much else I can do about the pain.  I asked him this time about how long I would have to go through this.  He couldn't tell me.  He told me that most patients are off all pain meds by now and don't feel anything.  He said that I am at the other end of the spectrum, high sensitivity.  It's so unusual that he can't give me an estimate of how long it will last.  That didn't help.  I'm so discouraged about it.  Sometimes the pain in my chin is too much to bear.
On a lighter note, I had a weekend full of social events.  Saturday was mom's birthday, so Scott came and we went to Ashley's house to celebrate.  Ashley is such a wonderful sister, she made soup for the meal!  She didn't want me to feel left out.  So she found this yummy chicken soup with rice recipe and had the blender ready to go for my part.  Of course, everyone else had salad, bread, and cake.  I cheated and tried to nosh on some bread.  It was hard, but oh, so nice to have something with texture other than mush in my mouth.  I had to tear of teeny bits to get it in and suck on it a bit, but I managed to eat two pieces, ha ha!  Mom was so cute when she went to blow out her candle on her cake.  The cake had coconut on the outside, so mom ended up blowing half of the coconut off the top.  She had the funniest look of shock when she blew it off, so did the kids, who were on either side of her.  Ashley also thought ahead and got some of my favorite ice cream to make into a milkshake.  Scott jumped at the chance to make it, he loves helping me. 
Unfortunately, around 8, my chin started hurting so badly (like it seems to do every night around that time) that I just went home early.   Ashley was kind enough to take a picture for me to post.  She had an up close one of my teeth, but there is food stuck in my braces, so I'll spare you guys!  If you look close enough, you can see the rash on my chest.  My face is still a bit swollen.  I think I look different in that my face is shorter.  I dunno...

The next day, Scott came over around noon to fix my kitchen sink.  Turns out it was fine, just maybe some dirt got under the washer or it wasn't sitting right.  I think he got a kick out of getting to use his tools and do something manly.  He did get the hot and cold water backwards, though, when he put it back together, ha ha!  He also surprised me with flowers (for V-day) to which I promptly spilled water all over the floor trying to open them.   He had food for dinner, as well, that he left to simmer.  Jenna came and got me around 1:30 and we went to see "The Blind Side."  Her husband was watching Nascar and she wanted to get out of the house, plus we both had been wanting to see the movie for months and this was our first chance.  I did ok going out for a couple of hours.
When we got back, Scott beat me to my house and we had a nice V-day evening.  He made beef goulash and chocolate mousse.  He also had a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice.  The goulash was really good, and it was a different taste from what I've been eating.  Blending it up, though, made it look like refried beans, ha ha!
After dinner we watched "Much Ado About Nothing" and I almost fell asleep.  It was a nice V-day, but I promised Scott that when I was better, I'd do something special for him.

Day 17

So, as I have said before, I have been experiencing a lot of pain.  Yesterday, I just knew that this wasn't normal.  I wasn't supposed to be feeling anything, actually.  So I called my doctor and told him about all that I've been feeling.  He said that it was highly unusual that I am feeling anything and it means that my nerves are starting to fire up and heal already.  Most people don't feel this because they are completely numb due to nerve damage for up to 6 months.  For some reason, my nerves weren't that damaged so they are healing already, even though I am still numb.  Weird.  He said it is a mixed blessing because it is good that my nerves are healing so quickly, but bad in that I am feeling it.  I told him that I wake up several times a night and haven't slept well in weeks.  So he told me to go back to rotating the ibuprofen and Hydrocodone every 3 hours and before bed, take 2 Hydrocodone pills and the ibuprofen at the same time.  So last night I did, and guess what!  I slept till 6:30!  Then I fell back asleep and slept till 8:30!  It was WONDERFUL!  I haven't slept that well in so long.  I am a goof though, cause I forgot to ask him how long I would be feeling this pain...
Oh well.  My next appointment is the 22nd.  If I am still hurting then, I will ask him.  I am hoping I won't be, because that is the week I'm supposed to go back to work.
I am slowly getting my energy back.  Ashley came and got me yesterday afternoon to pick up more drugs and a few grocery items.  She has just picked up Paige from preschool so it was funny that Ashley had to cart around two handicapped "children".  When we got to Harris Teeter, she parked in the expectant mother spot because she had 2 handicapped children and didn't want to have to walk as far.  Paige was too cute, I think she likes shopping at the grocery store.  She knows that she gets a cookie so she was saying "I want a cookie" over and over.   Then she would randomly say "Harris Teeter!" and grin sheepishly.  She is still acting a little funny around me, I guess I still don't look like the same Aunt Marlo. 
I decided to experiment based on some things I saw other people had tried (reading on the internet).  I got some mac n' cheese and some egg salad.  They say if you blend up the mac n'cheese, it's pretty good.  And the egg salad is already mushy so its easy to eat and I'll get protein.  Just don't know how much of it I can eat with no bread, ha ha! 
Driving home was funny, it was cold out and Ashley forgot to get Paige's coat.  Paige was saying "Brrr!" and shivering and being all dramatic, then smiling.  Then she said, "Mommy, I want to take off my big bandage now." (meaning her cast on her leg)  Ashley told her she could take it off when she was walking really good on it.  Paige said she was walking, to the potty at nap time.  Ashley said she had to be walking all the time.  Then Paige paused and said "Aww" like she realized she couldn't argue with that and she was stuck wearing it.  It was hilarious.  Anyway, when we got home, Ashley made me some mac n' cheese.  I didn't want her to blend it because I was worried it would be like mush, so I asked her to try to chop up the noodles with a knife and then add the sauce.  Poor thing, she said it was hard because the noodles kept rolling.  When I came downstairs, there were noodles all over the counter and floor, ha ha!  Anyway, unfortunately it wasn't chopped up enough so I ended up blending it a little bit.  But only enough to make tiny pieces.  That worked wonderfully!  So we'll see how the leftovers go today.
Valentine's Day is coming up on Sunday, perfect timing...
I wish I felt well enough to go out somewhere, but I'm not sure if I would last long.  So Scott is going to make some beef goulash and blend it up for me.  He's so sweet, trying to think of something we both can enjoy.  It will be something nice to look forward to.

Day 16

I apologize again for not writing in a few days.  On Monday, I moved back home.  It was a long day.  Mom called the doctor and asked for a new prescription of Hydrocodone since I was about to run out and I'm still dealing with pain.  We ran a few errands around town and then went back to the house to rest up a bit before moving me.  Finally, around 4:30 we packed up all my stuff and headed to my house.  Mom stayed a little bit and helped me unpack and fixed me one last meal.  I took a shower and was totally wiped.  Its amazing to me how little energy I have, one of the reasons for being so down.  When mom left, I felt kindof sad and a little scared.  Its been nice to have someone taking care of me and mom did a wonderful job.  She told me later that she also felt sad that night and a little lonely. 
The next day, Tuesday, I spent the whole day in bed and trying to eat.  I know I need to eat as much as I can to get energy to do things.  Scott came over that evening and brought some potato soup from O'Charlies.  We ended up watching "The Great Outdoors" and not doing much of anything else.  But it was nice to have company.
Wednesday, yesterday, was another big day.  I had to go into work to track in.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to do it.  Joe came and got me around 11:30 and when I got to work everyone seemed surprised to see me.  Ashley got there around 2:30 and helped me get my room ready.  I think she has a better idea of what I have to go through to track in every time, ha ha!  She was moving furniture, sharpening pencils, cutting contact paper, putting nametags everywhere, moving files out of my file cabinet so she could put my file cabinet on a new dolley, then returned all the files and pushing the file cabinet down the hall.  She is an awesome sister to take time off work to help me!  After school, my coworker Beth Ramsey helped me with my sub plans.  I honestly couldn't have tracked in without all the help that everyone gave me and I am forever grateful.  I didn't get out of school till 7:00, I couldn't believe I hadn't passed out already.  God is good, He gave me the strength to get through the day.
Last night I woke up around 4:30, then again around 6:30 and couldn't get back to sleep.  I never can sleep through the night any more because I wake up in pain.  Its impossible for me to get a good rest on my back, too.  I can't wait till the doctor says I can sleep on my face again. 
I've been having a lot of pain the last couple of days.  I think some of my nerves are healing so it makes my lips feel like they are on fire!  Any touch is searing pain where the nerves are healing.  My face is sensitive to touch and the inside of my lips hurt if I brush them against my braces.  I wonder how long this will last?
Ashley called this morning and asked me what I was going to do with all this time off.  I plan to build up my energy again but also rest as much as possible.  I don't know when I'll be ready to go out with friends again, especially if it involves food.  That is just torture and it is only getting worse, ha ha!

Day 13

I know I haven't posted in a few days.  I had a pretty bad few days.  Saturday I woke up with a migraine and ended up throwing up.  It hurt so much in so many ways.  I took a migraine pill and rested most of the day.  That evening was my friend Jenna's birthday party and I really wanted to go, so I got my sister to take me.  It was nice to get out and see people but I had my first experience dealing with being around food I can't eat.  It was hard to see all that food and not be able to eat any of it.  And Scott made his famous carrot cake, which all I could do was sit and look at everyone enjoy.  I think it's going to be tough when I'm back in the "real world" dealing with others eating.  So far, its not been too hard because mom doesn't eat right in front of me.  I am getting sick of soup and smoothies.  I am never taking eating for granted again!  Anyway, some people at the party were playing Super Mario Kart, but most people were playing a game.  I laughed so much but it hurt, lol.  I was only able to stay about an hour and Scott took me home.  Sunday was a blah day.  I felt so down.  I'm tired of hurting and being tired and I want to get back to my old routine.  And I know I have things coming up I need to do.  There is this one spot on my chin, I think its a nerve trying to heal or something.  It constantly hurts, an icy cold sharp pain that throbs constantly, only once in a while subsiding.  And if I move my head the wrong way, it spikes the pain, oh its the worst!  So last night and this morning, of course, I accidentally moved my head the wrong way.  Mom had me take Hydrocodone and Ibuprofin at the same time.  I think I have one dose of Hydrocodone left, so I'm going to call the doctor and see if I can get some more for emergencies.  Another weird thing that has started happening is my right side that has been numb and my lips are suddenly very sensitive to the touch.  Any pressure sets off pinprickles of pain.  I wish I knew when this was all going to end. :(
Later this afternoon, I'm going to move back home.  I think its time.  I need to make this move so I can start to feel back to normal.  I'm happy, but a little scared to be on my own again.  I know I will be fine, but if I wait too much longer, I might never leave, ha ha!
Here is a picture from Saturday.

Friday (10 days post-op)

I had another terribad night last night.  I took the Tramadol only starting yesterday evening and I woke up at 2 am in the worst pain.  I laid there a little while then took another Tramadol.  It did nothing.  Around 4, mom came in and I was still awake and in horrible pain.  We ended up deciding that I should go back to the Ibuprofen and Hydrocodone.  I just wasn't ready to go off them yet.  After I took some Ibuprofin, I went right to sleep and had a good day today on those drugs again.  Today was a nice day full of visitors.  First, the drama director and assistant from church came to see me and brought me this awesome basket full of goodies like Jello and pudding, gift cards, and fun straws.  Unfortunately I have to wait to use the straws,  but I love the gift.  It was fun to have them visit.  Then my sister, niece, and friend Jenna came over to hang out for a few hours.  That was lots of fun too, girls night.  But now, I am wiped, considering two bad nights of sleep in a row and all the activity.  Here are the latest pics.  I think today I look more like myself than ever!  A lot of the bruising has lightened today, too!

Thursday (9 days post-op)

I had a bad night sleeping, tossing and turning all night.  When I woke up, I felt all feverish and had a slight tummy ache.  After some food, I felt a little better.  Mom and I went to UNC for my follow up today.  We saw my surgeon and his chief resident.  They took out the stitches on the sides of my face, yay!  But the splint has to stay in for 6 weeks, yuk.  They told me that I was doing a good job healing, and the swelling was much less than most people at this point, but my bruising was worse than most people.  Basically, on the scale of severity of jaw surgeries, mine was on the high end, so I will be in pain for a while and it will take me longer to recouperate.  They showed side by side xrays of before and after and talked about all the changes.  I still can't get over how different it is.  You can't tell from the outside because of all the swelling, but there are huge differences in how my skull looks now.  I hope I can get pictures to show at some point.  My upper jaw is shorter and straight now.  My upper jaw and lower jaw are now centered, they used to be off to the left.  And my upper and lower jaws are moved forward a bit.  This has made my nose kindof go up at the tip.  It's hard to tell right now because I'm so puffy, but eventually, they say I'll see the difference.  I go back for a follow up visit in 2 weeks.  The doctors told me I could go off the other pain meds and just stick to the pill.  But so far today, I have been in so much pain, that I don't think I'm ready to just do one pain killer every 6 hours.  Scott came over to visit tonight.  We chatted a little and watched tv.  I felt so bad that I couldn't talk much toward the end.  But Scott is an awesome boyfriend and just smiled and kept me company.  He also took my pics today.  Here they are...

Wednesday (8 days post-op)

Today was another field trip day.  Woke up feeling bad, but better than usual, if that makes any sense.  On a side note, I have become addicted to Reba.  It comes on at 8:00 and I watch several back to back episodes.  I never watched it when it was on the first time.  It's a cute show, makes me laugh.  Anyway, we went to see my orthodontist.  He told me that everything looked good and I was doing well healing.  My gums look good and the swelling and bruising looks good considering.  He took an xray and is going to make some comparative before and after pics, which I'm hoping he will email to me.  Then he took a few measurements, I'm guessing to help him plan how to move my teeth over some, and told me to come back in 4 weeks. 
Afterward, we went to Target because I needed a few things.  Whats that, you say? Oh, yes, I went to Target, in public, where lots of people could see me.  I just tried to act as inconspicuous as possible and get what I needed quickly.  By the time we left, I was feeling pretty tired from all the activity (pitiful, isn't it?) so we went to Chick-fil-A for some lunch and went home. I had their chicken soup, which mom had to blend up, but it was yummy! 
The pictures I have today took about 15 tries to get.  Mom either cut the top of my head off or I had a funny look on my face.  I tried to smile,  but, well, you can see the results, ha ha!

Tomorrow is another big day.  I'm going  back to UNC to see my oral surgeon for my follow up.  I'm hoping that he'll take the splint out, but I really don't know how long I'm supposed to wear it.  That's it for now!

Tuesday (7 days post-op)

Well, I can hardly believe that one week ago today I had my surgery.  Thank goodness this week has gone by quickly.  I woke up again today around 3:30 in pain.  Why does it always have to be 3:30? ha ha!  This morning was a rough start, but once I got up and got some food and meds in me I started feeling better.

(WARNING: Skip this next sentence if you have a weak stomach)  When I got out of the shower, all the steam had loosened some bloody mucous which all started coming out as I was drying my hair.  EWW!

After resting a little bit (the shower made me a little woozy), mom and I took a field trip to my house!  We brought my meds and mom brought some leftover soup in a pot and we headed out.  Pretty quickly, the cold air started killing my mouth.  It was awful.  But once I was in my house it felt better.  There was ice all over the parking lot and on my stoop so we had to be very careful not to fall.  Anyway, I checked my mail, paid some bills, and did my taxes while mom went over to visit Ashley and Paige for a short bit.
Driving home, my mouth started hurting again.  I went ahead and took one of the stronger pain pills when we got back.  Then I had visitors galore!  My friend Jenna came over and brought me a frappacino.  I was glad to visit with her.  Then my sister and niece came over for a brief surprise visit.  I think I scared Paige because Ashley put her on my lap and she wouldn't look at me.  But she talked with me and was sweet as can be.  After they left, Scott came to visit me.  He had traveled over an hour to get here in rush hour traffic.  I let him see my face, but I was still embarrassed.  I'm glad he came, though.
Now, I'm pooped, ha ha!  Dinner is soon and hopefully a restful night.  Here are the latest pics.  Everyone who saw me today seems to think I'm looking better, more like myself.  Here is my attempt to smile.

Sunday (Post-op day 5)

Oh, boy, another rough day.  The pain was becoming unbearable by mid-day and the anti-nausea meds weren't working.  So I broke down and asked mom to call UNC for me.  The doctors prescribed me something stronger than the Hydrocodine, Tramadol.  She said to continue taking the Hydrocodine and add in the Tramadol.  And she gave me a stronger prescription for nausea.  Mom had to call several neighbors till she found one with 4-wheel drive that could go out and get the medicine.  The streets out here are still not plowed and are pretty treacherous.  Anyway, the new drugs seem to be helping a little more than the old ones, so far.  I hope it will stay this way.  In the midst of all my agony, my sister called to tell us my 3 year old niece was in a sledding accident which caused her to knock a hole in her forehead (2 stitches) and break her right leg.  Poor baby!
Here are today's pictures.  My bruises are starting to turn a nice shade of mustard yellow.  That's a good sign, right?

I'

I'm not looking so happy in this picture because I didn't have my drugs yet.  Plus, it's hard to smile with my puffy face and lips.

Saturday evening

As promised, here are some more lovely pictures.  You can really see the bruising in these.  I now have a bruise starting in the middle of my neck down my chest.  It's very strange.  I am also including pictures of my lovely caretakers, Ashley and mom.  They have tirelessly taken care of me, woken up all hours of the night, and catered to my every need, although I fight it the whole way (miss independent that I am).  Just had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and Ibuprofen.  I had mom take out the noodles, blend them separately, then add them back in.  That worked nicely.  I shouldn't find any stray noodles in my mouth tomorrow. :)

                                                

Friday /Saturday (Post-op Day 3&4)

Well, after posting yesterday morning, I was pretty worn out.  It is amazing how quickly the little things wear you out.  My days have quickly become a regime of taking meds, trying to eat, and resting.  If I skip any pain meds at all, the pain  becomes excruciating.  I can tell when its time to take more meds  because my face starts to stiffen up and ache again.  I have to eat with the medicine, but it is so hard, takes so much energy and effort.  But if I don't eat, my tummy hurts.  Everything that I used to take for granted is just hard work now.  My face feels so tight that it feels like it might pop off, lol!  I have a picture I can post from yesterday, but it is just so awful.  I'm going to get another one for today.  I took a shower this morning and almost passed out.  I also felt like I was going to throw up, which would not have been pleasant.  So now I am laying back in bed, trying to relax and not get worked up again.  Food is coming at 11:00, cream of wheat.  That will be an adventure.  Imagine trying to feed a baby some baby food but the baby can't move her mouth or lips to suck it down.  It just sits there.  Last night I had some chicken noodle noodles stuck in my mouth for who knows how long.  I discovered them when I went to brush my teeth.  Eww!  It's because the whole right side of my face, including my tongue and inside of my mouth, is still numb.  Anyway, perhaps this evening I'll post some more pics.  For now, that is all.

Thursday (Post-op Day 2)

Ok, now we're up to yesterday.  I went to see Dr. Blakey again.  He showed me how he wants my rubber bands to go.  This is going to basically retrain my muscles in how to move my mouth.  It is really hard to get in there, though, and put those bands on.  I have to go all the way back and make a big box on one side, and a parallelogram on the other.  My face is still numb and I'm still in a lot of pain, but Dr. Blakey said I was ready to go home.  I was discharged, finally got that icky IV out of my hand, and left the hospital around 3:30.  Ashley and mom helped me get back to the house and settled in.  I did have to go get my prescriptions filled, that was embarrassing to go out in public looking this way.
I finally got to take a shower! All pride aside, I let my sister help me wash my hair.  Then they blended up some Spaghettios for my dinner, yum!  I had to figure out my medicine regime.  I am supposed to take certain drugs at certain times, some with food.  So its a bit complicated.  And if I wait too long for the painkillers, I am quickly sorry.  I woke up around 3:30 this morning in agony.  I had to call mom on her house phone to bring me some food to take with my Hydrocodone.  I think I'm going to ask her to just wake up tonight at 3 and do it automatically so I won't have to suffer like I did.  One cool thing is this morning I am starting to get some feeling back in my right cheek.  It's back toward my ear moving into the center of my face.  But my nose and lip and center part are still numb as can be.
Ok, one more pic from yesterday.  This blog took a lot out of me to write, so I think I'm done for now.  Thank you to everyone for your prayers and texts and emails!  Please continue to pray for me, I need it!

Wednesday (Post op- day 1)

Ok, now we are to Wednesday.  Another rough day.  My face started swelling so badly, and the whole right side of my face was numb.  It was weird, cause I felt all these phantom itches or cold spots but when I touched it, nothing.  My lips are HUGE!  Bigger than Angelina Jolie's.  And I'm constantly drooling all over myself.  Drugs are my best friend.  If I try to be brave and not complain, I am sorry very quickly because the pain hits quickly and it hits hard.  I am so sapped of all energy.  I got carted over to the clinic to be seen by Dr. Blakey (my surgeon).  They took xrays and showed us the before and after.  It looks so cool!  He seems pleased with the results, although he said he couldn't get it perfect because of my anatomy and thin bones.  Some of my bones are as thin as paper, which occurs in only about 5% of the population.  And no, it isn't because I don't drink enough milk, ha ha!  They had to place the titanium plates and screws in the thicker parts of the bone.  Apparently the bone will grow around it.   Anyway, I started having some really bad pain so they sent me back and Dr. Blakey said he was more than likely gonna keep me another night.  When I got back to the room, someone brought me some beautiful daisies that Scott had sent me.  It was so sweet and it made me feel better to have something pretty to look at (besides my mom and sister, of course).  Ashley left for the afternoon to take care of her family and mom stayed with me till the evening.  Dad and Mary came to visit, which was nice, but it wore me out.  Mary wasn't kidding when she said that visitors wear you out.  Even when its your own parents.  The swelling continued to go up all day to the point that I could hardly open my mouth.  My nose bled a lot, every time I bent over.  Basically my sinuses are full of blood like a teacup and if I bend over, it spills out.  I'm on Sudafed and nasal spray to keep my sinuses from swelling up too bad.  I'm on Amoxicillin, too.   I'm rotating between Ibruprophrin (100mg) and Hydrocodone (Tylenol 3, 500 mg) for pain.  And I have to keep this antibiotic oinment on my lips.  I've been drinking a lot of chicken broth.  The first meal they brought me was pureed food, which basically looked like they opened a can of cat food and put it on a plate.  I couldn't even look at it.  I was begging them for soup.  I finally got lunch around 3:30.  The nurse fixed my meal plan and I was getting liquids by dinner time, thank goodness.  Ashley stayed with me one more night, which was another bad night.  I woke up at one point in such pain that Ashley had to pray over me again.  That helped.
Ok, here is a picture from Wednesday.  Again, no making fun!

The little spot between my eyes is where they put a metal pin.  This was to help them during surgery to keep my face lined up.  I have an ice pack around my face to help the swelling.  You can't tell in this pic so much but my whole face is swollen and bruised all the way down my neck.

Recovering/ All about the surgery day

Well, it is Friday and I am at mom's house recovering.  It has been a long, rough week.  I'm going to start back to the morning of surgery and try to remember everything I can.
Tuesday:
Mom came and picked me up at 9:00.  I was finally starting to get anxious and nervous.  And, of all mornings, I was hungry!  I never get hungry in the morning.  So all of the anxiety and hunger combined made me a little snippy.  When we arrived at the hospital, I checked in and they got me into the system right away.  I got my little arm band and was told where to go to wait.  All this time, the anxiety is building.  Mom and I made our way up to the 5th floor surgery waiting room.  I had to call on a little black phone to let them know I was there.  Finally, after about 45 minutes, they called us back.  I was really getting nervous at this point, a bit shaky.  A little voice inside me said, its not too late to stop now.  But I ignored it.  We went into the back area where they were down to business.  Had to strip down to nothing and put on the hospital gown, these weird socks that went up to my knees but had holes in the toes, and these little footies over that.  I was shaking all over by this point.  Mom just sat there doing all she could to look calm and keep me calm.  My blood pressure was 143/ 76, which is really high for me. I'm normally around 100/ 60.  I told the nurse that I was a tough stick, and she said she'd be careful.  But she tried twice and couldn't get the IV in.  And oh, did that hurt!  So she said she'd have the anesthesiologist do that.  Thank goodness, too, cause the anesthesiologist got it in one try, although it did hurt a bit.  I have small veins apparently, that don't like IVs.
Anyway, around 12:00 they wheeled me back and I said bye to mom.  They took my glasses, so I was pretty blind at this point and nervous too.  It took a few minutes for the "happy drugs" to kick in and help me relax.  But by the time I was in the surgical ward, and put on the table, I was ok.  I remember them sticking all sorts of heart monitor patches on me and these weird leg squeezer things for circulation.  And that's all I remember before lights out.
I remember waking up (they sent me to recovery around 4:30) but it took me a while.  I was in and out of it for a while.  I remember at one point they put oxygen on me and told me to breathe because my blood pressure had dropped so low.  But really, it was just back to normal levels, ha ha!  I had an NG tube down my nose that ran to my stomach to suck out blood and fluids.  The nurse told me a few times to cough to help the sucking.  My hospital gown kept falling off my shoulders so the nurse came to tie it back up.  I told her that I was trying to be sexy and now there went that.  She laughed and told my mom and sister about that.  Apparently Ashley got fussed at for wandering around as an "unsupervised minor" in the recovery room.  Apparently I was feeling all emotional, telling mom "I did good, didn't I?  I did everything they told me to."  and "I love you guys."
They had 3 different rooms ready for me to move into, but each time they came back and said, no, they "unassigned me".  So I didn't get moved into a room until 8:30.  Apparently the first two rooms were shared rooms, so thank goodness the third room was private.  I was really nauseated at this point, and I did end up throwing up, through the NG tube.  That was so weird!   That night was difficult.  I kept waking up every couple of hours in agony.  They would give me some kind of pain killers in my IV tubing which helped.  And the NG tube started making me gag.  Ashley stayed the night with me, she was a wonderful help.  I almost threw up again, but Ashley prayed over me really hard and I finally was able to relax.  Around 5:30, one of the doctors came and took out the tube and I felt soooo much better.  All in all, I didn't get much sleep that night.
Now, I have gone back and forth over this, because most of you know I hate my picture taken, but here is a picture of me in the recovery room.  No making fun!

One night to go...

Well, this time tomorrow, I will have a new and improved mouth.  I am scheduled for surgery at noon.  I'm about to go and take a shower, then another one in the morning.  Seems kindof weird, but I guess they want to make sure I don't have any germs on me.  Tonight I took my tv, wireless router, suitcase of clothes for the week, food, and school stuff to mom's house.  I don't know how I'm going to go to sleep tonight, ha ha!  I'm used to having my tv on as I drift off.  I just know that if I lay in bed with no distractions, I'll have no choice but to fret about tomorrow.  I may just sleep on my couch instead...
Anyone who is reading this, please pray for me and my doctors tomorrow.  I know I will be in good hands, but its still scary.  Strangely enough, I'm still not nervous.  I am sure I will be tomorrow morning when I have to put on that gown and they start giving me the iv and all.
Later!

Pre-op appointment

Today was a very long, exhausting day.  Mom came over at 9 and we drove to UNC.  Then we waited for an hour before we finally were called back (except for one x-ray, then back to waiting). Back in the clinic area, I was re-measured (mouth opening 25 mm now).  I also made several molds, bit on some wax, and had some kind of measuring contraption put on my head that looked like a halo.  By the time this was all done it was around 1:00.  The doctor answered a few more questions for me and then sent me up to get photos made of my profile and teeth.  Next was the hospital for pre-admittance.  We waited for over an hour to be seen.  Sometime around 3:30 I went out and asked them how much longer because mom and I hadn't eaten since breakfast and had been there all day.  A nurse found us some SoyJoy bars, not really that good but at least tided us over till we could get some real food.  They drew blood, took my vitals, asked tons of questions, and the anesthesiologist explained how they were going to stick a tube down my nose to suck out my stomach.  She also calmed my fears about waking up during surgery.  Basically the world could blow up and I wouldn't know it.
We finally were on our way home around 4:00.  I was just beat!  And I'm a little overwhelmed at this point with all that is going to happen to me.  I find myself obsessing over things that to me are far worse than the surgery, such as the iv and catheter.  I just have to trust God and have faith that He will get me through this.

As far as Haiti updates, our friends are all safe for now, but several have lost family.  Our family in Zoranger is living in a makeshift tent city on our soccer field, fearing for their safety to sleep in any structures that didn't collapse.  Our school and clinic are shut down indefinately because of safety concerns.  The bread oven that was built to sustain our team when we went and became a source of income and community for Zoranger, is now also destroyed.  It is a desperate and trying situation for everyone down there.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and even after all the beginning attention is gone, remember that they will need to rebuild.  The most wonderful thing I can say about the Haitian people is that they are strong.  Strong in faith, strong in spirit, and strong in survival skills.  I know that they will make it through this.  But even the strong ones have had their faith shaken a bit and are questioning why this has happened to them.  Please pray that God will renew their faith, sustain them, and carry them through these times.

One week to go

Well, in one week I'll be having my long awaited surgery.  This past weekend I went with a friend to stock up on some post surgery items.  I got lots of frozen berries, some acai/blueberry juice, Carnation instant breakfast, soups, a new blender, and a wedge pillow.  Next weekend, I'll probably have to go get foods like yogurt and peanut butter (for protein) and stuff like that.  I have my pre-op appointment this Thursday, finally, and I'll find out all the details, I hope, then.
Saturday night I had one of my "last meals" at the Outback with friends.  It was nice, but I ate too much, ha ha!  It's a good thing I'll be on a liquid diet, I could stand to loose a few pounds. 
I'm still waiting to hear from friends and family in Haiti.  I did hear that the house in Zoranger where our host family lives (and where I stayed when I was the only "blanc") has collapsed.  We didn't hear that anyone was hurt, but I am waiting for confirmation that everyone was safe.  Elade and Louis have made their way to Haiti and we were supposed to hear word tonight, once they hopefully reached Zoranger.  I just have to wait and trust God that everyone is ok. 
Here is a picture of the house that fell, along with some of our Haitian family and friends.