Let me see...
Shall we temporarily ignore the fact that the hospital had an out of date number for my insurance ID code? It's only a $91,000+ charge. No sweat. Right?
Yes. Let's ignore that for now.
Aaaaaaaaaanyhow.
On Monday I had my weekly follow-up appointment with Dr. Li. Everything is looking good and he loosened my rubber bands once again. My nose and sinuses are healed to the point that I didn't require any clearing. The most exciting part, though, was that it signified the beginning of my one week countdown to being able to really talk.
Next Monday, my rubber bands come off and I only have to wear them at night. At this point, that is feeling like a pretty momentous occasion.
Confession: I did quite a bit of research about Maxillomandibular Advancement Surgery and spoke to a number of doctors before deciding that it was my best option. I read several blogs, flipped through some of the research, etc. That being said, I didn't really realize until my pre-op appointment that I wasn't supposed to speak for four weeks. I knew I'd be on a liquid diet for circa six weeks, and I knew that I'd have rubber bands to keep my jaw closed, but I figured that with the progressively loosening bands I'd be back to talking in no time. So, when I was told at my appointment about a week before surgery that, even though I'd be physically able to talk, I was advised not to for four weeks... I was a little surprised.
In retrospect, it was something I should have asked about. On the other hand, I was actually pretty okay with not knowing it way in advance. It was just another thing to dread that wouldn't have been worth stressing over.
In the end, not being able to talk hasn't been nearly as bad as I would have made it out to be, had I given myself the time to blow it out of proportion.
Still.
I miss being able to talk.
A lot.
So I am a little excited about being able to hold a real, adult conversation again without scribbling on a white board. If this had been a longer term/permanent issue, I certainly would have invested in a portable electronic device either for typing, text-to-speech, or scribbling notes. As it was, my mildly (ha) retro equipment served me fine. (Yes, yes, yes - it's appalling I don't have an iPad or smart phone. Blah blah blah.)
Pain levels have been good - very consistently tapering off. I'm taking Ibuprofen once or twice during the day and once before going to sleep. After week two's follow-up appointment I developed some pain in my left jaw/ear. I think it was caused by my new found ability to move my jaw laterally. Anytime I shifted my jaw slightly to one side, it causes a considerable amount of pain. For obvious reasons, I try not to do this.
For a few days I had a consistent ache in/around my left ear, but Ibuprofen, warm showers, and gentle massage of the surrounding muscles helped. I had one bad night where the pain kept startling me awake when I inadvertently moved my jaw, but for the last few days, both pain and sleep have been much better.
Sleep has been good for the last week, as far as I can remember, besides the one pain-interrupted night. One thing I've noticed over the last few days, though, is that I'm having trouble falling asleep. I'm feeling very jazzed up when I try to go to bed, even if I'm feeling quite tired. I'm trying not to nap, I'm trying to confine what little caffeine I'm consuming to the mornings, and tonight I'm going to throw in some relaxing music as well.
There is still some numbness in my chin and lower lip, but there is now some feeling in all areas, even if it's somewhat muted. Some parts seem to be recovering more quickly, but I'm feeling more confident that Dr. Li is right to think I'll recover all sensation. My upper gums continue to be just about completely numb, but I've been told that it will be the last area to return to normal.
As for eating, I've actually managed to maintain my weight pretty successfully. I intentionally put on a few pounds before the surgery and lost a bit of that weight, but have otherwise remained steadily in my normal weight range. I think the trick has been to keep a variety of food options around at all times and to make sure I'm snacking/eating throughout the day.
This week has been a little rough on the solid food jealousy front, though. For the first two weeks I was blithely content with my smoothies, soups, and milkshakes... but for the last few days I've felt like Pavlov's dog whenever the refrigerator door opens. I can't help but imagine what crunchy goodness my boyfriend might be obtaining.
Right now I am dreaming of a breakfast burrito. Is it too much to ask for? So soft and delicious!
My energy levels definitely feel like they are improving - though I had a little bit of a setback after overdoing it last week. I was relatively active last week and over the weekend I attended a wedding ceremony and had a house guest. Though I enjoyed my weekend immensely and neither the wedding nor the house guest were particularly demanding, there is most certainly something different between vegging out/relaxing on your own and maintaining attention on other people.
After a few nights and days of recuperating, though, my motivation, energy, and attention span all seem to be increasing noticeably. Instead of watching TV or movies, I find myself more interested in working on little projects or having a friend over for a bit.
A friend recommended I keep track of my moods to see how having a good night's sleep for once affects my outlook on life.
My mood today: Grumpy for about ten minutes this morning, then mostly optimistic, upbeat, and productive. Weird.
Dr. Li says this is just the beginning. I hope he's right with all my heart.
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