Day 9 Post Op

Day 9 - the best day yet at least so far. This morning I decided I wasn't going to suffer through another day of crushing up pain meds and freaking out while trying to get them down. So I fit them through my bands and swallowed! Done! We went to a clinic today to get my ears checked and I was right. Ear infection in both ears. I'm thinking my recent ear infections may be caused by my sinus rinse. I think my sinuses may not drain right or something. The clinic doc said I have eustachian tube dysfunction. I have to schedule an appt with my ENT. We took Jack for a walk this afternoon. It was a short walk but it felt good to be outside. My swelling has gone down even more today too.

Tools used this week- Sinus rinse, yes!!!! heating pad, soft towels for drool rag, liquid B12

Best recipes - Vanilla ensure, peanut butter, graham crackers and milk.

Day 8 Post Op

Frustrating day! My swelling has gone down a lot. So much so that we tried to make a trip to Sam's. I took a shower, put on make up and did my hair. And yes I know it's Black Friday but we wanted to get out of the house. I made sure and took my dry erase board and drool rag. We went to get diapers to prepare for our kids return. As soon as we arrived I started sniffing and said I smell real Christmas trees. Yep another thing I'm allergic to! So we hurried and got what we needed and then headed home. I actually took a short nap and was awaken by Brian who tried give my pain meds. It had been a hard day for me because it was the first day without any prescription meds. The last 2 hours between meds are pretty tough. I just used heat and ice to get me through. I freaked out again when I tried to drink the crushed up pills. Once I calmed down and got them down we decided to give me prescription pain meds at night so I could sleep. And guess what, ear infections. Yep I've had a lot recently before the surgery which is weird because I never had them growing up. So added pain but nothing I can't handle. My chin is really bothering me. I got a genioplasty to help with my profile when they moved my jaw up. Now It feels either like its cold or burning. I can't tell if it's the skin which is raw because of all the drooling or if its the implant. Because of my better breathing I slept better that night than I had since before the surgery.

Day 7 Post Op

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving meal. This was the first day I really missed eating. I had Brian blend apple pie and ice cream for a Thanksgiving treat. The best part of today was that I got to talk to my family on the phone. They even understood what I was saying most of the time. I got to talk to my kids too! Or at least hear them. Maddie told me Happy Thanksgiving. I hadn't talked to my kids in one whole week. My mom couldn't believe I could talk so well just one week after having jaw surgery. Today I also started to get off the prescription pain meds. My doctor said I could have 2400 mg of ibuprofen per day. He said I could crush it up and put it in my drink. I tried this and freaked out. It was the nastiest thing ever, it burned my throat and got stuck. Do not try this at home! We tried to take our dog Jack for a walk but it was raining and 30 something degrees out with a 30 mph wind. Wasn't it over 80 degrees the day before? Had fun watching football with Brian.

Day 6 Post Op

82 degrees what??!

Had another doctor's appt today. Even put on eye make up. I could talk a little better today which for all who know me is really important. The doctor took longer than normal today and while waiting I started to feel sick because of the fall scented stuff they had smelling up the entire office. I have extremely sensitive allergies and being stopped up already really made it bad. The doctor took my external stitches out and replaced them with tape. He said now was the time to start working on brushing my teeth. He also gave me permission to use my neil med sinus rinse. You are supposed to blow your nose at the end but I promised I wouldn't do that part. I used the rinse as soon as I got home. Holy cow! It forced out some brown blood clot still stuck in my nose. I also used my breath right strips and nose spray. I felt so much better! I actually slept a little more that night.

Day 5 Post Op

What I remember about this day is getting frustrated because I couldn't sleep, taking a quick trip to Kohl's and seeing a mom from my son's KDO class and she walked on by not recognizing me, and calling to get a refill on my pain meds. And the drooling is constant and annoying! Also the my left side (or if you are looking at me my right side) hurts just inside my mouth. It feels like my stitches are ripping or something. I found out after surgery that the other doctor in the office did that side which also had the most lip damage.

Day 4 Post Op

I can't believe I got so behind on my posts. It has been a roller coaster of emotions, pain and just inconvenience. I'm a control freak so not having control over my body and not being able to do things for myself has really cause me to lose it sometimes. Poor Brian is in the crossfire but he is doing a great job.

I love the mornings because I've found that each day passes, the changes are incredible.

Just 4 days after my surgery I went to visit my surgeon for my first post op visit. He wanted to see me Monday and Wednesday since it was a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. So Brian and I went Monday afternoon and he said I was doing great. Afterwards my husband and I decided to brave a trip to the supermarket to get protein that my doctor recommended. Which I have yet to use since I'm drinking Ensure every day. It was so funny, if I could have laughed I would have. People would either get wide eyed and then look away really quick or look at Brian like he did something do me.

I don't really remember how I was feeling but just 4 days after surgery I went to the store so I was proud.

Day 3 Post Op

Sunday was day 3 and I woke up in a regular room. My doctor came to see me and we talked about going home. Since it took over an hour to get my pain meds that morning and other problems we had, I asked the doctor if I could go home. I felt like my husband and I could do a
better job at home. He said yes so I was so excited.

I also had an ultrasound on my arm. It had been hurting so bad since right after surgery so my doctor ordered the ultrasound just to make sure I didn't have a clot. Everything turned out okay, but my arm still hurts and I can't grip things in my right hand. My doctor thinks it's because they wrapped me very tight during the surgery. This is done to prevent clots. Which could also be why there is a bruise ring around my neck. You can kind of see it in my picture. I thought I would throw in a profile pic so you can see my new look although there is still a lot of swelling. This day probably had the most swelling of all.

Once I got in the car, we rolled down the windows so I could get some fresh air. The drive was easy and I even took a quick shower when I got home. I made my husband stand there because I read on other blogs that some people had passed out in the shower.

I also weighed myself before the shower. I lost 5 pounds. Once I was done in the shower, my husband helped me set up in the recliner we put in our bedroom. I spent the rest of the day watching tv. I managed to eat some potato soup pureed in our new Ninja, cream of chicken soup and ensure. I did have a few pain moments but I used infant tylenol in between pain meds which helped. I slept a few hours on and off.

Feeling much better and my husband is taking great care of me. I do miss my kids but I know they are having fun with their grandparents.

Things I couldn't live without at home on day 3 were humidifier, vicks plug in, nose spray, towels to help with drool especially when eating, syringes I bought at Pet Smart. I use the larger one for water to make sure I stay hydrated.

Day 2 Post Op

Saturday was post op day 2. It was the worst day I have so far. I hadn't slept since the surgery because I was in the ICU. You have to leave your door open and you can't have visitors at night so my husband couldn't stay with me. I was SO stopped up from my surgery ( I had a turbinectomy too) that I couldn't sleep. I felt like I had the flu. My doctor said they did so many unnatural things to my sinuses that they just have to heal and that eventually I will pass a clot that is in there so that will help my breathing issues. Honestly, not being able to breathe has been the hardest part of my recovery. I kind of lost it that day and gave the nurses some trouble. I was just so frustrated that they couldn't do anything to help my breathing. One nurse said what do you want me to do? It was 3 am and I looked at her like I will tell you what you can do! I took so much medicine to help me breathe I got nauseous but was able to take an hour nap. After the nap I felt much better and spent the afternoon watching football with my husband. I was even able to get down some ensure. I had been living on water and an iv at this point.

One unusual thing is that my surgeon removed my bands so I could breathe easier. He said the plates were holding my jaws in the right place and once I was able to get out of the hospital, he would put the bands back in. I told I was worried about messing the whole thing up but he said it would be fine. Looking back I think we was worried about my oxygen levels and my fluid intake.

Later in the day I felt so much better I was moved to a regular room. So what started off as the worst day ended up pretty good.

One thing I have to say to those about to have the surgery, this may sound bad but it only lasted for a short time and I kept telling myself it's only temporary which seemed to help. I also brought my ipod loaded with positive songs to help me put things in perspective. Day 3 post op was dramatically better.

Post Op Day 0 and Day 1...

Post Op Day O

The Good- It's over. I survived. I'm now on the road to recovery.

The Bad- Asking for nose spray and not getting until 5 hours later. Nurses who no nothing about jaw surgery recovery.

The Ugly- Waking up was horrible. Not going to lie. I couldn't breathe, my throat hurt and I was extremely nauseated. It also took me several hours to truly wake up. Once I did I felt pretty good. That's when we took some pictures. No real jaw pain, just stuffy and throat dry and sore.

Tools used: Dry erase board, syringe.



Post Op Day 1

The Good- No more nausea. And I actually made a lap in the critical care unit. After a failed attempt and some tears earlier today, it felt good!

The Bad- Did I mention nurses that don't know about jaw surgery. They are very nice though and are trying their best. The x-ray techs are vicious. They kept trying to push my face into the x-ray machine and even though I can only mumble they got the idea of how pissed I was and backed off.

The Ugly- It's all in the pictures. The swelling, swelling and more swelling. And check out my fish lips! I am having trouble swallowing. I actually tried to take some Ensure but because my throat is swollen from the tube, it kept getting caught which made me not be able to breathe.

Tools used: Hand held mirror to help me guide the syringe, towel to mop up the drool, suction for the blood I was coughing up in the early morning, dry erase board, q-tips with hydrogen peroxide to clean out nostrils.

Questions for the Surgeon...

Here are the questions I asked my surgeon. I did my best to remember what he said.

1. How long will my surgery be? app. 6 hours

2. How long on liquids? I think he said at least a week and then we will see how you're doing.

3. Worried about being able to breathe with my allergies. And I freaked out when I woke up after sinus surgery, is there anything we can do to help this? You will feel really stuffy for the first 24 hours. But we will monitor that and the nurses will be there to help. We can give you something to relax you but don't worry if you freak out. Recovery room nurses will tell you it's like an insane asylum sometimes.

4. Will I have visible incisions? Yes small ones on either side. Will look like zits and then fade away.

5. Will I throw up? Maybe. We will give you medication for this. If you feel nauseated for some time you will probably throw up. It comes on gradually not all of a sudden. But don't worry just let it come out. We will also put a tube down your stomach to empty it before you wake up. This should help as well.

6. When can I exercise again? Light walking after 1 week but running or cardio at least a month if not longer.

7. How long in hospital? A couple of days.

8. How to keep teeth clean? A baby toothbrush will help at the beginning. You won't be able to get it really clean and with the splint it will be gross.

9. On some blogs, people recommend liquid B12, Bromelain and an iron supplement. Can I take those? Sure, they won't interfere with your medication. I don't think you need an iron supplement because your blood tests were excellent.

10. Wired or bands? Bands and you will be able to open a little bit.

11. How long before I get feeling back in my face? It depends. Some people start to get feeling back right away. Some may take weeks, 6 months or even a year.

12. What should my husband watch for and when should he call you? Elevated fever, signs of infection like pus and especially if there is bright red blood coming out of your nose I need to know right away. You will have some rusty red blood but if it's bright red, call me.

13. Do I need to floss and rinse before? Yes, clean as good as you can.

Stress...

So only two days to go! I can't believe it's already here. About 15 months ago I saw the surgeon for the first time. And 7 months ago I got my braces.

A lot has happened since my last post so I will do my best to catch you all (or Brian, my only follower at this point) up. This past Friday I saw my surgeon for my final measurements and models. I was told earlier I would be able to ask all my questions during the appt so my husband missed work to come with me. Luckily my Mother-in-law was in town for a teacher's conference so she watched the kids in the morning. When we went back to the exam room I was told today would NOT be the day I would get to ask questions. So Brian left. I have had trouble with miscommunication in that office before, like when they forgot to send my models to my insurance, so I was irritated.

We went on with the appt and when it was over they said I could head over to the hospital to do all my pre op paperwork and testing. I called earlier in the week to make sure I didn't need to schedule an appt for pre op and the same girl said no I could just show up. She was wrong and the hospital told me they should know better. I called to make an appt while waiting at the hospital and the only one I could get was that afternoon during my son's nap time and then the time I would have to pick up my daughter from school. So my Mother-in-law missed the last day of her workshop to help me out. But this all could have been avoided if I was given the right information by my surgeon's office. I was tired, stressed and mad at this point. Then the testing took 2 hours. I was so exhausted at the end of the day. But I got everything done.

I had to schedule another appt with my surgeon to ask my questions and they seemed irritated that it took work to find an appt to fit in my schedule. Well ladies, I was ready and had childcare on Friday. Whew! Like I need any additional stress. Anyway, saw the surgeon yesterday (with two sick kids I might add) and asked all my questions. I will list them on another post for you.

2 DAYS!

Ice Pack

For those of you who want a ice wrap made for your jaw and don't want to deal with zip n squeeze try www.coolrelief.net. I ordered their jaw wrap on Sunday night and it arrived today, Wednesday. I will let you know if it works.

15 days and counting!

So this morning I picked up a few things to prepare for the surgery. So far I have:

1. Cold pack made for jaw - bought online
2. Dry erase board
3. Liquid B12
4. New comfy pillow
5. Humidifier


My Mom is making me a care package with a new blender either a Magic Bullet or Ninja, infant tylenol, pjs, aquaphor and I can't remember what else.

I'm also working on letters to send to school with the kids so their teachers know what's going on. And notes for my Mom so she knows our schedule, what to pack in backpacks and lunches, etc.

I'm also making a list of songs to put on my mp3 that are calming and positive. Because when I woke up from sinus surgery I felt like I couldn't breathe and freaked out a little. Hopefully having some good music will help me through the frustration that comes with having your jaws wired. If anyone has any ideas on good songs, let me know.

I thought I would be excited at this point but really I'm just worried about what's going to happen when I wake up. Because I had a bad experience before with sinus surgery. And what I'm going to look like after.

Okay, off to put the heating pad on my face. It's been a long day. 17 days to go!