Update (Finally!)

Just over 7 weeks post opp!

OK so i am really rubbish at keeping this blog up to date! I have had a lot of things going on recently so haven't even thought about my surgery!

So in the time i have been away, i turned 21! I had the best surprise party ever and got very drunk! I started back at work again and went to a renewal of vows reception last weekend! Busy Busy!

So with regards to my jaw:

Everything is going great! I started back at work a week earlier than i had planned because i didn't feel i needed the time off! So i had 5 weeks off work in total (i could have managed with only 2 weeks off!). 

Pain wise i am not in any! I have a small scare a couple of weeks ago just after my 21st birthday because i suddenly had this very tender and painful spot appear on my jaw! It was just over where the metal bracket would be on my left side! I was so worried i had done something to knock it out of place! Luckily i had an appointment with my orthodontist the day i noticed the pain for my brace adjustment, so my surgeon also popped in to check me over. He said i had probably over stretched the muscles that are trying to heal when i was singing and shouting at my party! He was right because the pain went away within the next 2 days and i am fine now.

As i said above i had my first brace adjustment since my surgery. My orthodontist wants me to wear elastics when i next go in and see her (great! :/) just to align everything up. She said i should have my braces off by Christmas which is great!! I have to go back every 6-8 weeks just like before my surgery. 

My surgeon no longer has to see me until after the braces come off just to check the final result. 

Here's a photo from my 21st! You cant really see my jaw but i was smiling and happy! 

Numbness: I still am experiencing numbness in my chin. Its not as bad as it was and it is gradually coming back to life, its just taking a long time! It doesn't really effect me though, i only notice it from time to time. My lower gums are still coming round as well so whenever i brush my teeth, certain parts of my gums are very tender and feel weird! 

Eating: I am pretty much eating normally now! I am still wary when it comes to eating really hard/crispy food and sometimes when i eat really chewy things my jaw starts to ache a bit. But i can still eat almost anything i want and i can open my jaw pretty wide. Not as much as i could before the surgery but i am sure i will get there!

To be honest i cant believe its been 7 weeks since i had my surgery! I cant even really remember the pain and discomfort because it is so insignificant now! I am so glad i had the surgery done and i will never regret it! I am already so happy with the result and i am still not at the end of the process. 

I think i was really lucky with my surgery because i didn't have any complications, hardly any pain and was back on my feet within 48 hours! I only had to stay in hospital the 1 night (and i found out the other day my surgeon was going to send me home the same day but because i had the drains in he kept me in!). 

So if you are thinking of having the surgery done and your looking at this blog for advice, the only thing i can say is that you make it a lot worse in your head than it actually is! This process has been so much easier than i thought it would be and i wish i could go back and tell myself this so i would stop worrying so much! It is so worth it!

Here's another photo from the renewal ceremony to end this update :) Keep smiling :D 

 

1 Month Gone!!!

Its been a whole month since my surgery and the time has flown by!

Still numb in parts of my chin and gums and every now and again i have a small pain in my jaw where im still getting used to my bite. Other than that everything is normal!

My swelling is still going down on my chin but all the other swelling has gone.

Not a lot else to say to be honest! Everything is normal.

Here is another face photo:

Before and After Profile

Thought id share a photo with you, this is a before and after pic of my profile so far. There's already a huge difference and there is still some swelling! The next is another front on photo :) Oh i had another surgeon appointment and he is really pleased and i no longer have to see him until after the braces come off! I have my next appointment in 3 weeks time to have my braces adjusted! Last leg of my journey!

3rd Week of Recovery

Keep forgetting to update! Really sorry! OK so today is Tuesday 19th July which is 3 weeks and 1 day after my surgery!

Nothing has really changed from the last week, my stitches have now dissolved so im just left with the internal scarring and a bit of swelling on my chin. Part of my chin is still numb but my bottom lip and tongue have nearly returned which is good!

This week has been pretty normal, i have been eating everything my family have been, im just careful with crispy and hard food. Pain wise, i am not in any! Every now and again i have a small pain in my right side of my jaw and my right ear sometimes aches but other than that im good.

I'm basically back to normal and im going out doing everything i would be if i wasn't recovering.

Here are some photos of me this week:

2nd Week of Recovery

OK so i am really bad at updating this blog!! Its now Monday 7th July which is 2 weeks after surgery!

Not a lot has really happened this week so i will just do an update of the whole week rather than a day by day.

So on Tuesday i went and saw my surgeon who took my plasters off (which really hurt!) and i was left with this sticky residue on my face! I managed to get it off with some face scrub and it feels good to have them off! The surgeon was really happy with everything and he showed me my x-rays, i now have lots of metal in my mouth! My orthodontist also came in and had a brief look at everything, she was really pleased and didn't think it was necessary for me to have elastics which is great!

Photo after my plasters came off:

Swelling wise this week, its gone down a lot! I still have slight swelling on either side and some on my lower lip.

Numbness is more of my problem, i have a spot on my chin which is really numb and my bottom gums are still numb. However one of my stitches came out the other day and i can now feel some of my gum on 1 side. My lower lip is still tingling and so is half of my tongue but they are gradually getting there.

I have now come off my pain medication, i didn't really need them to be honest but thought it safe to keep on top of them. I kept taking the ibuprofen for half the week just to help with the swelling but i have now stopped that as well. I keep getting small twinges in my jaw and chin which hurt a bit but its not really painful and doesn't last long. Annoyingly i keep getting itches in parts of my face that i cant feel! Other than that pain hasn't been a problem for me.

Food wise i am managing to eat relativity normally, i have eaten pasta, porridge, a roast dinner, risotto, chicken, chips, beans, onion rings, lots of cakes and puddings! Pretty much anything soft! It takes me slightly longer to eat than normal but i can eat most things just not really hard stuff!

Sleeping isn't an issue anymore, i don't need to sleep elevated anymore. Sometimes it is uncomfortable to sleep on my side just because i'm pressing on my jaw in a funny place. Other than that i'm managing to sleep really well.

Energy is normal really! I haven't been too tired to do anything and i have managed to do everything i normally do. I'm driving OK and walking to different places. No different to before surgery,

So yeah! Everything is going really well and so much easier than i expected! Don't know what all the fuss is about! I have another appointment to see my surgeon tomorrow as well and then i think he will leave me alone for a few weeks to heal up before he has another look.

Here are some more photos of me during the week:

1 Week Since Surgery!!!

Its been a week today!! Cant believe it to be honest! Its gone so quickly, wish i had known this time last week that it would be this easy to recover! Would have saved a lot of worrying!

So today i was taken to Bridport by my second mummy Jean (my friends mum) she took me to her house and i helped her look after her 20 month old granddaughter which was really fun. Just chilled and watched disney films! Also saw my good friend Lauren for the first time since the surgery which was lovely!

For breakfast i had some porridge then i had some cheese and salad cream sandwiches for lunch along with a yogurt and i think my mum is doing bacon, sausages and baked beans for tea! I am then driving over to my boyfriends tonight after a committee meeting to stay over, he is taking me to my first hospital oppointment since the surgery tomorrow. Hopefully i will get the plasters off my face!

Pain info:

Pain 1/10
Comfort/Swelling 2/10
Tiredness 1/10

Also took some photos today:

Day 6 post opp

OK so onto Sunday 3rd July which is 6 days post opp!

Today was good, didn't sleep as well as normal. Woke up and had some porridge for breakfast and then went to a restaurant for a nice meal! I had roast turkey with potatoes, carrots and gravy! I managed to eat most of this and then for desert i had warm lemon drizzle cake which was amazing!

For tea i had BBQ pulled pork with some bread and butter, managed a fair amount of it and then had some ice cream for desert. I drove back from my boyfriends and had my first shower! (Been having baths because of the plasters on my face!) It was amazing! Felt so much better! Watched TV then went to bed! Pretty normal day!

Pain info:

Pain: 1/10
Comfort/swelling: 2/10
Tiredness: 1/10

Feeling normal again really! I'm concerned that i am not feeling worse! Every other blog i read before my surgery said that everyone felt exhausted all the time and was in more pain! I don't know what to tell you! I guess i recover quickly! Ha!