Two Weeks Out!

My emerging profile

For those of you still keeping track, its been 14 days since my surgery.

In the grand scheme of things, I've had a somewhat pleasant experience so far with recovery (compared to other people). I've read about people who had complications and lingering problems, but I've encountered very few issues. This isn't to say I haven't had my fair share of minor "pain in the butt" problems, but I'm realizing how blessed I am to be recovering well.

So what's changed over the past week?

Eating 
I've self-graduated myself to eating my soup mush with a spoon! I take my front bands off to do so, and I don't know if my surgeon would approve...but I do it anyway. I also used a straw properly for the first time!! Milkshakes taste so much better through a straw than through my ketchup bottle. It might be too soon, but I've started mushing up pieces of cake with milk so that I can have my cake and eat it too (haaaa).
I've discovered over the past week that a lot of foods don't blend well. Most foods actually. I've learned that I like a lot of foods because of the flavor/texture combo. Once you take away the texture and blend, lets say a pizza, it just becomes salty mush... Thanks, but I think I'll just wait to enjoy pizza the correct way. :)

*side note* I'm only on week 2/6 of no chewing, and I didn't realize it would be this hard. Prepare yourself to be bitter anytime you see someone eating anything..

Talking
Other than eating, this has been the most frustrating part of recovery. My mouth is slow to move and still is very stiff. I am now 90% understandable, but I sound and look ridiculous when I talk. I do mouth exercises that I read about online (make a kissy face, then open as wide as you can) but I can't really tell a difference yet. My smile is less creepy than before, and it doesn't hurt to laugh anymore. I still feel like one of those ladies on TV whose had a ton of botox injections.

Sleeping
I got my first few nights of solid sleep this week! On Sunday night I was told I could lose the incline and sleep flat again! It's really a miracle how much better I feel the next day when I've had a full nights rest. Not to mention you heal in your sleep. I actually find that my face feels most tingly when I start to fall asleep. My body is just itching to get better!

Numbness

I've seen other bloggers make these to explain the numbness in their face. So as of January 5th, 2016, these are the locations of the numbness that I feel in my face. A lot of full feeling has come back to my cheeks, but my chin is still pretty numb. I labeled it as sensation because I can feel when my finger is on it, but it mostly feels like tingles. The red is where I am still completely numb. Its extremely annoying in my nose because there's lots of nose itches that refuse to be cured with a scratch. Not super fun, but also not a huge deal. The progress is slow, but each day I have a little more sensation/feeling in different parts of my face. The patch under my eye is confusing when I put makeup on, but I'm sure it'll come back with the rest of my face. 






Pain
The pain is totally manageable now. I only take some IB Profin before bed, and as I feel necessary during the day. The bruises on my chin are also starting to disperse and get smaller.

Swelling
The swelling is about 88% gone. I can feel my jawline and all the bumps and bones. Most of the swelling left is in my cheeks and chin. Most people say I look normal, but I look in the mirror and see the layer of chunkiness. I just want to be able to see my cheek bones more defined. Once I can see them again, I'll know the swelling is all gone. This is going to take a while as the swelling can take up to a year to completely disappear...ugh.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I brushed my teeth with toothpaste for the first time.
• I've gone out in public about 5 times now (and survived)
• My teeth touch on both sides now
• I'm eating more which gives me more energy

A couple days ago I got really discouraged. I'd been laying in bed or on a couch for over a week. I felt sluggish, unproductive and worthless. I started going through other people's blogs again, seeking some sort of encouragement. The best advice I found was to give myself small goals to complete for the day. Walks, showers, small chores, art projects, and rewards are all things that I've started incorporating into my day. When I make a list and check things off as I go, I'm able to look back at the end of the day and see that I accomplished something. It's been really helpful in lifting my spirits and helping me to feel like a contributing member of society again.