Three Months!

I meant to make a post between the 2 and 3 month mark and life just got in the way. Things are going great! Yesterday was my 3 month post op mark, which means I'm officially healed. My jaw is supposed to be as strong as it was pre-surgery, so I guess I can start living on the edge again! For me I think that just means walking through the gym and not being afraid of basketballs hitting me in the face.

Numbness: About 3 weeks ago feeling returned to the left side of my lip and chin as well. So now I can feel anything that brushes against my face. I can also differentiate between hot and cold. Numbness along the gum line is the same. It hurts when anything touches it, and the front four teeth are still numb along with the inside of my lip. At the 6 month mark I'll have a better idea of how this will all play out.

Range of Motion: I'd say I'm close to having my full range of motion back. I can eat burgers now without it being a chore.

Swelling: I think it's mostly gone, but I probably still have some residual swelling. At 6 months all of the swelling will be gone.

Eating: I can eat whatever I want at this point, but some things are still difficult. Today was the first time I've had an APPLE in 3 months. I haven't even tried carrots or celery yet. I'm still regaining strength in my jaw and learning to chew with my new mouth. It's been a process that's required patience.

Energy levels: I've been back to myself for a long time now. I finally hit the point this week at the gym where I feel as good as I did pre-surgery. I'm still trying to get my cardio levels back up but today at boxing I felt like I got through the workout without slacking off as much or stopping.

Overall thoughts: I would do it again! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The first two weeks are the worst and then it gets better. I had a lot of reservations about the surgery and I'm glad I didn't back out. Just the small changes so far have been enough to make me extremely happy. It's so nice to be able to bite through things.

A lot of people have commented on how different I look. It's fun to see people I haven't seen in a while. Some of them just look at me funny like they know something is different, but can't tell what. I didn't have the surgery because I was unhappy with my appearance, but I like my new jawline. So that was a pretty cool bonus! I really couldn't tell much of a difference until last week when I was watching my form in the mirror at the gym then I realized how much my face had changed. Pretty cool!

Because I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to everyone who brought me food, supplies, and books to read during my down time. I have great friends and family and I couldn't have done this without you. It was truly a humbling experience. I've come to appreciate life a lot more after sitting on the sidelines for 6 weeks. I even kind of enjoy running now!

I need to make a post of just before and afters and some kind of flip-a-gram thing of my swelling stages, but for now I'll just post what I have.

Thanks for reading!

Two weeks ago before the WVU game! 

Tonight after boxing. 

Two Months!

I have some small changes to report at the two month mark. I have more feeling back on the right side of my face. The right half of my lip and chin has a lot more feeling now but when something touches it, it gets that tingling sensation you feel when your arm or foot is asleep. Needless to say, I do not like things touching my face! Also, air conditioning causes it to freak out and signal to my brain that my face is being attacked by winter. I walk around holding my chin to make this stop at work, thus looking like a big goober. I also have some feeling back along my gum line as well. My gums also hate being touched by anything so brushing my lower teeth is oddly discomforting. I think it's what it would feel like brushing your teeth with a wire brush. 

The elastic configuration the ortho has me wearing moved my teeth around a lot already so my back teeth don't touch right now. I know this will be corrected over time so I'm not worried, but it's making it hard to chew. Eating food is an exhausting sport. It's similar to how I feel at the gym right now. I'm giving it everything I've got, but I'm just not 100% yet. 

Other than those few complaints I think everything is going well! It's been fun to see people I haven't seen in a while. About half can't tell I had surgery, but anyone I'm close with is like "Wow, your face looks so different!" 

Free check ups at the Carl's! Joe was amazed by the results. I'm not sure I trust his medical opinion though! 

8 weeks: Back to boxing

After two weeks of "warming up" at the gym I finally felt good enough to go back to boxing class on Monday. It was great to be back, I've really missed the workouts and all of my fellow alternative fitness crazies! I am however very sore today since I haven't used those muscles in 8 weeks. 

Nothing new in the jaw world except that I've noticed my face looks even thinner now. There must have been more swelling left than I realized. Numbness is the same. I can touch the right side of my chin and feel tingles but still nothing in the left. I'm back to a normal diet now minus anything crunchy or hard to chew. 

Here are some recent pictures. We went kayaking and hiking this weekend and it was a lot of fun. Summer has been pretty dreary but we had a stretch of some really nice days and took advantage of it. 

Kayaking!

Post workout on my first day back to boxing. I survived! 👍🏼

7 Weeks: Good bye surgical hooks!

I had my surgical hooks removed at my orthodontist appointment yesterday and it was liberating! They were bulky, trapped food, and dug into my cheeks so I was glad to see them go. The excitement was short lived when I got a power chain on the top and new bends in the wire. I also have to wear elastics again to close the 1mm gaps that were left for the surgery. I was very sore and had a massive headache by late last night so I took some of my leftover painkillers from the surgery. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and I was miserable by midnight. I forgot what adjustments felt like since I haven't had any since maybe March. 

The orthodontist appointment was just an odd experience since my lower teeth and gum line are still numb. I have gotten some feeling back in the right side of my chin. It tingles if I touch it and sometimes I can tell if water runs down the right side. Still no feeling in the lip or left side. 

Eating real food is going well. Last week I had burgers from Five Guys, Burgatory, and Ruby Tuesdays! Needles to say, I really missed good burgers. They're also easy to eat. I tried salad but still can't chew most of the things in salad but it was a nice change. I had to buy more soft foods since my teeth are so sensitive after the adjustment but it doesn't bother me. I know the worst is over and after a week I'll be back to eating again. 

The gym time is going great. I already feel stronger and I'm up to a half hour of more intense cardio. Maybe the surgery weight loss will stand! So far so good! 

My first burger last week! I ❤️ Burgatory! 

My 6 week present to myself. Getting to see Cervelli live! 

Goodbye surgical hooks!

The jawline is looking pretty good!

6 Weeks = Freedom! Well, kind of...

Do you know what the six week mark means? REAL FOOD! This weekend was our family reunion so I got to eat a lot to things I haven't had in a while. Chewing is starting to feel more natural, but my jaw strength isn't great so I don't push it. I was most excited to eat pizza so far. Tomorrow is the day I've been waiting for since June 22nd… Burgatory! Crystal and I are going to stop there before the Pirates game and I can't wait to eat a cheeseburger. If I get to see Cervelli catch tomorrow, eat a good burger, and spend time with Katie & Dex it might be the best day of my summer! I'm not getting my hopes up about Cervelli though. J.A. Happ is making his Pirates debut tomorrow and I'm not sure who will catch for him.

I went back to the gym Saturday and it was fun, but not easy. I only did 15 minutes of cardio and felt like I had ran a half marathon. It's amazing how quickly you get out shape. I lifted upper body and was sore on Sunday. Today I did legs and 25 minutes of cardio so we will see how I feel tomorrow. I'm only lifting light weights, but I feel good about being active again.

As far as the jaw goes, I think everything is the same. No pain, the swelling has stayed around the 15% mark, and I have more tingling in the numb areas that I did before. My bottom front teeth are also sensitive to hot and cold foods now, so I'll take this as a good sign.

Day 38: Now I know how toddlers feel

I've spent the past two days trying out my jaws and now I know how toddlers feel. I'm basically learning how to eat all over again. Before the surgery I could only chew with my back four molars so I would grind down food in a side to side motion (like a cow or horse I think haha!). My jaw doesn't even move that way right now. I can actually chew food in an up and down fashion, that I assume is how the majority of the world eats. It's weird. I've never in my life ate food this way and I'm not used to all of my teeth touching anyways, so I make some pretty interesting facial expressions while trying to eat my mac and cheese. It's a very odd process because I have to consciously think about not biting my cheeks, numb lip, or chew too hard and hurt my healing bones. I'm enjoying it though. Last night I had a meal that I didn't have to cut or mash up. I made haddock, green beans, and tator tots and it was fantastic. I work at the Curve tonight so I'll just go with the protein shake dinner since it's easy.



I'm going back to the gym on Saturday. This should be hilarious since I haven't worked out in 6 weeks and I was in pretty good shape prior to surgery. I've lost around 10lbs from the surgery and I think it's mostly muscle mass. I'm just going to start from the beginning and go back to lifting lighter weights and less time on the cardio machines. If you were wondering how running is going, see the meme below from my favorite TV show, Parks & Rec.

5 Week Appointment

This afternoon was my 5 week check up with Dr. Ochs. Neil was able to come with me again and got to see my X-rays and how cool my new bite is. Let me just say how much I love Dr. Ochs and the staff I've dealt with at Pitt Dental. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I've been going to Dr. Ochs for over a year now and he has done both my wisdom teeth extraction and my lower jaw surgery.  He's kind, explains things well, and is a top notch surgeon. I'm thankful that I was able to have this all done at Pitt and what an awesome experience it has been. I recommend him to anyone considering this type of surgery. When I first met him he told me he did over 80 of these surgeries a year and I took comfort in knowing that.

All good news today. He said my jaws lined up exactly where he wanted them to. I realized that last week when all of a sudden my back molars touched and for the first time in my life, ALL of my teeth touched each other. It's hard to explain this to people with a normal bite, but just know that it made me feel very happy and extremely grateful to have been able to have the surgery. Eating is necessary for survival and when you can't eat right not only is it hard but, not at all enjoyable. I couldn't chew food the whole way because I had to eat so slow and more often than you would think, ended up choking. Not anymore! I can't wait to pulverize things with my new choppers!

Following the diet he put me on helped ensure the jaw stayed put post surgery. Everything has been healing okay, the bite hasn't shifted, and I didn't fracture anything. I still have about 15% swelling near the breaks and he said that fluid will start to dissipate as I begin chewing again. On that note, I can chew food again! I still have 1 more week of the very soft food diet, then another week of soft foods, and after 3 weeks I can start building back up to harder foods. He DID say I could have a good tender steak and pizza without the crust so I'll be taking that green light next week!

It's still too soon to tell what's going to happen with the numbness. It hasn't budged much. He poked my face in the numb areas to check and said that after 6 months I'll have 90% of my feeling back (that could just end up being a small area) and after a year whatever I'm left with is what I'll have the rest of my life. He thinks I'll get feeling back in my lip and I'll count that as a victory if I do. I knew this was one of the risks going in, and I'm fine with it. The benefits far outweighed this risk.

 No contact sports for 2 more months but I can start exercising and lifting again! I just can't strain myself or clench my jaw during activities. So now I'm trying to plan my embarrassing return to boxing class (NON-CONTACT). I think I'll wait until next week and maybe try to get some running in this week to make sure I don't die on Monday at boxing.

So overall, everything is good! I don't have to go back for 3 months and he gave me a note to take to my Ortho to resume treatment. He said I am a good patient and told Neil that if every patient was like me no one would have to worry about gray hairs! Great man, love him! I got to see Katie and Dex for a little bit to before heading back home. Now that I can play again, I can't wait to spend time with my buddy Dex the cutest kid in the world (I am partial).

Now, without further ado…. The before and after x-rays!

First x-rays before braces in April 2014. You can see the wicked overjet
and small lower jaw.

This was taken 10 days post-op. It's amazing! It looks like a whole different
person!

April 2014 - Before braces and wisdom teeth extraction.

10 Days post-op. My favorite part is that you can see the screws, 4 on each side and the gap in the bone where
the breaks are. Oh… and look how straight my teeth are! 

One Month Down!

I still can't believe my surgery was a month ago! That means i'm 1/3 of the way to what they consider a full recovery (of the jaw bones). After 6 months the swelling will be gone and at 12 months whatever numbness is left is what I'll live with. I'm not going to lie, I'm getting nervous I won't get any feeling back because I haven't had many changes. Other bloggers have said that by now some had more feeling back than I do at this point. I still get tingles and sharp pains so I guess that means it is healing.

I think I over did it a little this week. I had work at my regular job, then went to work a double header at the Curve on Tuesday which ended up being a 14 hour work day. I also ate things I wasn't supposed to ( hot dogs, then Sheetz food) since it was such a long day and the protein shakes weren't cutting it. This resulted in me waking up the next morning more swollen than I had been in a week. Lesson learned, there is a reason you're not supposed to chew food! I won't do it again. I'm so close to the end, I don't want to mess anything up.

In way more exciting news, my cousin Deb had her baby today! I rode down with Crystal and her dad to see them after work. Mom and baby are doing good and Hadley is absolutely adorable! Congratulations Deb and Mark, she is beautiful!

Below are some before and after pictures of my profile. I'm amazed. I hadn't noticed the changes until comparing the before and after pictures. I like it! My follow up is next Tuesday with Dr. Ochs and I can't wait! 

Wow!

Congratulations Deb and Mark on your beautiful baby girl!
Newest member of the Wolfe pack! :) 

4 Weeks Post-op!

Today was my 4 week mark! Later this week it will be ONE whole month since my surgery! A friend from the Curve asked me tonight what the worst part of the experience was and I think it was the first few days after surgery. I just felt miserable and weak but the pain still wasn't bad enough that I couldn't handle it. The hunger is hard to deal with, but I've started to cheat (shhh! Don't tell!) by adding things I consider soft food to my diet.... like stromboli, hot wings, and shredded chicken. I don't do this often, just every few days to keep my sanity. I just keep reminding myself that I'm on the home stretch.

From reading other people's blogs I've been able to compare how they were doing at the same milestones.  I was worried about post surgery depression and if I had it, I would say it was last week. Which seems to be right on point with everyone else. I miss being active and what it feels like to go for runs and weight lift. I just keep telling myself this is only temporary and it's almost over. I'm very fortunate to be as healthy as I am, and I think a lot of time we take our health for granted. I'm going to appreciate the health I've been blessed with a lot more from now on!

One thing I've learned that helps fight the "blues" is keeping yourself busy and spending as much time as you can with friends and family. You will forget your current predicament of not being able to eat, and will be much happier. I have a great support staff that's been there for me through the whole process!

Okay now here's the jaw status:

Numbness: Still the same. From my lower lip down to my chin is still completely numb. My outer gum line and teeth are still numb as well. I have found two spots that have regained feeling near my back molars though. I'd like to say the numbness doesn't bother me, but it does. When it tingles, it's annoying and right now it's almost always tingling. I'll take this as a good sign.

Swelling: I think it's about 90% gone. There is just a little bit left where the breaks are and under my jawline but it's not noticeable. I feel like I look "normal" again.

Pain: Only some joint stiffness in the morning and when I stretch it too far yawning. Also, sneezing is painful if I let my jaw move too much.

Range of Motion: I can open my mouth 1 1/4 inches (two fingers) wide. This is much improved from when it was just 1/2 an inch. I'm doing the stretches I was told to do and this improves every couple of days.

Energy: More and more each day. I'm not tired at work anymore, but still not sleeping right. If i can sleep in, I do. I also still take naps when possible which might be why I can't seem to get to sleep before 1:00 AM. This week will be the test since I'm back to working at the Curve too. Tomorrow we have a double header and will end up being a 16-18 hour work day for me with both jobs.

Overall: I feel pretty good! I know I'm on the home stretch now so I'm excited. My 5/6 week appointment is next Tuesday! I can't wait to see what Dr. Ochs has to say!

I've again forgotten to take pictures so here is the cat and I on Saturday. I'll probably be a crazy cat lady some day and I'm okay with that. 

23 Days: "We have 5 different soups"

Yesterday I forgot my daily Ensure at home so at 2:00 PM I was starving again. It was at that point I remembered that Hoss's has a SOUP, Salad, and Dessert Bar. So I drove straight from work to Ebensburg so that I could eat all of the soup they had. I explained my predicament to the hostess and she informed me, "Well ,we have five different kinds of soup so you should be good!" I also ordered a baked potato with my meal despite wanting the Wild Willy Burger that I cannot eat.  For 40 minutes I was in food heaven! I had Chicken Noodle, French Onion Soup, AND Chili. Then for good measure I sampled every soft dessert they had and for the first time in 3 weeks I actually felt full! I soon came to regret this decision since I hadn't had some of these foods for a long time and my stomach protested. It was worth it though. So worth it!

I love Hoss's!

Since boredom has peaked I've taken to online shopping which has resulted in a new iPhone 6. I'm debating purchasing a Pebble Watch for $99, new boxing gloves for when I can return to AF, and  I also specked out some MacBooks. I planned two trips to see the Buccos play before summer is out, and I'm looking for a nice weekend trip at the end of summer in the tri-state area. My cousin and I usually go to Gettysburg in the fall but we're open to suggestions.

Any Suggestions? They're all on sale!

Today I had a 10 minute battle with this microwave from 1985.

My nemesis.

I could NOT figure out how to get this thing started to warm up my instant potatoes. I almost gave up and ate them cold but I couldn't let pre-historic technology defeat me. Finally after just pressing a bunch of button combinations the thing started up. It's a myth that tech people know how to operate every piece of electronic equipment, especially if it's older than they are. This won't be an issue tomorrow when I can get back to using the microwave in our team room. The floors our being waxed outside of our office so we've relocated until they finish.

Look at those teeth all touching! Victory!



Three Weeks Post-Op

Today is the half way mark to getting back on solid foods! I find myself thinking and even dreaming about food a lot. I can't wait to eat a salad with crunchy vegetables and a Texas Roadhouse Steak. Or...  a burger from Burgatory and an Old Farm Inn Pizza! So many options, and only 21 more days to wait.

I was reading Graham's blog today and this post sums up the food desperation and the numbness that I'm experiencing. I'm thankful for the numbness because I had very little pain throughout this experience. As annoyed and hungry as I get at times, I'm so glad I had this surgery. I look forward to the day that I can bite sandwiches and apples and chew food with all of my teeth.

My diet is still the same. Since I like tomato soup and grilled cheese I've had it every day for 8 days straight. Tonight I made myself try something else so I made mashed up tator tots and pierogies. Tomorrow I might try fish.

After dinner I went for a walk around scenic Patton with my friend Melisa. I'm forcing myself to be more active again and cut down on the Netflix time! It's hard because I have to be minimally active. I can't do anything that will raise my blood pressure too much because the blood vessels in my face are still healing and tender and too much pressure could cause tears or bleeds.

The weird occurrence today is that my lip numbness has felt more like frost bite. I kept looking in the mirror today to make sure my bottom lip wasn't turning purple since in my mind it felt so cold even though it wasn't cold to the touch. Nerve regeneration is the weirdest thing.

I forgot to take pictures today so I'll add them tomorrow.

Day 16: Small Victories

Today my jaw stayed in the correct position ALL DAY! I figured out that if I lightly stretch my jaw like I'm yawning when it starts to tense up it settles back to where it should be. I also slept in a bed like a normal person for the first time last night. I've been too afraid of rolling over onto my face that I've continued to sleep propped up on the couch which is really uncomfortable.

In my spare time since I can't box, run, weight lift, or do anything else that I like to do, I've taken up binge watching Grey's Anatomy. Great decision! I forgot how much I loved this show when it first started. I would recommend a Netflix subscription to anyone planning on having this surgery. You're going to have a lot of down time.

I went to dinner with my Aunt Penny, Santana, and our friends from boxing tonight. I got a platter of gravy fries, mashed them up and ate half the platter. I've had a hard time getting full today, I was just hungry all day no matter how much I ate or drank. Below was today's menu:

Breakfast: Vanilla Protein Shake mix with banana, almond milk, and PB2 (made in the Ninja)

Lunch: Mac & Cheese, Hasbrown, Apple Sauce squeeze pouch, yogurt, Mean Green Juice (made via the juicer), mini gatorade, and bottle of water. This sounds like a lot but I was still hungry afterwards!

2:00 : Daily Ensure

Snack: Half a coconut cream doughnut dipped in milk

Dinner : Gravy Fries, Sherbert, Mt. Dew and more water.

Day 14: Back to work

Today is two weeks since my surgery and my first day back to work. It went well, it feels good to have a purpose in life again! I didn't get tired, my jaw was just a little achy at the end of the day. I'm not sure if it was from talking or because I'm starting to get feeling back near the incision sites. Not a lot of feeling, but everything feels tight in that area now and I didn't notice it before.

My new favorite meal is grilled cheese with tomato soup. I'm still drinking ensure and making a protein shake for breakfast. For the past three days I've been craving pizza. I miss pizza more than anything. Pizza and cheeseburgers! I've already decided my first real meal will be Five Guys since it was my last meal.

Nothing new to report. Swelling has stayed down but I still have just a little more swelling on my right side. A small amount of the numbness has gone away and my bite keeps shifting throughout the day.

Days 11 & 12

Happy 4th of July everyone! Not too many changes over the past two days so I will probably stop posting as often.  The only pain I have is joint pain at night when my jaw relaxes into it's new position. So far the last two days my jaw has started to shift into that position for an hour or two at a time. I sincerely home it stays there since right now only my front four teeth touch.

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep because my nerves must be waking up. My chin and lip were tingly all night and felt like something kept touching my face. The worst part is you can try to scratch the itches but it doesn't do anything since it's numb.

I went to a family cookout today and there was a lot of food I could eat after mashing it up. It just takes so long to eat anything that I usually just quit after one plate and still end up being hungry. Deb and Mark brought a pudding dessert and cheese puffs when they came so that made my day since I can get those down fairly easily.

I go back to work Monday and I am so excited to get back to my normal routine. If I watch any more tv, or read any more books my head might explode.

Below are some pictures of my new side profile. I'm happy with it! I don't think I look that different but people have told me it's a pretty big difference. I even had someone not recognize me yesterday, which is pretty crazy. I still have some swelling and it will continue to fluctuate. How my face looks after 6 months is how I can expect it to stay. After a year whatever numbness I still have left I will most likely have for the rest of my life. I'll just be happy to get feeling back in my lip. I can live with a numb chin.

Day 12

A shot of the new bite! Some of my teeth moved when they took out the springs so that needs fixed again, but overall I'm happy!

Days 9 & 10: 10 Day Appointment

Days 9 & 10

Overall pain: 1

Discomfort: 1

Swelling: Same

Weight loss: 8 lbs

Yesterday I actually did things that a normal person might do. I grocery shopped, took my car through the car wash, and had ice cream for three meals. I finally decided that if I'm on this diet, I might as well be happy about it!

Today was the big 10 day post-op appointment! We left at 6:00 AM and hit the usual Squirrel Hill tunnel traffic. The check up went well. Since Dr. Ochs is on vacation and Dr. Parker is off to bigger and better things, I saw his new resident. He said I looked good for 10 days and was surprised how minimal my swelling was. He took my face stitches out, checked my incisions and told me everything looked good. He looked at my bite and said it's right where it's supposed to be. I asked why my bite keeps shifting and he said that's normal. He said at night my jaw rests in its new position (Where all of my teeth touch). During the day the muscles are reverting back to where they're used to being and it will take time for them to settle in to the new position. Good enough answer for me.

Still no chewing, but I can have things like flaky fish now. I can go for walks (which I have been doing) but I cannot do anything strenuous that would disrupt the muscles from reattaching to my bone. That's a convincing enough story line to keep me from even trying to do anything strenuous. I can go back to work Monday but I absolutely have to take it easy and cannot over do it. I can do that.
My next appointment is the 6 week check up where I should be released to a normal diet.

We stopped at Dean's Diner on the way home and I attempted to eat sausage gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs, and blueberry pancakes. It was a nice change from what I have been eating that's for sure.

I had to stop at my orthodontist's office on the way home to drop something off so I got to see him and his staff. They asked about the surgery and were impressed that I was doing so well. I won't go back to him until the 7 week mark to finish up my adjustments. At that point I should have 6 months to a years worth of treatment.

When I got home Kier and I showed Grandma how to use the juicer that's been in the box for a month. We made Joe Cross' Mean Green Juice and then Kier made a Pineapple smoothie that was also good. Dinner tonight is tator tots since I'm full from everything else I had today.

I also accomplished another milestone today and finished the Stephen King book, Revival, that Ken got for me. I can't say how it ends or what I thought about it in case he sees this since he is reading it too.

Day 9

Day 10

The next three pictures sum up my two weeks off. Basically just the cat following me around the house while I do three things. 1. Sleep 

2. Read

3. Eat. (I can smile and show teeth now but with a numb lip it's best not to.)

Day 8: Unbelievably Hungry

Days 7

Overall pain: 1

Discomfort: 2

Swelling: Same as last 2 days

Weight loss: 8.5 lbs

I miss food. I can't get on Pinterest or watch commercials because everything looks so good. I could eat 3 cheeseburgers right now if I were able to.  Liquid and soft food food diets are not filling at all, especially once you start to feel good again. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is only temporary and I can do this for 6 weeks. 

I did try watermelon today at Nancy's house and it wasn't the easiest thing to eat, even mashed up. It would probably be good blended though. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit just to do something different.

Maybe tomorrow I will try grocery shopping. 

Here is a good example of my end of the day underbite. I can't wait to get to the bottom of this weird occurrence. 

Day 7: I made it!

Days 7

Overall pain: 2

Discomfort: 3

Swelling: Slightly decreasing 

Weight loss: 8 lbs

I can't believe it's been a week already! I feel a lot better than I thought I would at this point. Swelling was about the same today and joint pain either wasn't bad or I'm doing a good job of ignoring it. I'm only taking Tylenol through the night now. I think everything is still numb because the stitches don't bother me either. I can't feel any of my lower teeth, chin, or lip.

I accomplished two goals today. I finished  season 7 of Parks & Rec and went for a walk with Kier and Kathleen. It's weird going from intense boxing workouts to just walking, but I have to start somewhere.

I called Lori, the patient coordinator for Dr.Ochs today and she was surprised with how well I could talk. I wanted to check to see when I can go back to work and she said they may clear me for next week depending on how I am when they see my Thursday. That was exciting since I have never been so bored in my entire life. 

The only new culinary adventure for the day was white rice with milk, sugar, and cream of wheat to thicken it up. My Pap used to eat rice and milk so it's a weird thing I picked up from him but tastes  good when warmed up. 

 One week down!

Days 5 & 6

Days 5 & 6

Overall pain: 2

Discomfort: 3

Swelling: Slightly decreasing 

Weight loss: 8 lbs

I'm happy to say that the swelling has really started to go down and my face looks somewhat normal. Bruising has started on my chin and under my jaw line but it's not too bad yet. Penny and Tana came to visit last night and that was a lot of fun. Laughing hurts more than anything so being around my entire family full of comedians is hard! 

Santana graduated from college on Friday and I had to miss it, so that was hard. I'm very proud of her and how hard she has worked the past two years! 

I'm feeling pretty good today. My energy level was a lot higher today and I didn't have to take any naps. I felt more alert and pain and discomfort was way down. I can tell where my bones were broken now since the swelling is down and it's tender on my jawline. 

My biggest complaint is still the joint pain.  I've been applying heat 3-4 times a day and that helps. When I wake up my teeth are all in the correct position (as I believe I've said before) but by this time every night I have an underbite. I think it's from swelling but I will definitely ask about it at my next appointment. I thought maybe I was talking too much and causing myself this pain but I barely talked at all today and experienced the same results. 

Eating isn't too hard now, it's just that I'm already tired of my options. So today I made scrambled eggs for breakfast instead of oatmeal or cream of wheat. For lunch I had ravioli and a banana smoothie, and dinner was homemade chili, ice cream, and Metamucil. 

 

My goal for tomorrow is to go for a walk if it's nice out. I think tomorrow is the only day this week it's not supposed to rain. 

Saturday Morning. 

Sunday Morning. 

Day 4: Spoke Too Soon

Day 4

Overall pain: 4

Discomfort: 6

Swelling: Slightly Worse than yesterday 

Weight loss: 7 lbs

Well, I spoke too soon! I did not sleep well last night despite taking the "good" pain killer. I could not get comfortable and I woke up twice with a terrible pain in the joint on my left side. I've been sleeping in a recliner but moved to a bed last night in hopes that would help. 

For breakfast I had an ensure, orange juice, and oatmeal. Oatmeal was a nice change. 

Lunch was an ensure, a cup of blended chicken soup, pineapple juice, and banana baby food.

For dinner I got a little crazy and made some green beans that I mashed up and ate with instant potatoes. I also finished the pudding from yesterday, ate some apple sauce, and I'm currently drinking another ensure since they don't taste terrible. 

Protocol after eating is to apply more heat to my face since the process usually wears me out and makes my face ache. The pain is a little worse today because of the joint pain. I just feel like my joints are really stretched out and swollen and not resting properly. Actually, I know this is the case because by the end of the day the swelling is so bad I have an underbite. I usually wake up with all of my teeth in their proper place, if only for a few minutes. So for about 1.5 minutes each day I get to experience the joy of all of my teeth actually touching, which does makes me happy since for 28 years this was not the case. 

Extreme boredom has already set in. I don't like free time and I would go back to work tomorrow if I were allowed. This would be problematic since I spontaneously fall asleep several times a day. Surgery really does kick the crap out of you. So I've spent my waking hours reading, watching Parks & Rec, and listening to basketball podcasts with Kierstyn. I've also been trying to figure out the dynamic between Ruby and our kitten Alezae. They spend most of their time harassing each other and doing things they aren't supposed to. 

They're currently both behaving.

The awful, awful, swelling! My face is very square right now.

Days 2 & 3: Let the swelling begin!

Day 2 & 3

Overall pain: 3

Discomfort: 5

Swelling: Much Worse

Weight loss: 6 lbs

I would say that yesterday was the worst day so far. The swelling has started to peak so my face just felt so heavy and the inside of my mouth was so swollen it was hard to eat, drink, or talk. 

Katie and Neil brought me home yesterday and Dexter got to meet our kitten Alezae. After getting home I slept most of the afternoon and it's been much the same today. I have very little energy and I'll be in the middle of watching tv or reading and just fall asleep. So I can't complain about not sleeping since I'm even sleeping in long clips throughout the night.

Food wise - I feel like I'm eating a lot but that might just be because of how long it takes to eat. I can eat from a baby spoon or drink from a cup but since I can't open my mouth very wide it's quite the process. I've lost 6 lbs since Monday and I can expect to lose 14 more. Yikes!

Kathleen made potato soup last night and that's the best thing I've had so far! It's my favorite soup so I don't mind eating it and it's filling. I'm still trying to drink two ensures a day and a lot of water. 

The pain still isn't bad, it's mostly just in my joints and near my ears. The numbness of my lip and chin is starting to get annoying. It's like when the dentist gives you those shots, except that it doesn't wear off and to tingles all the time. 

That's pretty much it as far as any changes. Just more swelling and a lot of sleeping!

1 Day Post-Op

Day 1

Overall pain: 2

Discomfort: 4

Swelling: Has increased 

Weight loss: N/A

I was released from the hospital this morning after breakfast. Katie and Dex came to get me, which was very exciting since I got to leave AND they're my two favorite people! We picked up my medications and some more food. I brought a lot of liquid type foods with me but since I'm able to get a spoon in my mouth I wanted food that was a little more filling. 

I got to see Dr. Parker and Dr. Ochs this morning before I left. He was happy with how things looked and said my back teeth with start to touch again as the swelling goes down. Swelling is pretty bad today, but it still hasn't peaked. I'm not in very much pain today. My face just feels really heavy from the swelling. 

I've been pretty tired and felt weak earlier today but then I ate a lot of food for lunch and dinner and have a little more energy. I only slept about two hours last night, and took two long naps today. I'm hoping that tonight I get a little more sleep since it will be quieter. 

Overall, all is well though! 

I'm here for the big show....

Day 0

Overall pain: 3 

Discomfort: 3

Swelling: Not bad yet

Weight loss: N/A

The big day was today! We arrived at the hospital at 5:00AM. My Aunt Penny and cousin Santana were my escorts and I love them for it! When we arrived here, at UPMC Mercy, check in was pretty quick and very organized. The staff Is great and very nice. The worst part of the whole day was honestly the nasal spray they basically flushed my sinuses with. It tasted horrible and was just an unpleasant experience. During the questionnaire part they found out that I box and my coolness factory Immediately went up with the male nurses and anesthesia team. I think they think some bohemtiah woman broke my jaw in a fight and that's why I'm here. In reality, it's just poor generics! 

When they wheeled me into pre-op Dr.Parker was sitting there waiting for me with the mold of my new bite. It was cute. I asked him what he was still doing here since he graduated Friday and is now a real surgeon and he laughed and said he had some things to finish up. I'm glad though, since I've been working with him through most of this, that he could be there. Dr.Ochs popped in as well to see my before I went lights out.

I woke up in recovery and was in and out of consciousness for a while. My worst pain was, and still is in my joints and my calf muscles. I must have clenched them for the entire hour and a half of the surgery. Weird! They gave me a pain killer twice in reocovery and that helped a lot. Now that I'm on a regular med schedule it's all under control. I'm mostly experiencing discomfit and numbness. My top lip is fine but everything below it is numb. I'm okay with that since it means I can't feel the broken bones or incision sites. 

I spent about 3 hours in recovery while they waited for a room to become available. It didn't bother me, but may have made it really boring for the Wolfe pack. Once I was in my room they gave me water and juice that I tried to drink with the syringes. What a pain! It's very tedious but I was thirsty so I got it down. 

Penny and Tana were allowed to come up then and I was able to spend some time with them before they left. Kathleen and Kier also came to visit and I enjoyed seeing them. I'm talking okay but it does hurt to talk since my joints are so sore. 

Penny and Tana left to beat the traffic and Leen and Kier took my stuff over to the Wagley's since I'll be staying with them a few days while I recover. I have the best friends and family anyone could ask for! 

Dr. Parker stopped back in before dinner to check on me. He said I'm doing really well and was glad I was getting fluids in. He said the surgery went great and was happy with how my stitches looked and how my bite was fitting. Most of my swelling is on the inside for now so I can't close my mouth the whole way. He offered to let me go home tonight but I would much rather stay and be monitored for the evening just in case. 

Dinner was thickened chicken broth, vanilla pudding, orange sherbet, chocolate milk, and two juices. I was never so happy to have chocolate milk and sherbet. I gave up on the syringes after 5 minutes and used the spoon the best I could. I only made a slight mess! 

For having my lower jaw broken in two places I feel pretty good. I know the swelling is going to peak over the next two days and the pain may worsen as I get feeling back, but I'm tolerating it pretty well for now.

Thank you to eveyone that messaged me today! Love you all and thanks for the support! The hardest part is over! 

This is Happening.

It's officially the morning of my surgery! I spent the weekend finishing up shopping and eating everything I can think of that I will miss for the next 6 weeks! 

My surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM. I have to be at the hospital at 5:00 AM so we're leaving at 3:00 AM. Thank goodness I took a nap today! The surgery should take about 2-3 hours and I'll spend one night in the hospital if all goes well. 

I've been nervous at different times all week but I think I'm mostly over it now. When I get to the hospital that will probably be a different story though! Now I'm just nervous about whether or not I'll have pain and how I'll react to the anesthesia. I really don't want to throw up after surgery. I'm going to ask for the nausea sticker so that doesn't happen. 

I'm going to attempt to take another nap now before we leave. My next post will be after surgery. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and gifts. I couldn't ask for better friends, co-workers, and family! 

Surgical Hooks

I received good news last week! Dr. Parker called and told me that they had done the surgery planning and decided only the lower jaw needed to be done! I was beyond excited since this means a less intense surgery and a slightly easier recovery.

Today I went to the orthodontist to have my surgical hooks put on. They're not too bad other than they stick out, food really gets stuck in them, and one keeps jabbing into my gums when I eat. Also, one fell off when I brushed my teeth after lunch so I'll have to go have it put back on before the 22nd.

(Surgical hooks added to the wire)

I have a huge list of things to get done before my surgery. I'm trying to do any cleaning and work I need to since I won't be able to do some of those things for a while. I need to finish shopping for post-surgery things and get the rest of my liquid diet foods. I'm enjoying my last week and a half of boxing. Well, maybe not enjoying it, but I'm still going! I've also been eating anything I can think of that I'll miss for 6 weeks. Texas Roadhouse is the last thing on my list.