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.