Day 1 recovery - Swelling, Ensure, and More

Today was a MUCH better day. I got some Ensure in my system as well as chicken broth and apple juice. I relieved Marc (he got no sleep last night as he was attending to my many needs!) and my mom is here tonight. Dr. Kallal said I could have possibly gone home tonight but with the rough night that it was last night he thought another night at the hospital would be good. Though I feel pretty good and have had no nausea today, my swelling is up and a little uncomfortable and apparently it's going to continue into tomorrow and possibly peak then.

Surgery Day

According to my doc, surgery went well. It was a much harder evening/night than expected between throwing up 3 cups blood (while rubberbanded shut) and swollen throat making it hard to breathe. Face swelling is worse today though I feel better in general. Breathing is currently ok with oxygen/humidity mask. Glad one day is behind me.

Why Jaw Surgery?

As I've been getting closer to surgery, more people are asking me, why jaw surgery? I've included a link on the right sidebar (see Why Jaw Surgery) to a website that gives a pretty thorough explanation of why people might need corrective jaw/orthognathic (which is what I'm having). The short answer is I have an "insufficient bite". I have an open and over bite. This bite causes me to have:

Difficulty chewing, or biting food
Headaches - from lots of clenching and grinding on back teeth (thankfully I've been headache free the last year and half due to being on a muscle relaxer at night)
Excessive wear of the teeth
Open bite (space between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed)
Receding chin
Inability to make the lips meet without straining

Though this is an "elective" surgery, if I chose to not have it, I would probably lose most of my teeth in the back (the only ones I have to chew with, currently!). And with my current bite, I am not a candidate for dental implants (they would just crack or break). This would either leave me with dentures at an early age, or on a limited diet (think mashed potato consistency).

Surgical Hooks

Tomorrow morning I get my surgical hooks "installed". YAY *sarcasm* But seriously it's one step closer to surgery which is a good thing. I've heard once you get the hooks on, you are super ready for surgery(they tear up your mouth). Should be a fun weekend... ;) I'm still not freaking out about surgery. Thanks be to God for giving me a peace about this.

The final appt before surgery.

9 Days now to go! I had my final appointment before the BIG appointment. I'm just updating now, because Marc and I have been out of town for the last 4 days, on a pre-surgery, break from busy work (for Marc), getaway. It was so nice and much needed for us both! Last Wednesday, I had a physical, labwork, and donated a unit of blood. This was somewhat stressful, as I always get faint when donating blood, and even when they prick me sometimes. But my iron level was great (thanks to the iron supplements!), and it wasn't so bad. I pretty much was a zombie all day Thursday, however, and Marc had to drive the majority of the way to Branson, while I rested/slept in the passenger seat. When I think about surgery I get butterflies in my stomach and feel kinda sick, so I basically try not to think about it.

Date: May 29th

The date for surgery has been set. May 29th. I am terrified and excited. Excited for the ultimate results and terrified to undergo surgery and the first few weeks of recovery. Surgery occupies a lot of my thought space these days, so I'm trying to focus on others and other things, and ultimately hand my worries over to God (Phillipians 4:6-7).