Ouch

Well the last couple days I have been waking up with more pain than usual...UGH...I was doing so good.  So I called and talked to the Dr.'s assistant today and while on the phone, I remembered having dreams about the splint bothering me, not necessarily about the splint but having something stuck in my mouth. I had these dreams at the beginning too...only in those dreams I was dreaming I had bubble gum stuck to my teeth.  Anyway, she thinks that I may be grinding my teeth in my sleep. So they called in a muscle relaxer...I really hope not to wake up in pain in the morning.

Just over 2 weeks until I get the splint removed!  I can't wait! I'm a little nervous about actually biting into food.  And I'm nervous about getting my teeth cleaned.  I'm sure it will all be fine...the thoughts/anxiety are always worse than the actual event.

3 weeks later

Well it's been 3 weeks since my surgery.  Went back to work last week. It was a long week...not because I was in pain...just was emotionally up and down. I think just from being tired and then jumping back into the stress of work. We are only working for 4 days a week and last week I was grateful for that. Needless to say, I didn't do anything on Friday!

I had my 2 week check up last week and Dr. said I am doing great! I'm still alternating between the pain med and Ibuprofen.  Eating really good....Saturday I even had half of a chili cheese dog and chili cheese tots from Sonic...it was SO good.  I just cut everything up in baby bites.

I have soreness off and on as well as the spasms...still no feeling in the chin.  I'm really sore under my chin/upper part of my neck...I can barely touch it. The splint is a little annoying, especially trying to clean it.  What's weird is for the last 2 days I have this desire to just clench my teeth together and really just bite.  I do have to force my lips close...I'm assuming it is because of the splint.  My lips are finally starting not to hurt so much and I'm glad....tired of using Vitamin E and Vaseline 24/7.

So 3 more weeks of the splint and sleeping on the recliner. I find the recliner more comfortable then being propped up on pillows in bed. Plus I found that I would end up laying down and wake up more swollen...I know I read quite a few of you mentioning that too. Even laying on the recliner I tend to sleep on my right a little and that side is more swollen than the left.

All in all, I think I'm doing great! I'm so glad that I had the surgery and SO blessed that my recovery has been better than expected. Got the x-rays from the Dr. last week....I love that my co-worker puts my pics side by side for comparison. When she did the profile one, she was toggling between layers and it looked like the skull was chomping....was way too funny!!!  Which I could post it animated.

It is really weird seeing the screws in my face and the chin plate too.  Glad to see my smile is looking more normal.

Will post a new side by side comparison soon.  Happy week to you all!

A good week!

Don't know where the week went...but it has been a pretty good one.


I had a rough couple of nights sleeping at the beginning...the one night, I was waking up every hour. Went to the Dr. on Tuesday got my stitches out and more pain meds. I was over the liquid stuff. So, I've been alternating between that and Ibuprofen. Also, I had thrush from the steroids and antibiotics...that was yucky! Thankfully, it is just a one pill treatment and starts working within 24 hours. Not to mention, I brushed my tongue for like 10 minutes the day before.

Went to visit my granddaughter after the Dr. appointment that day and during dinner, I received a text from my Dr. complimenting me on how well I was doing and everything is right on schedule. And that my great attitude makes his job easy. That was so awesome! Really made me feel good and was so impressed with the fact that he took the time out to text me. So though the day started off with a little breakdown from lack of sleep...it ended well. Then again, any day I see my granddaughter is a great day!

Wednesday, I actually went into the office for a little over 2 hours. Was good, at least I got a head start and organized things and cleaned out my junk email. Then I went shopping for a little bit followed by dinner with a group of friends from church. Another great day!

Today, I've just done stuff around the house and rested. I feel really good. I started the moist heat yesterday, which is fine, just not as easy as putting the ice pack in the head band. I've had some tingling in my lip and chin. A little nausea here and there. My heartburn is finally subsiding. The one thing I really want to do is sleep in my bed on my belly or side  I look forward to that and sleeping through the night.

Eating hasn’t been that bad at all. It does take longer and my jaw gets tired after awhile but finding stuff to eat hasn’t been that hard at all. The foods may not always look normal but it all still tastes good  the worst part is cleaning the teeth/splint. I believe next week I will be able to start using the water pik.

Below is a picture of my progress. The one on the left was the morning of surgery, the one on the right was on Wednesday. I was surprised to see the difference in my profile. I was most surprised at the difference in my nose. One of the girls at work actually layered the pictures and that was cool too. I am really happy with what I've seen so far!

I’ll be heading back to work on Monday. Look forward to it, trying to get my sleep schedule straightened out before then. Thankfully I have awesome bosses so I can be very flexible with my schedule. Hope you are all doing well!