Day 31 - One month!!!

It's crazy to think that one month ago today I was waking up in recovery with a smushed and swollen face wrapped in ice and an ace bandage. I am so grateful to have come so far so quickly.

Energy:
I really feel like my energy is back to where it was before surgery. I expect to have even more with my improved airway. That being said, my loss of muscle was apparent after my office building had a fire drill on Wednesday. I walked down 17 flights of stairs. I didn't think it was a big deal, until the next morning when my calves were on fire walking down the stairs at home. It was quite shocking.

Pain:
As my numbness eased over the past week, I was having pulsing pain in my lower right jaw (the more swollen of the two). I've notice that the pain has eased. I'm also able to sit comfortably at night to watch TV without all the coldness and general itchiness I was feeling for the past few weeks. I stopped taking ibuprofen earlier this week.

Numbness:
I'm generally pretty numb, but the areas that have moved from the category of totally numb to a little bit of feeling have increased. For example, my skin on my upper lip has some feeling, but the muscle underneath is pretty numb. It's weird.

Airway:
My right nostril is still pretty stuffed. My left is open most of the time. It's still draining junk from my sinuses. My favorite thing is taking a shower. I literally stay in the shower for 30 mins or so. It does wonders with my nose! Aside from a little stuffiness in my nose, my main airway is SO OPEN!!! I will use the expression "I'm drowning in air"! I can't wait to take some "after" imaging to compare to my before.

Food:
Broccoli is my new best friend. It is chock full of nutrients and so easy to mash up and eat without having to chew!! I can chew soft foods at 6 weeks and at 9 I can be more adventurous.

Sleeping:
I sleep pretty soundly. I use two pillows and still sleep on my back and am keeping my mouth closed and breathing through my nose.

The state of my jaw:
I can open about an inch.
I've been to the ortho about 3 times. The first (day 20) was just for oohs and aahs and he took out my rubber bands. The second (day 23) he took out all the hard composite holding together my top wire and replaced it with a 1625. The third was yesterday (day 30) where he upgraded my top wire with a 1725. He'd like to expand my upper arch a bit. My next appointment is a month from now. I still don't have rubber bands. Yesterday at my appointment, Liz, Dr. Hang's amazing assistant, showed me how I could feel the missing bone on each side of my lower jaw. The bone will eventually grow back, but there is a big divot now. It is gross and fascinating!!!