GOOD NEWS..I guess?

Saw. Dr. T today (the OS)... Says everything is looking so good, I can come back in a few weeks, he isn't too concerned with anything and says Im healing exceptionally.

Then, I saw Dr. W as well (the Ortho)... says he is so impressed with my healing everytime he sees me.. he also told me I can check with Dr. W and if he says its cool, we can start shifting teeth again in two weeks, I can lose the elastics AND the surgical hooks!!

A year ago I never would've thought Id get so excited about teeth!! Yippie!!

Been So long!

First off, I apologize to the three people that probably read this blog...

Secondly, ALMOST FOUR WEEKS POST-OP!!!!!

School has been killing me.. Im so deep into my thesis (that I actually don't even technically start till next year), I've been working really hard to get ahead.

Nothing too new to report.. I've been having some pain on the right side of my face that I'm almost positive is because of jaw-clenching at night. Ill talk to Dr. T about it on tuesday.

At the ortho the other day, everyone commented on how fast the swelling went down, which I definitely think is due to the Cranial Sacral Therapy Dr. W does while I'm there. The swelling in my chin doesn't wanna budge, but what can you do!

I've actually managed to get to the point where I can eat everything I could before except for things that are really crunchy and hard. A few things I thought would work out didn't and caused some serious pain (Mr. Sub meatball sub, hot dogs) and I won't try them again.

Last night, I was at a concert, and I was changing my elastics, when all of a sudden the bag broke and almost all of them went on the bathroom floor. I wasn't about to pick them up (ew), so I have NINE elastics to last me till tuesday. Eeek. Speaking of elastics..THEY SUCK.

I promise it won't be too long until the next update. probably after my next post-op on tuesday!

Food, not-so-glorious Food

Today, on my 16th day post-op, I'm wondering if I'll ever eat normally again.

The past two weeks have been a blur...the first week and a half, I swore I'd never had so much soup, broth, juice, water etc in my whole life. I started drinking Carnation Instant Breakfasts not that long ago and Im basically living off those things, even now.

Just recently (over the weekend), I started eating things I used to eat...like spaghetti (cut up), rice, mashed potatoes, and last night, Swiss Chalet fries w/sauce (you won't know it if you aren't Canadian).

It's a struggle to eat these things, and for some reason my stomach wants to reject all of it..but the weirdest thing of all, is how strange it feels to chew.

At my 2nd post-op yesterday, my OS said I was doing realllllly well and to keep doing what Im doing. Cause I was doing so well, I decided to try chew some food....Id heard horror stories on ArchWired about people trying to eat too soon.... well, it was rather uneventful. I can do it, but it feels very VERY strange to chew. I guess it's cause I havent done it in two weeks, but it feels like an alien sensation.

Day 15 post-op, Happy St. Patty's Day

Yikes I haven't posted in quite sometime. I actually had a good post written and saved it..but then forgot about it over the weekend.

Yesterday marked two weeks post-op, as well as the first day back to school for me. I managed to give two short informal presentations about some work I had done while I'd been off. I noticed, however towards the end of the day my lip felt like it was made out of iron, I could barely move my face! Also, a funny moment when I tried to eat fried rice with my elastics in.. rice. EVERYWHERE.

The food situation needs to improve..drastically. I've started to eat things..not chew, just kind of gum them to death and swallow..which is seriously screwing up my stomach.

The numbness in my lip/chin arent that noticeable to anyone but me but I can feel them and it sucks.

Here is an updated shot from the front, and a profile shot (and shot of my messy room)..im kind of leaning down in the profile shot..it isnt that sloped.

1st Post-op appointment!

Today was my first post-op appointments with both my surgeon and my orthodontist.

At my surgeons, they took an x-ray..then when I saw Dr. T, he was surprised my chin bandage was still on... what! I thought I was supposed to wait for him to take it off! Needless to say, having a bandage from ear to ear removed with week old adhesive was...VERY painful. He cleaned up the adhesive on my skin, and I found it funny I couldn't feel it whatsoever on my chin and bottom lip.

He cut the bands (relief!!!) and my mouth sprung open.. at least two fingers wide, so thats good. He had a look around and said everything looked pretty good. He and his assistant cleaned up my teeth with some listerine or something and then he showed me how to put my bands back on. More on that later.

Final measurements were a lower advancement of 6mm, and since the genio was a reduction, he just sanded it down, so I don't have a measurement for that really.

Ill see him again next week.

My Ortho's office sent me flowers last week, so I made sure to thank them when I got there.. Dr. W did something called "Cranial Sacral" Therapy.. which is where he massages certain parts of the head and face to encourage drainage and reduction of swelling. I could've fallen asleep right there! Before I left, I made sure to ask him for a tool to help putting on my elastics.

OKAY..so its the moment I've been waiting for for a week.. I made cut up spaghetti/sauce for dinner.. BOY WAS IT HARD TO EAT!!! I think I'll stick to mashed potatoes or something.

So after dinner i quickly brushed my teeth (that felt weird..) and then ATTEMPTED to put my elastics back on. Um... okay so Im not sure I did this correctly. My surgeon showed me the box configuration, but I think i may have put them on wrong, and Im paranoid..so I might have to pop by tomorrow just to double check. Or ask them to fax me a little diagram. I always feel bad bugging Dr. T though!!

Here is a pic of my X-ray.. not the greatest picture..thank you very much iPhone.. but you can see the screws. I've got about 7 in total.

Honestly..I must have NO luck at all!! (One Week Post-Op)

First off.. I have some new pictures, But I'll post em later..

This weekend was great.. my parents went out of town, and my boyfriend Mike stayed with me to keep me company and make sure I didn't pass out again (after Saturday's incident). Well two things right now are frustrating me beyond belief.

1. My tongue.

My second molar from the back on the left side of my face is kind of pointy (for some odd reason), and because of the new position of my jaws, my tongue is kind of at odds about where to sit. Well its wedged itself between my top and bottom teeth. (if that makes sense). Its almost as if I'm biting down on my tongue, but the worst part is..the more I bite my tongue, the more cut-up and swollen it gets. Well its gotten to the point where its STUCK between those teeth. I cant pull it out, because it just opens up the cut again!! SO annoying. I almost cut my bands because of this.. it drives me NUTS!!

2. Im sick. AGAIN!!

If you read this blog before, I posted about having a cold 5 days before my surgery (which could've been bad news..but it was okay in the end). Well I gave the cold to my boyfriend, and because we spent time together this weekend.. I've picked it back up in the form of a nasty chest cough!! Its annoying trying to get rid of a loose cough when your teeth are banded together. Again, I almost wanted to cut the bands because of this.

Tomorrow is my first post-op visit..with my surgeon AND my ortho.. so who knows what that will entail. The only words I want to hear tomorrow are "yes Meghan, it is okay for you to eat mashed potatoes". Im serious.

Day 5 Post-op

Today marks day 5 post-op. Some good things have happened, some bad.

Good things that have happened-swelling went down A LOT since Monday, its concentrated now on my chin and underneath my chin. Took two short walks yesterday at my house around the block, and at Mike's house around the block as well. It was nice to get some fresh air, but it kind of drained me after.

Bad things that have happened-My mom made me a berry smoothie but didn't strain it terribly well and it was seed city up in my mouth. I was rinsing for about 20 minutes trying to get them out. Then at night time, I had a lot of... for lack of a better word, goo trapped in my throat, and I had to get it out. THAT was nasty.

This morning, my parents left to go away for the weekend, and I walked downstairs to get my antibiotics and I began to feel very lightheaded and dizzy..so I sat down at the table and put my head in my hands and passed right out. For a good 5, 10 minutes. I woke up shaky as hell, and barely made it to my room. This definitely made me realize I *need* to be eating more calories in a day. And whether or not my OS lets me, next week, im doing the mashed potato thing.

Im not going to post a whole whack of pictures, but Ill post one from pre-op, and from last night. The difference in my profile made it all worth it, somehow.