Day 7: First Post-Op

Woke up at 3am as usual and just couldn't get back to sleep. Even after taking some paracetamol I was cold and uncomfortable. Eventually I got in my proper bed with my husband at 4am, lying down on my side *shock horror* and got 3 hours of blissful deep sleep.

Had my first post-op appointment this morning which went very well. They are really pleased with the alignment and overall progress and don't think that the hard lump in my cheek is anything other than swelling which is a relief, but just to make sure they gave me a few more days of antibiotics. 

They took the bands off the front hooks for the time being and told me to exercise my jaw a little to get movement back. Being given the 'all clear' to do this is going to make a big difference as not only do I now feel confident to move on to proper mashed food, but I can also take my meds in tablet form. I am much, much better with tablets, even giant ones, so this has made me very happy. My surgeon also said that although some people will tell me to sleep elevated in his opinion it was much better to get good quality sleep for healing, and if that means lying in a bed then that's OK, which I can totally relate to after my 3 hour sleep this morning.

I had a couple of different x-rays taken and a lovely friendly nurse ushered me into the lab quickly so I could see the before and after comparison which was very cool.

This afternoon my daughter had a dentist appointment so I walked into town and popped in with her to see my dentist and all the staff which was nice. Going to try and do a little walking every day because I think it'll help the circulation.

Swelling: Still there
Bruising: Very yellow, especially neck and chest I also have a big dark bruise on my *ahem* left boob
Pain: Not much, although will now be taking codeine at night to carry me through until morning.
Tingling: A bit on chin
Numbness: No feeling on lower part of face, I have to eat in front of a mirror to find my mouth!
Weight: 61kg
Mood: Upbeat

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Signing on the dotted line....

All systems go! I had my appointment at the orthodontists yesterday, to sign the consent forms and get a schedule in place. I was slightly disappointed to learn that I could no longer supplement my NHS treatment and opt for the tooth colour brackets because it would mean mixing NHS and Private Healthcare which is no longer allowed, so it's metal brackets all the way. I must admit I was pretty gutted about this and spent the afternoon feeling a bit blue, but I have a better sense of perspective today. At the end of the day, as long as the people who love me aren't bothered by my braces then why should I be? So, here is the plan: November 18th: Spacers go on back teeth to make room for metal bands in next stage November 27th: Metal bands go on back teeth, the archwire is attached to these December 11th: B-Day! Braces go on (gulp!) 18 months of braces Jaw Surgery 6 months of braces post surgery  As I said in my last post, I seem to have been focussing too much on
Read more

Setback?

I'm not happy. About 6 weeks ago I saw my Orthodontist and he told me that he was leaving. I was a bit upset at this news, apart from the fact he was a nice chap, he also had been with me from the start, always kept me informed as to what the next stage was, and more recently always squeezed me in for an adjustment every 4 weeks. Oh well, life goes on. A few weeks ago I had an adjustment booked, and was quite keen to meet the new person who would be looking after me. I am still really desperate to put some sort of time scale to the op; being self employed means that I will have to put suitable measures in place to make sure I don't miss deadlines, and childcare is always a big issue. I felt pretty optimistic..... First minor annoyance was that I had to wait for AGES. This was only annoying because I have been going for appointments for quite a while now, have never had to wait 45 mins before. I occasionally take my kids with me, frequently the appointments are just befo
Read more

How to eat with braces

Image
Without Braces: Pop snack in mouth Chew, swallow Repeat ad nauseum With Braces: Take snack and break tiny bite sized piece off Pop in mouth Chew using the one tooth that isn't causing brain numbing pain at that moment Keep chewing through the pain of the salt getting stuck on your ulcers Realise that you have accidentally swallowed your dental wax as you feel the wire poking into your cheek with every bite Enjoy the sensation of having every part of your braces stuck full of food Probe stuck food with tongue to dislodge Wince as the brackets tear your lips to shreds Begin to probe remaning food with finger with until you prick your finger on wire Swear loudly and frown at bleeding finger Find mirror and toothpick and poke about for a while dislodging more food, some of which you realise you actually ate at lunch Get glass of water, sloosh like crazy 7 or 8 times, each time marvelling at the amount of crap you're dislodging and wondering if you've actuall
Read more