Day 30 and pulled a stitch out

Boring day of laying around at home.  Zings in my lower lip and chin.  No ichy feeling today.  Only fun I had today was panic from accidentally pulling one of my stitches out.  It was soooo gross.  I ate shredded chicken with sauce on it this afternoon and I was looking in my mouth awhile after I brushed my teeth because I felt like something was stuck by my back left lower molar.  When I got a good look I saw what I thought was a string of the chicken.  I found out it wasn't.  Ugh.  I was trying to get it with my toothbrush and it wouldn't come out.  It looked like it was stuck between my back lower molars.  I couldn't grab it with my fingers so I got my tweezers out.  Ugh.  I got it with the tweezers and gently tried to pull it out.  I felt a light tug on my cheek as it was slowly being pulled out of my cheek.  Ugh.  I felt it tug, tug, tug as it was coming out of three different stitched spots.  Then I realized what it really was and felt sick.  I was still holding it with the tweezers and the string was still attached to my cheek when I yelled for my daughter to get scissors.  When she came I asked her to carefully hold the tweezers and I cut the string as close to my tooth as I could without pulling it out more.  I called my surgeon and he said it was fine.  Don't want to do that again.  I won't be pulling anything out with tweezers again.

My upper lip and the area above it is still more swollen than it looks.  This is what happened when I lifted my lip up to look at my gums at the stitches that are right in the middle.  See the line that is left from lifting my lip?

 

Day 29

Woke up super early again and got the kids ready and went to my mom's really early.  We had a nice, relaxing day while she was at work.  When she got home in the afternoon we went to a store that had my current favorite juices on sale, Kern's.  They had so many more flavors than Walmart and I was so excited.  Pineapple Orange Passionfruit, Pineapple Banana, Strawberry and so many more.  They are so good.  Then we took the kids to get their hair cut.  Again I felt weird being in the salon.  Didn't bring my scarf with me this time so they got to see all my fun going on with my face.  After my mom took me to Baskin Robbins and I got a banana split.  I really, really want to eat a banana and I was hoping if I mashed it enough I would be able to.  The ice cream and different syrups were unbelieabley good.  After I ate most of the ice cream I mashed the bananas up super good and was able to eat some of them with the rest of the melted ice cream but since I couldn't chew I didn't get to taste the bananas and it wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

My stitches are officially falling out.  I thought I might have had some fall out over the past few days but I wasn't sure.  Today I totally got some on my toothbrush when I was brushing my teeth.  There was at least 6 in the sink by the time I was done.  Then I went back to the front room and I felt like something was stuck on the roof of my mouth.  I found a couple more and it seemed to be fine.  They didn't hurt to come out but I really hope I don't swallow them.  Gross.  When I lift my upper lip up to look at the 2 stitches I saw before I could see they were tied to each other and their are a couple more sticking out now in the same spot.  Fun stuff. 

 Ichy feeling in my lower lip and chin today again.  Lots more today.  Again fell asleep super early when I got home and had a great night's sleep. 

Day 28

Slept awesome again.  I guess this surgery is making me a morning person.  For years I loved to stay up until 2am.  I have been falling asleep super early every night this week and waking up ready for my day at 3 or 4am.  Haven't decided if I prefer to stay up later or wake up early. 

Today is the most normal I have felt since surgery.  I cooked for the first time in almost a month.  I made them french toast and eggs.  It felt so good to be doing my normal thing.  Making all that yummy food did make me want to eat it.  After I thought about it for a bit I realized I could try to eat it without chewing it.  I cut off all the crust, cut the french toast piece into tiny, tiny pieces and doused it in syrup.  It wasn't the same at all but it was totally worth the effort.  I basicly ate syrup soup with bits of bread in it.  lol. 

super yummy scrambled eggs with cheese and french toast/syrup "soup"

After my yummy breakfast I had my friend call and make an appointment to get my hair done.  Now that I have been taking pics of myself everyday I get to see how horrible my hair has been looking.  :)  I usually flat iron it and make it look cute.  I also usually wear makeup but I haven't cared lately.  I got a Brazillian hair treatment a couple different times and LOVED it every time.  It is like a semi permenant flat iron treatment that makes me not have to do anything to my hair to make it look good.  I was super nervous before I got to the salon.  I go to a local school to get it done because it is super expensive at a regular solon and 1/4 of the price at the school.  The only problem is this super weird girl I went to high school with goes to that school.  I saw her the last time I went for a trim before my surgery and I really hoping I wouldn't see her this time.  I was also nervous going to a huge school full of so many people and trying to act normal when I totally don't feel or look normal.  I tend to tell anyone that looks my direction that I had jaw surgery just so they don't have a chance to get that weird look on their face wondering what is up with me.  I decided to take a think scarf with me to hold in front of my mouth.  I would rather people look at me wondering why I'm covering my mouth than why I have this weird thing in my mouth and why I'm not closing my mouth.  :(  The sylist I got was super nice and she made me feel comfortable.  She did a great job but this process is rather long even for an experienced sylist and she took longer than expected.  I didn't mind because it was a nice change instead of being in my house or my mom's.  The only problem was the longer she took the higher the chances of me running into the girl from my high school.  I was pretty sure that girl was a night girl and I was getting into the night student hours.  When my sylist finished it was so much later than expected.  She walked me to the front to pay and I was almost to the counter when I realized that the girl I was hoping to avoid was walking right towards me. UGH.  REALLY!!??  I had my scarf in front of my face but I know she totally recognized me.  Weird since you could only see my eyes and hair and body.  She spun around in a circle and turned around and walked back the way she came.  I whispered to my sylist that I didn't want to see that girl and she rushed me into the shop part of the salon so I could pay in a different area.  Who knows if that girl is friends with my sylist but I hope not because I really don't want her to know what is going on with me at all.  She was not a nice girl in school and I'm sure she is just as pleasant now.   Sorry to sound so petty but it just seems that you run into poeple you are not a fan of at the worst times.  On a good note.... I LOVE my hair and I'm still glad I went. 

I started feeling itchy feelings in my lower lip and chin today.  I happened quite a few times and it was so weird to get this crazy itch come on and straching it wouldn't make it go away.  I heard this happens and hope it doesn't happen too often.  I also have been getting sudden painful pangs in select teeth.  It has happened on and off for awhile now.  I don't like it but my Dr said it is just my nerves trying to come back.

Look how smooth my hair looks.  :)

Day 27

Today sucked!!  Went to my surgeon today for my weekly checkup. My surgeon told me weeks ago that I would get my splint off at 6 weeks. I was so excited.  I'm almost at 4 weeks so I thought only 2 weeks left. Well 6 weeks is Jan 12th and he just told me that I can't get it off until Jan 16th. :( soooooo disappointed. They said I have to wait and get it off at the beginning of the week because I have to go straight to my ortho after my appointment. Worst part is they just called and said my ortho can't see me until the 17th so now they bumped my splint removal to the 17th too. Sooooo disappointed.   5 EXTRA DAYS!!!   My husband told me "it's only 5 more days than you thought." I told him that he needs to live on a liquid diet those 5 days since it's "only 5 days." He said he will, thinking I'm joking, but I'm going to hold him to it.  

I called my mom after I told my husband and I totally broke down.  I didn't think it would effect me as much as it did.  I have been counting down the days until the 6 week mark and was so upset when they extended it like it wasn't a big deal.  When the girl from my surgeon's office called to tell me about the appointment change I asked her if I could have it taken out the Tues before I hit 6 weeks which would only be 2 days early.  She very rudely said no and that this is what I had to do.  Then I told her my ortho said I could see him the day after I got the splint out so I could keep my Monday appt instead of doing both on the same day and she again said no and that this is what my surgeon wanted. 

I went to my moms and spent the day there trying to not think about the sucky news I was told.  She make me THE BEST garlic mashed potatoes and my grandma made me my favorite milk gravy.  I took a long nap and woke up feeling a little better.  Still sad that I have to wear this 5 days longer but I hope it goes by faster.  :( 

My awesome friend came over with dinner for my family and she made me awesome, awesome potato cheese soup.  Her and her daughter spent the night and we had a nice time hanging out together.  A good day after a sucky morning. 

Day 26

Every year I go shopping with my family in the predawn hours of the morning for the day after Christmas sale.  I was up at 4am but didn't feel up to go out in public with my face all covered up.  I'm sooo tired of this splint.  If I didn't have it in my mouth I would feel and look more normal.  I feel asleep at a decent hour last night finally.  I was so tired that I actually feel asleep at 7pm and slept all the way until 4am.  I woke up feeling awesome and full of energy.  So much better than staying up all night.  Didn't take a picture today because I feel asleep super early again while watching tv and didn't realize I was that tired.

Day 25

Merry Christmas!!  Had a great day with my kids, hubby and family.  Nothing much to report about my progress other than the occasional zing in my chin and lower lip.  I was sad not to get to eat food with my family today.  I usually don't sit in the same room when any of them are eating but I didn't want to hide while everyone was eating today.  My mom made me super yummy mashed potatoes but I reallllly wanted the food everyone else was eating.  It felt weird eating in front of so many people with my syringe and food all over my lower lip and splint.  Oh well.  It is over now and I'm getting closer to the month mark.  :)



Day 24

Different parts of my lower face keep twitching.  I feel a part of my lower lip quiver or a quick, dull pain in a tooth or a weird sensation in my chin most of the day.  Also, I didn't think my teeth were numb but now I'm thinking they were/are.  I just started feeling the left side of my lower teeth rubbing on my splint.  I never felt my teeth touching my splint but didn't realize I wasn't feeling it until I was super aware of my splint touching my teeth.  I close my bite and only feel it on my left side.  It almost feels like my teeth on the right aren't touching the splint at all but it is so huge that isn't possible so I guess that side is still numb.  Makes sense because the majority of the dull tooth pain I get is on the right so it is still trying to connect.

I took a super late, long nap yesterday so I ended up staying up all night.  My kids got up at 630am and I gave them a quick bath and we headed to my moms so I could take a nap and she could entertain the kids.  I had to do it all really fast before I started getting tired and wouldn't be able to drive.  It was really cold outside so I had to wrap the scarf my friend lent me around my face to keep my jaw joints warm.  It is not an attractive look but I don't care.  She took the kids out shopping and eating for 3 hours while I slept.  My grandma made me my favorite, milk gravy.  I could eat it all day.  Had a nice time relaxing.  When we got home the kids were quick to get in their beds since it is Christmas eve.  They are so excited for tomorrow and I can't wait to see it.  :)   Had to finish getting ready for Christmas by going to the 99 cents store to get little things for stocking stuffers.  I wore my adorable scraf disguise and I'm sure people thought strange thoughts about the way I looked but they were polite enough to not look my way.  I am totally cool with that.  Better go to bed because it is late and I'm going to have to get up in a few, short hours.  Merry Christmas!!!

My adorable disguise to keep me warm.

My kids ready for Christmas