Day 6- good human day

I've moved from sleeping on the couch to my bed. Everything for me is about feeling normal.   

I recommend for breakfast- baby rice cereal. It's pretty good and is better warm than cold.   

Before the surgery the type of food I ate first thing when I woke up was important to me and the temperature of the food I'm eating is important. This is what I'm struggling with. Texture of food isn't that big of a deal to me so I don't mind the blended stuff- even tho I'm staying away from blending meat. Eating my soups- sorta warm is weird. They're usually boiling hot. And the first thing I eat when I wake up has got to be a breakfast/brunch type food.  

Today ended up being one of the best days since the surgery. I felt better after taking my medication and eating. I was full human mode today, it was awesome. I'm not as yellow as yesterday and look more like myself. My parents and I went to the mall today and I drank a Starbucks smoothie. It was so good and plus it made me feel normal. Getting out of the house and going places really helped and I recommend doing it as soon as you have enough energy.  

Today was also one days that I've eaten the most. Starting with the rice cereal I've had, blended watermelon and honeydew, Starbucks smoothie, full bowl of tomato soup, Apple sauce, and a mango smoothie. Lots of fruit today but all the homemade smoothies I supplement with protein powder. I feel full and happy :) 

My previously numb lip and chin feel like they are sleeping and very tingly. So it's all coming back slowly but surely. I can feel the corners of my mouth move when I smile and I've been doing a lot of that today. I've been laughing my ass off at Parks and Recreation. Soo good.  

Tomorrow I get x-rays and my elastics taken off so I'll be a little more free to move in my mouth. I really really really really want to brush my teeth or my tongue. Seriously if the apocalypse ever comes a tooth brush is top ten things I need to live. Plus I haven't been perfect about straining everything I eat so there's some floatys in there I would normal spit out.  

Plus I keep doing this thing where I stick my finger in my food to test the temperature and taste it first but I can't stick my finger in my mouth. Struggles 

Day 5- sick to my stomach

Today I'm feeling nauseous. All of the creamy, sweet smoothies and soups are getting to me. Everything makes me feel sick, the thought of food, thought of eating out if that fricken syringe again and the yucky feeling of my teeth.  I had a dream last night too where I ate pizza but I was still all messed up from the surgery so I couldn't chew it. Just suck on it. Gross  

I've started drinking from a cup in hopes to feel normal. I still can't feel my bottom lip and chin but I'm not making a mess and that's what counts  

Went to the grocery store too, trying to find something that was yummy and wasn't gonna make feel like hurling. Got some baby food- seems kind of sad but at this point what can you do. Chicken noodle soup, rice cereal for babies and grape juice. I've been wanting grape juice since my first night in the hospital.   

I'm super yellow today all along my neck and chest and I think it's the meds that are making me feel sick.  

My dad drove up for too today, we just played some card games until it was time for bed. It's nice to have my family here when I need them. I don't think I could get through this without my mom. She's making sure I'm eating and waking me up to take my medications since it's every 6 hours.  Love ya mom ❤ 

 Oh and I finally had a bowel movement 💩 

 You're welcome.   

Day 3 &4- Sleeping is nice

Nothing new to report on- My meds schedule is every 6 hours. Starting at 2pm. So at 2am and 8am I gotta wake up and eat to have my meds. My mom is staying with me, if she wasn't I couldn't imagine myself getting up to eat and medicate.  

Lots of sleeping today and yesterday. Today I slept until noon and had some more naps after that.  Not use if it's cause I'm bored or actually tired. Probably both.  Played some board games tonight, my head feels like a heavy bowling ball and my teeth are starting to feel nasty. No feeling in my lower lip or chin too. AND to top off the best week ever- my lady river started running today. I can't make poops either even tho I've had tons of prune juice. Might be time for more drastic measures  

TMI? I don't care :) 

Day 2- going home!!

The rest of day 2 was normal. I was very happy to sleep in a private room.  Once in a while a nurse would come in and give me my drugs but other than nothing interesting.  

The next morning I wake up pretty hungry, the nurse brought me some juice to tide me over and my surgeon  came by this morning too.  I get to home! I can't wait, as good as the treatment they have been giving me, there's nothing quite like being at home. I'm pretty tired today and my back is sore from laying in bed and I've had it with the IV in my arm.  

My mom picked me up, it's a little cold and rainy out. She was in such a hurry she forgot my shoes and a coat- love you mom. I don't care though- I'M GOING HOME! I'm not allowed to lift anything over 10 lbs which apparently is the same weight as 4L of milk. When I get back to the apartment the first thing I do is put on my oil diffuser, in hope that it helps me feel less stuffy. I have a shower too- the first one since my surgery, feels nice to have the water run down my body. I didn't bother washing my hair and I accidentally poked myself in one of my stitches on my cheek ouch.  I struggle to eat some butternut squash soup and a blueberry smoothie, my mom and I are still getting the hang of the syringe. It's a giant mess, let's just say I'm going to go through lots of towels and shirts. I get some medication in me too. 

I sleep for the most of the afternoon while my mom watches drop dead diva. - pretty good show too!  

Eating is feat, I'm pretty tired after only a couple of syringes. The ensure supplement is pretty good too but it's so creamy I can't eat a whole lot of it without feeling sick.  

Also I've been farting too, no bowel movements yet but at least it's working down there. I have prune juice to help with this. 

More napping and eating throughout the day and afternoon. Now it's 10 pm, it's getting harder to talk must mean my lips are getting swollen and sore from all the poking trying to get the syringes of food in. Decided to have some pain relief and tied bags of peas to the side of my head. Curtis, and my mom keep saying how much better my swelling is looking. The underneath of my neck doesn't hurt anymore to touch, which is good. But I'm starting to have some yellowing/bruises higher on my face- by my nose and underneath my eyes. I've been keeping family and friends update on social media and my boss emailed me yesterday to ask how I'm feeling.  

I still don't have any feeling in my bottom lip and my chin. The only improvement on my chin is I can feel the area is my "bum chin" the area feels pretty dry too. My lips and  chin have been tingly throughout last night and bit of today. I'm hoping as the week goes on in get more feeling there. Especially my lips, because I can't feel a thing other than the random tickle.  

I'm worried once I start feeling though it will really hurt. Guess I won't know until it happens. 

 

Day 1- Recovery

After barely sleeping all night I finally got some shut eye around 4 or 5 am. My surgeon came and visited me today and asked how I felt. He said I was getting my own room which I'm super excited about. A dietitian was also going to speak to me and my family later to help with my food needs. Until then the morning staff nurses helped change me into a new gown. I get to walk to the bathroom on my own for the first time. Which made me feel more human. 

They took away my magic morphine button so I was glad I used it when I woke up. The doctors and nurses keep asking me to rate  my pain which I'm finding hard to do because it's really not pain it's discomfort and strange. My face is swollen like a balloon that is about to pop even though every one says it's gone down. I'm numb on the bottom half of my face. The only thing that actually hurts is my neck when I touch, my throat when it's dry AF and my IV spot on my arm. So I've been saying anywhere from 3 to 5. All I know is it's not a 1 or a 10.  

I waited until my family came then we talked with dietitian about what to eat and how much. A syringe has 60 millilitres and for one meal I need 12 of them. Damn it takes me long enough to eat just a couple of half full ones. The hardest part is because my bottom lip has no feeling I don't know if it's on my mouth entirely.  

After that we waiting some more in that room since my own room wasn't gonna be ready until after lunch and they unhooked me from my IV stand and oxygen. I still have the needle in my arm for medication delivery.  

I'm still getting used to looking in the mirror and seeing my face. It's so swollen, I have no neck it just all blends together it looks like me and doesn't at the same time.  I'm very happy I didn't go through with the chin implant that they wanted to do. 

When I finally to get to my room I'm surprised to find that it's private. when I checked in before my surgery they asked if I wanted to pay for a private room.. Which I didn't do, I thought it was an extra cost and I wasn't up for that. So it's just me- no snoring giant. Maybe I'll get a better sleep tonight  

A friend of mine sent me flowers but used a short hand of their last name making it hard to figure out when your groggy and waking up from naps. AND SOMEONE PAID FOR HOSPITAL TV FOR ME. I don't know who and nobody will tell me. But I appreciate it😊  

I've noticed tingling/ itchyness in my bottom lips today even though there's no feeling. Must mean my nerves are healing. 

Supper time again and my surgeon comes to visit- says I may be out tomorrow. Sounds promising! Even though the treatment is nice, you're always more comfortable at home.  

More tomorrow as I'm sure the rest of the night will be normal * I hope

I actually look better than when I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Surgery day- after the knife

After the slicing, the next thing I remember is laying in bed raising my hand to ask nurse if my parents were coming and saying that I had to pee.

I got wheeled to another room with 6 or 7 other same day post surgery patients with 2 nurses to watch the unit. Most of this is a blur. I was hooked up to an IV with morphine delivery on a button. I also had oxygen for my nose and a sucker like what they have at the dentist. I'm also wearing a ice pack head band. 

My throat is sore and dry. "Eating" helps. Doctors say it's from having a tube down my throat for surgery. My bottom lip to the end of chin is numb and partly my tongue. I'm talking pretty good even wired shut with elastics but I'm obviously high my pupils are dilated. Feels weird to have my upper teeth and bottom teeth to touch. I chat for bit with Curtis and my parents but I'm groggy and drifting in and out. Also peeing in a bed pan is straight up no fun.

The rest of the night consisted of trying to sleep but there was a patient in the unit who snored louder than anything I've ever heard. Every time I'd be about to sleep the snoring would wake me. Ear plugs weren't really an option since I had the ice packs covering my cheeks and ears.  

When I did fall asleep I was fast to wake up as  I could feel the blood starting to pool and possibly cause a mess. Time to sucks it out. I also noticed my left corner of my mouth is sore. I guess I was ramming the suckered and syringes a bit to hard. I'll have to be more careful of my new face even if I can't feel it all. 

I mostly played on my phone and tried to be comfy. The night time nurse staff was amazing. Anything I need they helped and very quickly. They started to wheel me to the bathroom instead of bedpan which was much better. I was using my handy dandy morphine button thoughout the night. When I did sleep it felt like 5 hours had gone by when reality it had only been maybe 2 if I was lucky.  

It was a tough day but it got better next morning 😊