Today is my first follow-up appointment with the surgeon. I think everything should check out fine. I have no signs of infection, been keeping up on my meds like clockwork, and generally LOOK a heck of a lot better. I'm still quite swollen (although the swelling in my lips has come way down), am experiencing some degree of pain (especially I approach my morphine dosage time!), am numb from pretty much under my eyes to my chin, am quite exhausted (probably lack of substance....still on clear liquids until hopefully after today's appointment; the Boost is chilling in the fridge already! Haha!), and the bruising is beginning to appear underneath the eyes, but I can tell I'm on the mend.
I guess the biggest milestone yesterday was being able to drink from a cup instead of using the syringe. It is probably faster for me to just use the syringe, but I figure that I may as well get back into the habits of daily functions as soon as possible. I was having a look at my old posts from after my SARPE, and it seems like I couldn't drink very efficiently for the first week there either. So far, I would say that the recoveries from SARPE and this jaw surgery have been quite similar. Again, I think I benefited mentally from having the SARPE. I had some idea of what to expect post-op.
Today's milestone, aside from hopefully graduating from clear liquids, is that I shaved for the first time since the surgery. Weird feeling since the face is mostly numb. In fact, I didn't even want to touch the area around my mouth, so I'm rocking a goatee right now for the first time in several years! Hahaha. We'll see what the wife thinks about it when she gets home from work.
A few other updates:
- Sleeping last night went GREAT. I slept all the way through from midnight until 6:00am (I take my meds on the 12's and 6's). Looking forward to much of the same tonight!
- Weight loss is now at 10 pounds. This should slow down if I can have other non-clear liquids.
- My mother-in-law brought me a chicken broth last night. When it's pretty much all you can have, you can REALLY tell the immense difference in taste between the Campbell's stuff and something that is homemade. It was very tasty.
So I guess that's about it until the appointment happens this afternoon. I will be sure to update the blog again then!
Take care,
Paul
UPDATE:
I just got back from the appointment with Dr. Holmes. He said everything looked great, and also gave the ok to start with pureed foods! Yes! This outing also served as a reminder of how fragile my jaw still is however. I slightly tripped over my feet on my way into the hospital (common occurrence for people who are 6'7"!) and felt the shock in my upper jaw. Later, as I was waiting for my appointment, my nose started to bleed! I'm not sure if the two events are related or not, but I have not had any nosebleeds all week while at home, and then all a sudden when I go out for the first time, I do. I think I just need to remind myself that I'm nowhere near 100% yet, and need to take things slower when I do go out.
My next appointment is in a week from now. Will update again then!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that all is going well. I can't believe how much wider your upper arch is in your prior post. It's good to see that there are specialist out there that know what there doing. Kudos to your team. I can't wait to see some post op photos. Get lots of rest (cat naps) and some walks. I here that walking and even pineapple juice can reduce the swelling.
Pauline
Thanks for the tips Pauline! I will take a walk this morning.....maybe for a coffee or something.
ReplyDeleteAs for the post-op pics, I'll definitely put them up, but I want to disclaim that, you know, everyone's recovery is going to be different, and therefore LOOK different as well.