Pain in Jaw: 1/10Wow, the weeks are flying by!
I've been abit pants on the picture front lately and I do apologise; I do have them I just don't have any front view before pictures (hence why only side ones have gone up) from my other laptop around, so as soon as I get them i'll back track and update the daily photos.
Recovery is going well, i'm learning to talk and use my mouth again slowly which is nice, the swelling has gone down alot on one side compared to the other; it's really comical when I talk or smile because the less-swollen side goes up more! I can't wait for 0 swelling so that I can see a 'finished result smile' rather than one of a working progress!
I'm still in two bands, one either side which limit my movements quite alot. I've said this before but bands are used to guide your teeth into their new position, I definitely feel as though this has improved since the first couple of days, when I could bite together my brain got a little overexcited I think and was like 'Wow, lets clench down hard' and it didn't really know when to actually STOP applying clenching pressure. Since then, my bite has just come together comfortably with no added pressure etc... My jaw spasms seem to have started again, but again, I think this is my jaw getting abit frustrated of being kept in one place, I feel as though it's telling me it's okay and it wants to start moving!
Pain has been under control for the past week or so, I very rarely take pain meds anymore, sometimes I feel as though my jaw is getting tired when I talk too much at once but this is to be expected. The only discomfort I have really is the cotton ball feeling around my lips; but this is just a combo of numbness, swelling and stitches, and a burning pain I get frequently in my chin.
The only places i'm totally numb now are my gums, half of my bottom lip and an area of my chin, everywhere else is starting to return. It's not fully back yet but atleast it's not numb!
Eating is getting better, I can still only open my mouth a fingers width wide so eating is abit of a messy process but I can generally mash most things up with my tounge. Meats I find difficult so I avoid them. I'm still on strict no chew diet but i'm getting real bad urges to chew just lately, especially when food gathers around my back molars; I keep having dreams that i've forgotten I'm not allowed to chew and i've bit and chewed away on something anyway - I doubt when I start it will be as easy as it is in my dreams though :P
Congestion has been pretty bad again today but I think that's because my hayfever is starting. I'm going to check when I can blow my nose with my surgeon next week, when I get the all clear i'm going to buy a big box of tissues and go crazy!
Did you get your nose made smaller too or is that just a result of the jaw surgery?
ReplyDeleteSlowly but surely you are making progress every day....hang in there!
It was just a result of surgery! The 6mm impaction cut pretty deep into my nasal cavity so I had to have a few turbinates and soft tissue removed too. Impactions usually flare your nostrils and turn your nose up slightly at the end, but I think it's done a good job! My surgeon was pretty worried about the outcome of my nose because of how much he had to remove, but hes pretty pleased too!
DeleteI am about 4 weeks post op and the only things i can eat are still liquids or pureed foods. What where you able to eat(solids) at 4 weeks. I had the exact surgeries as you and I can fit one finger in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteHey :)
DeleteI was on strict liquid up until the 2 week mark, and then I could eat soft foods with no chewing up until my 8th week. If you can open your mouth slightly you'd be able to go ahead and eat soft foods with no chewing too - usually you're only on liquid because you're banded closed and can't fit anything other than liquid into your mouth. My soft diet mainly consisted of mashed potato, pasta and rice. I started to experiment with tiny bits of chicken too aslong as I didn't chew! Good luck :) Let me know how you get on!