Week 6 and Week 7 update.

SIX WEEKS OF RECOVERY IS OVER!

First of all sorry for the delay in update. Last week was my first week being able to chew again so I was consumed about all the choices of food I could eat again. I was also just adjusting back into normal life again and enjoying food. 

So last Saturday marked six weeks since I had my surgery which meant I was finally allowed to chew again. As this was my first time chewing I still had to be very careful what I ate and was told just to try slowly chewing soft food first. So the first thing I ate was some mince. It was strange because I was so used to just putting food into my mouth and swallowing it without chewing. So the first couple of mouthfuls I just instinctively swallowed the food without thinking. After a couple more mouthful and a bit of concentration I was chewing my food again. 

It's a strange feeling chewing after jaw surgery. You get used to how your mouth use to work and now it works a little differently. As my front teeth now join I can bite food and actually be able to bite a piece off without it slipping through my teeth. Also because of the new position of my jaw. The very back teeth have a slight gap between them, so I can't really chew tiny pieces of food with my back teeth. It all felt a bit different and strange but I didn't matter because I could eat normal food again. 

For the next couple of days I stuck with soft foods like sandwiches, mince and finely chopped chicken. I was still quite scared of being too rough with my jaw so anything I ate I broke it up into tiny little pieces first before chewing it. 

I then went and saw my surgeon on the wednesday. He was very happy with how everything had healed and said that I was fine to start slowly chewing some bigger things and that I was allowed to exercise and go running again. He also said that I can start stretching my jaw open now to start using the muscles again and get it all moving. He explained it like having surgery on your shoulder; afterwards you have to try and stretch it out so it can get better. This is why I have to start stretching out my jaw so that it can slowly return back to normal. 

Now that my surgeon said that its all healed now and that everything should be all nice and solid I have started eating some bigger and harder food. I haven't had any problems chewing any food yet. The only thing that hurts a little is when I try to eat something a bit bigger and I have to stretch my jaw to try and fit it in.  The joints in my jaw get a little bit sore. That should get easier over time though and shouldn't hurt anymore. 

I have decided to go back to running next week as I enjoy exercising. I will only do a small run on Monday to start off with and hopefully my jaw doesn't get too sore. 

After a week of chewing I'm no longer scared that I'm going to hurt my jaw. I still know my limits and don't push it too much. It seems that the mind is quick to forget pain as it now feels like so long ago that I was sitting at home counting down the days until I could chew again. It definitely wasn't an easy road to recovery and there were times when I thought it was never going to end. However I look back now and realise it was only six weeks out of my life and things are all back to normal now and the pain and the frustration of it all is soon forgotten and the results were definitely worth it. 

Now the countdown until I can get my braces off begins. Lots of exciting things to look forward to. 

Week 5 Post Op- 1 week to go

profile shots 6 weeks post surgery

Exactly 5 week since surgery

Some photos from the past five weeks. As you can see after the initial swelling went down it has only been going down very slowly since then.

Saturday the 1st November marked five weeks since surgery. Only one more week before I can start chewing again! Week five wasn't that exciting and didn't bring that much change. Most of my swelling has gone down now; however the remaining swelling changes everyday. One day I will wake up and think that the swelling is finally all gone and the next day I'll wake up and the top of my lip will be puffy again. I think this all depends on how much I use my mouth. For example when I'm at work and  I'm serving customers and talking to my workmates all day I am using my mouth more. Also now that I can move my top lip more I am smiling more which will be using the muscles in my top lip so this may be effecting the swelling.  The swelling can also move. Sometimes the area between my top lip and my nose is swollen and other days the swelling is down each side of my nose. I'm thinking the way I sleep may also be effecting the swelling. 

On Wednesday I went to see my surgeon. He showed me the photos he had taken before my surgery and then took some after photos to compare them with. You can definitely see the change. I will try and get a hold of these photos to show you next week. The surgeon spoke about the process of getting an implant put into my gum on the left side and the dental bridge that will be put in on my right side.  He was happy for all this to be done and wanted to send me to the dentist where he sends his children as he feel I deserve to have the best treatment; his children receive nothing but the best and he thinks I should too. The finer details of these procedures will be discussed closer to when I'll be getting my braces off. 

When I was leaving the surgeons I asked the nurses about when I can start hewing again. She said that after six weeks I can begin chewing again but only on very soft food first and then slowly build up to better food. The way she described it is that my jaw is still like wet cement at this stage and I still have to be very careful and not cause too much movement of my jaw. If I to push it too much and my jaw moves I will have to have surgery again to correct it and I will be back to square one.

This week I was really starting to get over eating soup and I have now come to the stage where I think I have had enough of Alfredo, shock horror haha. So I decided to try and eat something with some more substance. I really felt like tacos but obviously because I'm still not allowed to chew that wasn't going to happen. So what I did was made taco mince and then put cheese on top which I melted with some garlic aioli and avocado. I manage to eat this off a spoon and then move it around my mouth with my tongue until I could swallow it without chewing. This actually tasted pretty good and was nice to finally be eating some meat. Dad had also made a roast chicken on the weekend so I broke off some of the breast meat and tore it into little pieces and ate that ( again without chewing.) This tasted so good and I can't wait until next week until I will be allowed to chew again. 

This week I will be going back to the orthodontist to have my surgical post removed. I'm excited for this as my braces are clear at the front so when I talk or smile you don't really notice this, but with silver surgical post it kind of defeats the purpose. My orthodontist will then put in my final wires to start getting my teeth ready to hopefully get my braces off in January, YAY! 

Now that the feeling is starting to come back in my mouth and my face I can feel it if I strain my jaw too much or lie on it badly. I don't have any other pain though in regards to healing. My nose and lip can get itchy though as it all starts to heal. This can be annoying but it doesn't last very long at all.

I'm am looking forward to this Saturday which will mark six weeks since surgery and I can slowly start chewing again and hopefully be able to start exercising again soon.  Once again if you have any questions feel free to message me on my Facebook page "The Story Behind My New Smile." I will update you all again next week :)

4 Weeks Post Surgery

four weeks post surgery, Still cant quite smile properly

Before and After so far

Yay only two more weeks of recovery to go! This week I went to the orthodontist and got my false teeth put back in. I was so glad once I got them back in I was able to feel like myself again. My trip to the orthodontists also brought another happy suprise. My orthodontist told me that I could have my braces of by some time in January next year. This is so exciting because I was expecting to have them on for another six months or so. In two weeks I will be going back to the orhthodontist to get my surgical wires taken out, which will mean no more silver surgical post that stand out. Once I get these wires out I will then start getting my final wires in to start the process of getting them off. 

Now that I have a rough idea of when I will be getting my braces off I have to start planning for implants and a dental bridge. On my left side I will be able to get an implant with a false tooth on it. This involves getting a socket put into my gum which a tooth is then screwed into. Then on the right side where the cleft was I will have to have a dental bridge put in as there is not enough bone there to support an implant. This involves attaching a false tooth to the two teeth either side of it; the false tooth will have two "wings" either side of it which will be attached to my own teeth. 

This week I have gotten feeling back into my top lip although on the inside of my lip its still a bit tingly. I also have feeling back at the very back of the roof of my mouth. Most of my palate is still quite numb though. I can still feel a little bit of swelling at the bottom of my cheeks either side of my nose and still a little bit in my top lip. I was hoping the swelling would be all gone by four weeks but I can feel that each day it is getting less and less so I just have to patient. 

On other news I returned to work yesterday. It felt so good to be back into my normal routine and doing something other than sitting at home. I have four shifts next week which will keep me busy between my appointments. Life is getting back to normal now as I can speak much better again and returning back to work has made me feel more motivated.

Hopefully the next two weeks will fly by because I cannot wait to be able to eat again. I miss eating real food SO much! Oh well four weeks down only two weeks to go.

THREE WEEKS DOWN, THREE TO GO!!!

Exactly 3 weeks post surgery!

3 Weeks Down, Half Way!!!

Left side...Center...Right Side

THREE WEEKS DOWN, HALF WAY THROUGH RECOVERY!!!

I can't express how excited I was to reach this little milestone. Sorry for the delay in the update but I had a weekend away at my beach house which was nice to get out of the house for a little bit. Week three has been pretty good. Each day gets better and better. I have a lot of feeling back in the top of my mouth which is good. My top lip is also starting to get feeling back, although still a little numb and tingly in some parts. Week three didn't bring too much to report on in regards to progress of recovery. I feel like myself again and I definitely feel ready to go back to work. 

My weight is still a little unstable as some days I'm back up to 50kgs and some days I'm close to 47kgs but I think that is just normal. I can open my mouth about as wide as my thumb now, however I'm still not allowed to chew until the six week mark. My mouth does get a little sore as I get feeling back. This pain isn't anything bad though I would say at most a 2 on a scale of 1-10 where ten is the most painful. My nose is no longer runny which is absolutely awesome, I dont have to walk around with a tissues on hand 24/7. 

On a more exciting note I went to see my surgeon today for my weekly visit. He was still very happy with how everything is going and he said I no longer have to were my rubber band during the day! This means I can now start talking normally again, without having a rubber band holding my jaw tight. I do still have to wear it at night though. Also as I have said a few times in my previous posts, I get my false teeth put back in on Wednesday which I'm so excited for. So now that most of my swelling has gone down, I can now talk without a rubber band in the center of my teeth and getting my false teeth back I will be able to start returning to a normality. 

I have never gone this long without having my false teeth in; its a strange feeling. Now that my lip can move and you can see my top teeth, I find myself suprised when I catch a glimpse of myself. I'm not use to seeing my gappy teeth and it still catches me by suprise. I have become more confident with it though as I know my friends don't judge me for it  they are use to seeing me like this now. I am still a little conscious of it around people I don't know that well though. That's why I am so excited that I will have them back in before I start work, It will just bring my confidence back up just that little bit. 

I am now closer to the end of my recovery then I am to the beginning of it all. I feel like things can only get easier from now on, the end is getting closer. Thank you once again to everyone for all the positive feedback and support. It is suprising knowing how many people have actually read my blog. It is very humbling knowing that I can share this journey and help spread knowledge about cleft affected people and in particular, jaw surgery.

Day 18 Post Surgery Update

It has almost been three weeks since surgery now, which means I am almost halfway through the recovery period which is very exciting. I'm feeling like myself again although I seem to get tired a lot easier than usual. I say this would be a mixture of two reasons; one- because my body is still trying to heal itself and two- because body isn't getting the food that it is used to.

My feeling is slowly starting to come back in my face. I am still a little tingly around my nose, the top of my cheeks and my top lip. When I brush my teeth though, I am starting to feel the toothbrush when it touches certain parts of my palate. Hopefully it won't be too much longer until I have all of my feeling back. My top lip is still a little swollen with a tiny little spot of yellow bruising still left. My nose no longer bleeds and its no where near as runny as it was last week which makes things a lot easier. 

Unfortunately my surgeon is sick this week so I won't get to see him until next monday. Hopefully he says I am all fine to get my false teeth put back in on that Wednesday when I go to see the orthodontist; so I can look like myself again with out gappy teeth! I still don't have that much movement in my top lip though, so you can't really see my top teeth at the moment anyway. Also I seem to be maintaining my weight at a stable 49kgs not quite as heavy as I would like but at least I'm not loosing any more.

I have been speaking to some other cleft affected people who have already had jaw surgery. This has been great getting advice from people who have already gone through it. Not much else to report at the moment. From now on updates will be once or twice a week as changes are very slowly from now on. To keep up to date with when I post new updates go and give my Facebook page a like. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Story-Behind-My-New-Smile/746686388700790?fref=nf 

You can also message me through this Facebook page if you have any questions or anything that you would like me to write about in my blog post. Thank you once again to everyone for all the support and kind words.  Here are some photos of what my face is looking like today.

Left profile

Right profile

Center

Little bit of bruising left

Trying to Smile

Smoothie Recipes and chocolate cravings

When you aren't allowed to chew for six weeks you tend to drink a lot of smoothies. I thought I would share some of the different smoothies I have made over the past couple of days.  I don't have the exact amounts of each ingredient in the recipes as I just put in what I feel looks to be enough. These are just to give some ideas of what different things can be made into a smoothie. Here are just a few of the different recipes I have tried. In each smoothie I also add in some LSA seed mix or chia seeds. I use a Nutri-Bullet to make all my smoothies which is great because it can blend most of the ingredients I put in it. Although some of the smoothies are quite pulpy because of the different fruits I put in such as pineapple and apples. This can be hard to drink because the pulp can get stuck in your braces. If this is an issue the smoothie can be put through a strainer to take out all the pulp.

Choc Banana Milkshake:

- 3tsp nutella

-1 banana

- approx. 500mls of milk

- 1 scoop of protein powder

Apple pie breakfast smoothie:

- One and a half finely chopped apples

- Vanilla yoghurt

- Small amount of breakfast cereal crunchola

- Small amount of rolled oats

- Coconut water

- Cinnamon sugar 

Tropical Smoothie:

- Frozen mango pieces

- Pineapple

-Pine lime icecream

- V8 tropical juice

Fruit and veggie smoothie: 

-Diced peaches

-Pineapple

-Mango pieces

- Pine lime icecream

- Spinach

- V8 tropical juice

( this would also taste good with some added frozen grapes and a little bit of cucumber for some extra veggies and even a little bit of carrot) 

Berry Smoothie:

- Frozen Blueberries

- Strawberries

-Frozen Blackberries

- Milk

- Yoghurt

- Protein Powder

Also some others drinks that I have made are some different hot chocolates. I had some friends buy me boxes of favourites which I cant chew yet. Looking at them in the fridge made me really want to eat one. So I decided to make a hot chocolate drink with them. I choose what flavour I would like. I breakup three bars of the chosen chocolate and put it in a coffee cup. I then fill half of the cup with boiling water and stir this until all of the chocolate has melted. fill the rest up with milk and you have a hot chocolate in any flavour you like. So far I have had a white chocolate, caramello, and mint bubbly hot chocolate. If you are craving chocolate these definitely help. Not the most healthy drink but its a nice little treat.

WEEK TWO POST SURGERY- Another week Down!

Day after surgery- One week Post Op- Two weeks Post Op

 

Right Side Profile- Center - Left Side Profile

Yay another week down! week two has been much easier, most of my swelling has gone down and I haven't had any pain at all. My nose has finally stop bleeding but is still a bit running from all the swelling that is going down. My face is still swollen a little bit in my cheeks, under my nose and my top left side of my lip is still swolen as well. I only have a tiny bit of bruising left which you can see in the picture above. The bruising is the yellow colour near my lip on my left side of my face. I have most of the feeling back in my face but some parts are still quite tingly and a little bit numb. These areas include my top lip, some areas in my cheeks and a little bit under my eyes. My palate in my mouth is still quite numb. From what I can see most of my stitches have dissolved now.

On Thursday I went to see my orthodontist for the first time since surgery. She was very happy with how everything was looking and said I was doing a great job with keeping it all cleaning. So I decided later on I will upload a video of what I have been using to clean my teeth. Also I am able to get my false teeth put back in two weeks which I'm very happy about. 

I have gotten use to eating soft food now without chewing, I'm not saying I like it but I am use to it. However I am really craving a meal like a chicken parmigiana or a crumbed steak. I'm even dreaming about food, I wake up and my mouth is chewing. This isn't good because I'm not meant to chew for six weeks. My diet at the moment consist of a fruit smoothie in the morning, Pasta for lunch, protein shake for afternoon tea, Vegetable soup for dinner and jelly and ice cream for dessert or a hot chocolate drink or something else. Last night I just felt like white chocolate. So I filled a coffee cup half with hot water, broke up some white chocolate and stirred it in until it melted; then I added some milk. It tasted just like white chocolate. Since I started using this new protein powder I have been able to maintain my weight. I currently weigh 48kgs which is 4kgs less than what I was before surgery but I'm not loosing anymore weight which I'm happy about.

I'm starting to feel more like myself again. I'm starting to go out in public again and I'm not spending most of my day in bed anymore. I'm hoping to return to work in another week which will be good to get back into a routine. At the moment I'm starting to enjoy my time at home as I'm doing some things that I have wanted to do for a while. Such as sewing and fixing some of my old clothes and I've redecorated the bathroom. Although I would much rather be outside going swimming or going for a run somewhere. I still have to be careful of what I do and not over do it too much. I'm still not allowed to blow my nose and I have to try and not sneeze which can be difficult at times. Also when I yawn I try and hold my jaw shut so I don't strain it too much. Sleeping has also become a lot easier now as well. 

I heard another girl who had jaw surgery say that once you pass one and a half weeks after surgery things start to get much easier. I definitely believe this as thing have gotten a lot easier. Thank you to everyone for all the support and kind words. Stay tuned for a video coming soon and more updates.

X- RAY VISION!

Side view of the screws holding my jaw in the new position with wire at the back

Front view of the screws, plates and wires

Today I went back to the surgeon for another one of my weekly visits. Everything was fine and in the correct place. He still wants me to wear my band at the front of my teeth just as a reassurance that nothing will move, even though this band has become a bit loose now. My jaw is perfectly aligned how he would like and is happy with how the swelling is going down. I also went and got X- rays today. In the pictures you can see the screws that are holding the plates in place that support the front of the jaw and the wires are holding the back of the jaw. This is all on top of my palate and on my top jaw I can't feel any of it. In the side view picture you can see that the plates are in a L shape. You can see where these plates are is where the top jaw has been cut and moved forward as bone is sticking out more where the plate forms the bottom of the L shape.

I'm going to see my orthodontist tomorrow So I will post an update to let you all know what they think of the new look. My face is still quite numb but is starting to become very tingly, kind of like pins and needles. Also I went out in public today as most of my swelling has gone down except for my top lip. I don't even think anyone really noticed that my face was a little swollen so that's good.

Also if there is anything in particular you guys would like to ask or would like me to write about feel free to post a comment or contact me through my Facebook page and if you haven't already go and give it a like to keep up to date with all new blog post.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Story-Behind-My-New-Smile/746686388700790?ref=bookmarks

Numbness and Pain Update

 Each day the amount of my face that feels numb slowly decreases. Today only my cheeks, the bottom of my nose and my top lip are still numb. They aren't completely numb though they are starting too feel tingly. The top of my lip and bottom of my right cheek are starting to feel heavy. Hopefully that means I will have feeling back in them soon. Also on a positive note it doesn't hurt as much  to laugh anymore. Up until today, whenever I laughed it pulled under my top lip and it really hurt, I think that's because that's where the stitches are. Most of my face seems to have lost its swelling and returning to its normal shape except for the area between my nose and my top lip. This area is still puffy and it kind of looks lip a chimps lips. Also I have no pain and I have been off all medication since the start of the week.

On another note: Because my top jaw has been moved forward it means my profile has changed and the center of my face will no longer be as flat as it was before surgery. This also means that my nose has been lifted slightly. My surgeon also put some stitches inside my mouth under my nose to lift the tip of my nose up and hold it in place. So far I'm really liking how my nose is looking and can't wait to see it after all of my swelling has gone down. Because of my cleft palate repair when I was younger my top jaw didn't grow forward normally; this means that my nose didn't move as I grew. Also because of my scar tissue where my lip was repaired when I was younger it is less flexible as a normal lip and this restricts the top jaw area from growing forward as it is tight. This all contributes to my nose slowly getting flatter as I grew older, I know that for me and many other people who have a cleft this is something that can cause embarrassment and confidence issue . So now that my top jaw has moved forward my nose and the profile of my face will become more prominent, its exciting to see the changes each day as the swelling slowly goes down. 

before and after... So far

DAY 10- Nutrition and Protein Shakes

Nutrition and Protein Shakes

The second day I was home I decided to weigh myself to see if I was loosing weight. As I was only able to gain two kilos before surgery. Weight gain is not my strong point even though before surgery I was eating more than normal I still struggled to gain weight. This is because I have a very fast metabolism that burns up my food faster than normal. Because of this faster metabolism I like to try and eating about every three hours. I only weighed 52 Kg when I went in for surgery.  I wasn't going to be able to chew for six weeks, I knew it would be difficult to keep weight on. When I hopped on the scales I had already lost the two kilos that I had gained prior to surgery.  I decided I needed to start eating some food with some more substance to it to try and keep weight on. This is when I started eating lots of Alfredo pasta. This was keeping the weight on but I started feeling like I had no energy at all.

I had been having protein shakes as well as they were easy to drink. I was using Natures way Instant natural egg white protein and the chocolate protein. These were good but they were more for muscle growth and repair and I think they are more of  a health supplement to add extra protein to your diet not to put on weight. So I decided to to get a bulking powder. I'm now using MUSASHI, Bulk Mass Gain Protein Blend. You can mix this with milk or water and it actually taste pretty good. I have the Vanilla flavour. This seems to be working much better then the natures way protein; however the scales broke a couple of days ago so I'm not sure on my actual weight but physically I look to be holding the weight. Will update you all when we fix the scales. 

Now back to nutrition, pasta and mass gain protein powder are easy meals to keep weight on. Unfortunately though you cant just live off pasta and protein shakes, because for me this just made me feel sick and I was feeling very faint and frail a lot of the time. Also I would not recommend having a protein shake before bed as some sports supplements have an energy component in them, it makes it very difficult to get to sleep. Anyway so now I have decided that because my body is trying to heal itself I have to feed it good fuel for it to be able to do its job. So each morning I have a smoothie with a mixture of fresh fruit, yoghurt, coconut oil ( this contains healthy fats), and either some milk, juice or water. Then for lunch I either have a pasta like Alfredo or spaghetti to get some carbohydrates in for the day. Dinner is usually a vegetable soup which is just a mixture of all the vegetable we have in the fridge which mum cooks up and then purees them so that its a smooth liquid. I think she may also add either a chicken or beef stock to it to add extra flavour. These actually taste pretty good. If its not vegetable soup its some other kind of soup. Tonight I'm having chicken soup. So basically fruit in the morning, carbs for lunch and vegetables for dinner with protein shakes in between when I get hungry. Now I'm not a health expert or a nutritionist so if you are struggling with nutrition after surgery you should consult a professional. 

Here are some photos of what I look like today. The bottom of my nose is still numb and tingly as well as the are above and including my top lip. Still cant feel my top jaw either when I brush my teeth, still completely numb. There is still a bit of swelling in the middle of my face under my eyes, around my nose and my top lip. Feeling much better now that my diet is better I have more energy and not feeling faint any more. 

Sitting on the couch blogging

still some bruising on my left side- Day 10 post surgery

ONE WEEK POST OP!!!

Week One Post Op!

Alright so one week down, Woohoo! now since recovery is approximately six weeks only five more to go! Week one was filled with lots of sleeping, resting and new learning experiences. The day I got home from hospital I didn't really feel like doing much at all I just slept most of the day and when I was awake I was just sitting in my bed searching the internet on my phone or just sitting there watching the day go by. At this point I was still taking the pain killer endone which is very strong and can make you feel very strange. That night when I was sleeping I kept waking up thinking that there was another lady who was sleeping next to my bed, she told me that she had jaw surgery as well as she was telling me all the stuff I should be doing. When I woke up and the medication had worn off I realised this lady wasn't real and I was just tripping on pain killers. oh dear :O

Day two: I was still feeling very drugged up and still a bit dazed. By this stage I was so over just having liquids so I decide to have some soup which was pretty much just beef stock. I put it in a squeezy sauce bottle so I could just squeeze it into my mouth. This worked well until I squeezed it too hard and it started dripping out the lid. 

Day three: Day three was not a good day. I was totally over it and I felt like it was never gonna get easier. I was feeling very congested and I was sick of waking up every morning with a bloody nose. For me the mornings are the worst because when you wake up your mouth is totally dry from breathing through your mouth, your nose is all bloody and if you slept on your face too much it would be kinda sore. On this day I went to see my surgeon for the first time since surgery. He was very happy with how everything was looking and said that a bloody nose was normal and it should stop after about a week. He put my bands on today or wires as some say. I had one put directly in the center of my front teeth and then one on the right side to pull the jaw back into alignment with the center. I had to go back to see my surgeon 4hrs later to see if the bands were holding the way he wanted. When I went back to see him he was happy with the position and decided that I only needed the one band in the center to hold my bite together. The nurse then showed me how to put them on and off. I am allowed to take them off when I eat and when brush my teeth. Most people aren't able to take their bands off but my surgeon was beyond happy with the result that he said I could. Putting this band on is exactly the same as putting orthodontic bands on for those of you who have had braces. 

Day four: I was still feeling a bit crappy but was starting to do more stuff for myself and spending less time in bed. I was no longer on endone. I was just having panadol, nurofen and my anti biotics. I was sick of having liquid so I decided to have some pasta I had spaghetti with a puree sauce so it didnt have any lumpy bits in it and the mince was chopped up really fine. I had risoni pasta with it as well. I was able to suck this off a spoon and swallow it with out chewing. I had also tried the continental packet pasta Alfredo. This became my obsession because I ate it for breakfast lunch and dinner the next two days. 

Day five: Today I had to go back to see my surgeon. This appointment was very quick, all he did was check my gums were still getting blood as they should and that everything was aligned. He was still very happy with how everything was looking and said I was doing well with brushing. The rest of the day was just filled with watching big bang theory and scrolling through, Facebook, Instagram and fitness blogs. 

Day six: FINALLY A GOOD DAY!! I don't know why, today was just a really good day. I was feeling good, the swelling was starting to go down and I could see that things were going to start getting better. I started feeling like it's going to be all worth it at the end. P.S I'm still obsessed with Alfredo.

Day Seven: ONE WEEK DOWN! I was so glad to get to this little milestone. It meant it was one less week I had to spend sitting at home drinking or sipping my food off a spoon. The start of this week was very hard and I was really not happy at all. Although I wasn't in pain at all because my top jaw was still completely numb, I just felt miserable. However as the week went on things got easier and it meant I was one week closer to that six weeks of recovery! :)

Sorry theses photos aren't the most flattering but it's all part of it. Puffy chipmunk cheeks is the new black ok :)

SURGERY DAY! 27th September 2014

SURGERY DAY! 27th September 2014

Just out of Surgery- In CCU

On the day of my surgery I remember waking up thinking " Oh my Gosh, It's actually going to happen today!" I was hungry as soon as I woke up but I think this was because of the fact that I knew I couldn't have food not because I was actually hungry. I hate fasting before surgery but lucky my surgery was on a Saturday and I was the only one having surgery so I didn't have to wait for any others. Before I knew it I was admitted into hospital, had met the Anesthetist and taking whatever tablet it was that I had to have before surgery. Now I was all gowned up and lying on the table looking up at those bright white lights. I remember talking to one of my relatives who was a nurse in the room. Then the anesthetist put a needle in my hand which stung quite a bit, he said it was soft medicine whatever that means. Then I turned and was talking to one of the nurses who works at my surgeons practice and then I was gone, knocked out cold. 

Swelling after surgery

When I woke up I remember feeling very congested but I had barely any felling in my face at all. I didn't open my eyes for a while because I felt so tired. I remember coughing because my throat felt dry and I think I was trying not to swallow blood but I can't remember too much. Then the next time I woke up I was back in my bed in CCU and my parents were there. I had the oxygen mask on my face which I couldn't feel because I was completely numb. I had a few visitors come and lots of nurses come to check on me but I was that drugged up that I just kept drifting in and out. The nurses also put a head wrap thing on my face that had ice packs in it to reduce the swelling.

morning after surgery

can already see the change in my nose

thumbs up for icecream

 
By that night I was feeling a bit more awake and was communicating with the nurses and I even was given some jelly and custard. Although I wasn't able to keep this down because of the blood that I had swallowed. Once I got that all up though I was good and I wasn't sick again after that. I was able to get out of bed and walk to the toilet however the first time the nurse wheeled me back to my bed in a wheelchair because I felt a bit dizzy but each time after that I felt better.


In the morning I had breakfast which was apple juice, orange juice, custard and yoghurt. Also the two surgeons who did my operation came and saw me and said everything went better than expected and that they couldn't be more happy with the outcome. My surgeon also discharged me from hospital and said I was free to go home whenever I liked. I went home that afternoon once I had a few more painkillers and Mum was able to get all the medicine I would need at home. Then by 3:30 that afternoon I was heading home. 

on my way home

Leading Up to Surgery

Leading Up to Surgery

As surgery got closer and closer and I realised that after the date had to be change three times, that the surgery was finally happening. I started to become more nervous as things got closer. Surgery can be quite scary when you get older because you are more aware of what is actually involved and how you are going to feel during recovery. When I was younger surgery was never really a big deal to me. I just thought it was cool because I got time off school and when I got back to school I had some new scars to show off. I also think because I'm older I remember more of what the surgeon says so I remember every detail of the scenarios of what could happen if things don't go to plan. But never to worry because I knew I was in good hands and I was just sick of waiting for it! I wanted it done!





 On the day before my surgery I decided I was going to have a me day and to eat as much food as I could. Once I had breakfast and got myself organised for the day and decided I was going to spend the day in the city. For lunch I had already planned where I was going. I went to a restaurant where I used to work because I new I could get a big meal there. I ordered a big plate of pasta which I would normally only be able to eat half of, but I ate the whole thing. I was now feeling very full but I knew I also wanted to try and squeeze in dessert as well. It was the last day that I could eat before I had surgery, so I was going to squeeze in as much food as I could. So I then went to my favourite frozen yoghurt shop YoMG. Since I was already full from eating twice the amount of pasta than I normally would and now frozen yoghurt I was feeling pretty satisfied and had the biggest food baby of my life. This made my day and also made me smile because some people gave me funny looks as I walked past as they gawked at my pokey outy belly. I swear I looked pregnant. 


This all seemed to be a good de- stress before surgery because I was feeling pretty contempt after this and went home and had a nap (food coma) before I had to go to my pre surgery ortho appointment as seen in my last post.

The Day Before Surgery

Just thought I would share some photos of what I looked like before surgery :)

The Day Before Surgery

Gappy Smile

Gap Teeth looking like a Pirate

Drinking through a straw through the gap in my teeth

So here are some photos of me with my two false teeth taken out and my surgical post in place the day before surgery. Also the last photo shows how I can fit a straw between the gap in my teeth which came in handy when trying to squeeze food into my mouth after surgery. The day before surgery I had to go to the orthodontics to get my two false teeth taken out that fill in the gaps where I had to get teeth taken out because of my cleft palate. Once the orthodontist had taken them out I had to get my surgical post put onto the wires of my braces in between the brackets. These post are what the surgeons use to "wire" your jaw ( they don't actually wire it, they  use small rubber bands.) As the orthodontist doesn't know how many bands the surgeon would like to use to hold my jaw shut, the 'ortho' puts as many posts in as possible. You can see them in the photos, they are the silver things between each of my brackets on my braces.