Friday, 31 July 2015
Third orthodontist appointment
This by far was the WORST appointment than the previous appointments because this time I had to have four sets of elastics! I had to get an X ray before I was seen and then when I came into the orthodontist room, they had pictures of my old jaw X ray and the one I had taken just earlier that day! It was so weird because they were put next to each other and there was more things that you could compare. So my orthodontist took out the wire from my bottom brace and then placed this new wire in but not to tighten the brace (at least I don't think so anyway LOL) and apparently it was more flexible too! Then he put these grey elastics that can go across the whole brace on both my top and bottom brace, this was so uncomfortable but I had these on my top brace before, but it was before my surgery! Then he put a mirror in front of me to show me how to put on my other elastics, with these ones I could remove them but I can't remove the grey ones. I could only take them off when I eat and brush my teeth! This then gave me so much achy pain afterwards but my orthodontist assured me "It's to make everything perfect". I know in the future I'll say all of this was worth the pain but right now it's killing, but it's great to have such a supporting orthodontist that is certain to make all this treatment worth it! My next appointment isn't until 11th August, I don't know if I will still have to wear elastics after that appointment but by the 11th, my surgery would have been 1 month and 1 week ago. AH that's crazy! Let's see what the future appointments hold!
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Week 3
DAY 15:
It's the start of week 3! Finally I'm getting somewhere haha! So I did my hot and cold packs the night before and wore my ice packs in the night. I had to wake up early because I had a orthodontist appointment which was annoying because I hardly got sleep the night before - oh well I've hardly slept for two weeks, one morning won't hurt! Today wasn't bad, hospital appointment went well and some friends visited me so it felt good to have different people visit and get all the reactions.
DAY 16:
Day 16 wasn't too bad either, I didn't do much though. I went asda and actually went into the supermarket as I wouldn't before, I saw my sister and her friends and I was so nervous to see someone I knew in my year but I didn't. I was kind of sleepy but didn't actually do much during the day, I just watched films.
DAY 17:
I made a cake on day 17! Actually I made two haha because the first one didn't go to plan and I actually only had one dosage on my medication at 10am and because I kept myself busy the whole day I didn't feel pain as much but then I took some before I went bed and I did my hot and cold packs so day 17 was an okay day and I felt a little more of myself for once. I also actually managed to eat some of the cake I made, I just had to put it to the rough of my mouth and soften it up before I could swallow it - how I have missed cake.
DAY 18:
I was annoyed at my neighbors because they were hammering at 7:30 am and carried on till 10 am so I managed to sleep until 10 am but I was still annoyed at my neighbors. I went shopping with my mum today just to get some fresh air and to get out the house. It was great to be out but then I got a belly ache for some reason so my shopping trip was ruined and afterwards I just went home to rest and chill out. I had some spaghetti hoops for dinner and managed to eat some hot dog sausages (obviously without the bread). My teeth felt quite weak and tight on day 18.
DAY 19:
I woke up at different times again shock! I took some medication about 10 am and wondered what to eat once again, it gets boring once you are on the third week eating the same foods every day. I had a college friend visit me which was nice to have some company and for dinner, I had some spaghetti that had been broken down so it was smaller! I also managed some gammon (of course I didn't chew) but I managed to swallow bits of the gammon whole because it was really soft and moist. I also had a Yorkshire pudding! which was slightly harder to swallow because it was more cooked in places which made it more crisp, so I just broke it down into little parts at a time. I chilled a lot on day 19 and went to bed watching Mamma Mia the movie then went to sleep! So just a normal average day!
DAY 20:
Day 20 wasn't too bad actually! I woke up about 10 am because I heard my mum on the phone so I probably may have slept longer if that hadn't of woken me up which is good! I didn't take any medication for the whole day or even before I went to bed which is the first time ever since I have had the surgery! Week 3 went really quick too. I saw three of my friends that I have known for a few years and they all said they didn't recognize me at first and said I looked so different and when I explained to them what happened in the surgery/how the past few weeks have been/medication I had to take they were so surprised as I don't think they realized that all that would be going on! It was so nice to see my mates, I felt a little like my old self again and almost forgot I had the surgery. I could see some loose stitches on my top jaw but didn't touch them as I didn't want to risk anything. Other than my friends coming round, I spent time with my boyfriend and watched three films during the whole day but spaced out so I wasn't watching them one after the other. I did my hot and cold packs again when I put my film on about 10 pm purely just for comfort and to encourage blood flow in my face. I took ages to actually fall asleep but I needed to sleep because I had to get up early for a knee appointment the next morning!
DAY 21/3 WEEKS:
So it is officially three weeks since I was in surgery! I can finally say it is only a week until I have survived the first month! Now that the first two horrible weeks are out of the way, hopefully the weeks will be quicker because as soon as the first and second week was out the picture, the third week just flew past. And that is probably down to the fact that I have seen more friends and haven't been in as much pain! Just so irritating that now I can sleep longer, my neighbors are still building and my family seem to forget I'm home hahaha! Oh well got at least another six weeks until college starts again! I had an appointment on day 21 but not for my jaw - ha! It was for my knees, I know this is completely off the subject off this blog but I'm putting down what I did on each day so may as well mention it! Anyways, since I was about 10 years old I have had sore knees, I had minor pain before in earlier years but thought it would just go away, obviously I was wrong and waited till I was about 11 years old to mention it to my mum. My mum suffers from arthritis in her knees so I immediately thought sore knees had been passed down in my genes lol - my worried child mind. I went to my hospital where I was told I didn't have as much of an arch in my foot as I should do and was given these weird insoles. I wore them till I was 15, still with knee pain. Needless to say they didn't work. I started seeing a friend of my mum's who done 'muscle activation technique' and this technique came from Canada. I saw him for a few months and this really helped my knees, I almost felt like I could do anything with my knees and not worry if it would hurt. After a while I stopped going as it was expensive for my mum to pay for every week! After a few months of pain free knees, the pain came back. I ignored it and recently since the surgery, my knees have become extremely painful and have no idea was has caused this. My right knee has always been worse and felt like when I bend and straighten out my right leg, a part of my knee 'pops' in a way? It was horrible so my doctor referred me and that is how I got my appointment today, I actually got an X ray too! The X ray showed that both knee caps are slightly worn and X rays obviously do not show the cartilage, they just show the bone so I am going to a scan too. My right knee looked like some of my bone had chipped off but the doctor explained that you only seen bone on X rays and cannot actually say if it is chipped. Have to wait and see for the new future, but...here's to the third week!!! A friend stayed round for the night and that was great too have a nice catch up and feel well enough to have someone stay over. I did my hot and cold packs and also took 10 ml of paracetamol and ibuprofen before I went bed too, just for some comfort.
DAY 16:
Day 16 wasn't too bad either, I didn't do much though. I went asda and actually went into the supermarket as I wouldn't before, I saw my sister and her friends and I was so nervous to see someone I knew in my year but I didn't. I was kind of sleepy but didn't actually do much during the day, I just watched films.
DAY 17:
I made a cake on day 17! Actually I made two haha because the first one didn't go to plan and I actually only had one dosage on my medication at 10am and because I kept myself busy the whole day I didn't feel pain as much but then I took some before I went bed and I did my hot and cold packs so day 17 was an okay day and I felt a little more of myself for once. I also actually managed to eat some of the cake I made, I just had to put it to the rough of my mouth and soften it up before I could swallow it - how I have missed cake.
DAY 18:
I was annoyed at my neighbors because they were hammering at 7:30 am and carried on till 10 am so I managed to sleep until 10 am but I was still annoyed at my neighbors. I went shopping with my mum today just to get some fresh air and to get out the house. It was great to be out but then I got a belly ache for some reason so my shopping trip was ruined and afterwards I just went home to rest and chill out. I had some spaghetti hoops for dinner and managed to eat some hot dog sausages (obviously without the bread). My teeth felt quite weak and tight on day 18.
DAY 19:
I woke up at different times again shock! I took some medication about 10 am and wondered what to eat once again, it gets boring once you are on the third week eating the same foods every day. I had a college friend visit me which was nice to have some company and for dinner, I had some spaghetti that had been broken down so it was smaller! I also managed some gammon (of course I didn't chew) but I managed to swallow bits of the gammon whole because it was really soft and moist. I also had a Yorkshire pudding! which was slightly harder to swallow because it was more cooked in places which made it more crisp, so I just broke it down into little parts at a time. I chilled a lot on day 19 and went to bed watching Mamma Mia the movie then went to sleep! So just a normal average day!
DAY 20:
Day 20 wasn't too bad actually! I woke up about 10 am because I heard my mum on the phone so I probably may have slept longer if that hadn't of woken me up which is good! I didn't take any medication for the whole day or even before I went to bed which is the first time ever since I have had the surgery! Week 3 went really quick too. I saw three of my friends that I have known for a few years and they all said they didn't recognize me at first and said I looked so different and when I explained to them what happened in the surgery/how the past few weeks have been/medication I had to take they were so surprised as I don't think they realized that all that would be going on! It was so nice to see my mates, I felt a little like my old self again and almost forgot I had the surgery. I could see some loose stitches on my top jaw but didn't touch them as I didn't want to risk anything. Other than my friends coming round, I spent time with my boyfriend and watched three films during the whole day but spaced out so I wasn't watching them one after the other. I did my hot and cold packs again when I put my film on about 10 pm purely just for comfort and to encourage blood flow in my face. I took ages to actually fall asleep but I needed to sleep because I had to get up early for a knee appointment the next morning!
DAY 21/3 WEEKS:
So it is officially three weeks since I was in surgery! I can finally say it is only a week until I have survived the first month! Now that the first two horrible weeks are out of the way, hopefully the weeks will be quicker because as soon as the first and second week was out the picture, the third week just flew past. And that is probably down to the fact that I have seen more friends and haven't been in as much pain! Just so irritating that now I can sleep longer, my neighbors are still building and my family seem to forget I'm home hahaha! Oh well got at least another six weeks until college starts again! I had an appointment on day 21 but not for my jaw - ha! It was for my knees, I know this is completely off the subject off this blog but I'm putting down what I did on each day so may as well mention it! Anyways, since I was about 10 years old I have had sore knees, I had minor pain before in earlier years but thought it would just go away, obviously I was wrong and waited till I was about 11 years old to mention it to my mum. My mum suffers from arthritis in her knees so I immediately thought sore knees had been passed down in my genes lol - my worried child mind. I went to my hospital where I was told I didn't have as much of an arch in my foot as I should do and was given these weird insoles. I wore them till I was 15, still with knee pain. Needless to say they didn't work. I started seeing a friend of my mum's who done 'muscle activation technique' and this technique came from Canada. I saw him for a few months and this really helped my knees, I almost felt like I could do anything with my knees and not worry if it would hurt. After a while I stopped going as it was expensive for my mum to pay for every week! After a few months of pain free knees, the pain came back. I ignored it and recently since the surgery, my knees have become extremely painful and have no idea was has caused this. My right knee has always been worse and felt like when I bend and straighten out my right leg, a part of my knee 'pops' in a way? It was horrible so my doctor referred me and that is how I got my appointment today, I actually got an X ray too! The X ray showed that both knee caps are slightly worn and X rays obviously do not show the cartilage, they just show the bone so I am going to a scan too. My right knee looked like some of my bone had chipped off but the doctor explained that you only seen bone on X rays and cannot actually say if it is chipped. Have to wait and see for the new future, but...here's to the third week!!! A friend stayed round for the night and that was great too have a nice catch up and feel well enough to have someone stay over. I did my hot and cold packs and also took 10 ml of paracetamol and ibuprofen before I went bed too, just for some comfort.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Second appointment with Orthodontist!
So today was my second appointment with my orthodontist since the surgery. As I said before, he didn't put my elastics back on as he knew they was causing me trouble and said he was impressed with the bite. So I went back today thinking I would need them back but my orthodontist was very impressed with my bite and said he couldn't do much with something that is already fine as it is and told me that they would leave the elastics off again for another week and said the third week will be a lot more work done as that is what they tend to do. I think next week is my last appointment until August 11th.
Also today I got my appointment booked in for when my braces come off which is November 19th later this year which is such a good feeling, I cannot wait for my brace to come off! But also I am scared because I would hate my teeth to go back and not stay straight! Because with retainers you have the luxury to take them off when they annoy you but with braces you just have to deal with it so I am going to try my best, my teeth have been through so much so once they get a break, I need to be committed to wear the retainers.
They showed my x ray that was taken the day after my surgery, whilst I thought they took out all four wisdom teeth...they actually only took out my bottom ones. I saw all the screws too which was crazy! It looked so weird because every time I saw my x ray, it was me with an under bite so it was mental!
I am looking forward to the next steps and when they whole process is complete! Onwards and upwards from here, right now couldn't think more positive!
Also today I got my appointment booked in for when my braces come off which is November 19th later this year which is such a good feeling, I cannot wait for my brace to come off! But also I am scared because I would hate my teeth to go back and not stay straight! Because with retainers you have the luxury to take them off when they annoy you but with braces you just have to deal with it so I am going to try my best, my teeth have been through so much so once they get a break, I need to be committed to wear the retainers.
They showed my x ray that was taken the day after my surgery, whilst I thought they took out all four wisdom teeth...they actually only took out my bottom ones. I saw all the screws too which was crazy! It looked so weird because every time I saw my x ray, it was me with an under bite so it was mental!
I am looking forward to the next steps and when they whole process is complete! Onwards and upwards from here, right now couldn't think more positive!
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Week 2
DAY 8:
Day 8 I had my first check up with my orthodontist (as I stated in the previous post). I am not going to lie this day was really hard and was actually quite painful. I decided to try and lay down but not completely just lowering down more than I have been the previous week. I found that as the day went on I got some headaches so I sat up a little more. I also laid off the codine for the day (except for the morning - 15ml) I felt that the pain also came from that also.
Because I did not have any elastics on, I found it a lot easier to talk but I also avoided talking loads because it was very tiring after a while. I also brushed my teeth for the first time - something I was looking forward too...until I did it ha! I have to admit it was the weirdest experience of my life because I had to use a baby toothbrush and there were parts of my mouth which were more numb then others. Also I could not tell whether I was brushing my teeth or my gums, I couldn't fully open my mouth so I had to be really gentle whilst brushing my teeth. Afterwards, my teeth were almost like throbbing? It was a weird experience not going to lie.
I ate a pot noodle for dinner, so weird... I didn't chew them. I just drank the noodles out the cup. I have missed pot noodles not going to lie but I have hardly any taste in my mouth so it wasn't the same :(.
I have been doing this thing when I use ice packs and hot packs (my hot pack smells of lavender haha) and been doing heat and cold on my face to try and encourage some circulation in my blood in my face to decrease the tightness of my skin on my face and to encourage the swelling to go down also. I started doing this is the first week and tend to do it in the late hours of the evening, usually before I go bed or whilst I am watching the tv. I tend the find the next morning that it actually helps as the swelling tends to go down.
DAY 9:
I woke up a few times in the night coming into the morning of day 9. I woke up sometime in the morning and found I was really sore, I managed to fall back asleep and I woke up again about half 9 and took paracetamol, ibuprofen, vitamin C and had some milk too. I felt a lot better once the medication had kicked in. I looked in the mirror and realized that so much of this swelling had gone down and I was starting to look like myself again. I had a big bruise on my neck which has been there a while but that was specifically hurting for some reason but that pain eased as the day went on.
I tend to stay in bed the majority of the day, but now I am starting to plan to go on walks very soon, obviously not in very busy places just yet but emptier places to get some fresh air. I saw on a recovery tip list that it mentioned to go on walks as it can encourage the swelling to go down and help get yourself back on track.
I am really starting to miss solid foods! I got a few presents after my surgery and got given a terry chocolate orange and chocolate magic stars from my mum - sad life. I tried eating a magic star, I didn't bother attempting to chew it, I just pushed the magic star to the roof of my mouth and I could only slightly taste the chocolate, I had three altogether and did not bother having anymore because it just was not the same :( and the top of my mouth was so numb that I couldn't even feel the chocolate star in my mouth, how depressing. It seems that since I got my surgery EVERYONE is posting their food on snapchats and instagram, coincidence or?
I found day 9 a big struggle because of my swollen lips, particularly my top lip it's been so painful. I felt so annoyed because I really wanted solid food and I can't have it :(. My back of my lips (inside my mouth) have been so painful because my lips are sticking to my brace which have hurt my stitches and my mouth is constantly hurting and aching. It also feels like my braces have been tightened on top of that as well so that doesn't help! Let's hope day 10 is better.
DAY 10:
So during the night I woke up once about 4:20 am, luckily I had my paracetamol upstairs that I would have taken at 2:30 am so I took that and this helped some of the pain ease so that I could fall back asleep. The next morning I woke at about 8:30 am and took my meds. I was really tired on day 10 as I had woken up a lot earlier than I had wanted too so I was quite sleepy. My swelling on my lip had gone down slightly so that also eased the pain.
My mum has been worried about me not feeling 'full', so she went to asda to try and find some other foods I could attempt to eat. She bought me this pasta that you just add boiling water too and the pasta is really tired so it was actually possible for me to eat which tasted really nice. She also was recommended to buy this product from asda called 'meal replacement' it's like a strawberry smoothie and it acts like you have just ate a meal to fill me up. It smelt a little like these cakes I used to make when I was younger called 'Tom and Jerry' cupcakes, ha memories they tasted good. I had a nap for about an hour and when I woke up I still felt really tired and felt extremely hot and quite sick so I decided to sit outside for a bit and that fresh air helped me a little as I am always sitting in the house.
I went to sleep about 1 am latest I think as I needed to sort everything ready for bed and take my medication for midnight and sort out the next dosage. I also did hot and cold packs on my face again late at night to help the circulation of the blood go around in my face to encourage the swelling to go down.
DAY 11:
Slowly but surely coming up to the second week mark! I know it's not loads and I have a long way to go but it's so weird that it will be two weeks? The days go so slow and then you realize it hasn't even been two weeks yet and the recovery roughly takes up to three months! Plenty more weeks to go, I can promise myself that.
Anyway, day 11 has probably been the best day so far. I slept till 6:30 am without waking up, which is the longest I have slept for in the night so I took 10 ml of paracetamol. Then I fell back asleep till 10 am and could have slept longer but my neighbors thought they would mow their lawn - haha irritating! So I did feel quite sleepy for about an hour. As usual, I took my medication, vitamin C, drank some milk, ate some soup, had some yogurt and mouthwash (average morning for me). On day 11, I actually left the house. My sister took me to a close by field which people go to for walks/picnics and so on. I was out for about an hour and the walk felt really good. I had got some fresh air so this helped me. I did feel tired once I got home though as it had been the longest I have been out the house and the longest I have walked, but I weren't as exhausted as I thought I would be.
Swelling on my lip and face has also gone down today, I cannot wait till all of the swelling inside my mouth has gone and when my lips fully go back down and when my top lip is no longer numb. When this day comes I will be so happy. I still go to bed with an ice pack around my face because it is still quite comforting and helps numb out some of the pain.
DAY 12:
Again, during the night I woke up around 5:30 am just the once and took the rest of my paracetamol (10 ml). Also I took off my ice pack that I had around my face as it had melted and wasn't needed anymore then I fell back to sleep till about 10 am. Sleep is getting a lot more easier now as the pain is easing off now. I read a recovery timeline on double jaw surgery to get a rough idea on the recovery process and it said at the two week mark that sleeping should no longer be such an issue, so I am quite lucky to start getting this a few days before the two week mark, I used to wake up about four times maybe five in the night when I had not long had the surgery and it was so bad.
So day 12 was okay, I went to ikea with my mum and that was nice because it got me out the house again. I was out for about three hours maximum and I didn't feel so tired afterwards like I did the day before after my walk. I had a friend and her mum visit me and the last time they both saw me was only a few days after the surgery and they both noticed how much the swelling had gone down and how much brighter I seemed as I was moving about more and wasn't sat down all day.
I had two 10 ml doses of ibuprofen on day 12 and after those two I stopped taking it as the pain is not as bad now so I am just on paracetamol now. I didn't take the medication quite as often on day 12 which was because I didn't feel so much pain like I used to before. Once I got home I felt a lot more relaxed, my mum tried getting me to have mash potatoes with gravy and I started off okay but then found it was hurting me too much as it required me to open my mouth a lot more than I have been and wanted to be. So I stopped eating it and just had one of the mug pasta foods again. I also can easily drink through a straw now which is lucky! It is still slightly uncomfortable but I find it a lot easier than I did when it was the first few days. I have only tried the plastic straws that you get with sippy cups and only use it when I need to drink my meal replacement because it is a much thicker drink.
I didn't feel as tired during the day which was refreshing, I did feel slightly sleepy when I first got home from being out but it wasn't like how it has been in the past few days. I am looking forward to when it has been the second week mark, so far the second week has been a lot more better and prefer it way more than the first week - so glad that first week is out the way I can promise you that. Now let's just see how day 13 goes!
DAY 13:
Ahh day 13 was just not a great day. I woke up around 9:30 am and was still knackered and then I had to table soluble paracetamol (which tastes nasty), then I tried to bathe myself for the first time alone - as I usually needed help with my hair, it hurt to hold my head back because of the swelling. So I had a bath and then got rid of the bath water and had a shower (it was my first time standing up in the shower since before the surgery), so I was fine until it got to the last part when I just needed to rinse out my conditioner and I started to feel very weak and tired. I wanted to just sit down so I went I was done I just went to my bed and chilled for about half an hour. My mum came home and then I had some paracetamol and I felt so sleepy, I tried to eat and just felt so heavy and weak. I sat outside for a while to get some fresh air but this didn't do much. This day was not the best day but it wasn't the worse either, I found that the paracetamol was not helping so I asked mum if I could have ibuprofen, ha I lasted a day. I really hate the stuff but I have to admit I felt a lot better afterwards.
Day 13 felt like the longest day, it just dragged and I did nothing. I was so bored but couldn't do anything because I felt dizzy and weak the minute I sat up. It is quite comfortable to go sleep with an ice pack and if you wake up in the night, take it off and you shouldn't feel like you want a new one, - well at least I feel like that anyways, everybody's recovery is different. So only one day left until I can say it has been two weeks, I got asked recently if I could say 'would I do it all over again?' and I said 'No because the draining of recovery'. Maybe when the three months are up at least I may feel differently...hmm we'll see. I didn't do my hot and cold packs this night and I didn't go to bed with an ice pack and thought I would most likely regret this.
DAY 14:
It is the two week mark! but the sleep from the night before coming onto day 14 was horrible and I woke up four times but from 5:30 am on wards. I woke up and managed to get back to sleep even though I was in a lot of pain. I then woke up at 7:30 am and needed to get back to sleep and once again I managed to fall asleep. Then I woke up at 8:30 am and I realized that this time I would not go to sleep till I had some medicine and ice packs. So I got it all sorted out and also realized when I went back to bed that my head was not comfortable because I was aching from my head down to the middle of my back. So I took off my V pillow and the folded blanket and used my actual pillow as I was using these new soft ones on their own. So I put a soft one and then my actual pillow on top and when I laid down I was a lot more comfortable. Luckily I fell asleep and woke up at 10:15 am so I was happy I managed to get some more sleep. I then laid in bed for ages (I can be so lazy), and I got up to have a bath without wetting my hair. Then I went out the house for a bit to go to a drive to Asda, nothing special just so I could get some fresh air, but I stayed in the car I didn't want to get to get out.
I felt okay once the morning was out the way, in the afternoon the inside of my mouth was quite sore and the reason why I went asda was to get some more paracetamol and ibuprofen. For lunch I had a really nice roast chicken flavored pasta and was so nice, it's another one of the mug pasta foods so it was small and easier to eat. I have been told I seem more brighter and happier although it still hurts to smile! And I'm hoping the sleep is a lot better coming on too day 15.
Day 8 I had my first check up with my orthodontist (as I stated in the previous post). I am not going to lie this day was really hard and was actually quite painful. I decided to try and lay down but not completely just lowering down more than I have been the previous week. I found that as the day went on I got some headaches so I sat up a little more. I also laid off the codine for the day (except for the morning - 15ml) I felt that the pain also came from that also.
Because I did not have any elastics on, I found it a lot easier to talk but I also avoided talking loads because it was very tiring after a while. I also brushed my teeth for the first time - something I was looking forward too...until I did it ha! I have to admit it was the weirdest experience of my life because I had to use a baby toothbrush and there were parts of my mouth which were more numb then others. Also I could not tell whether I was brushing my teeth or my gums, I couldn't fully open my mouth so I had to be really gentle whilst brushing my teeth. Afterwards, my teeth were almost like throbbing? It was a weird experience not going to lie.
I ate a pot noodle for dinner, so weird... I didn't chew them. I just drank the noodles out the cup. I have missed pot noodles not going to lie but I have hardly any taste in my mouth so it wasn't the same :(.
I have been doing this thing when I use ice packs and hot packs (my hot pack smells of lavender haha) and been doing heat and cold on my face to try and encourage some circulation in my blood in my face to decrease the tightness of my skin on my face and to encourage the swelling to go down also. I started doing this is the first week and tend to do it in the late hours of the evening, usually before I go bed or whilst I am watching the tv. I tend the find the next morning that it actually helps as the swelling tends to go down.
DAY 9:
I woke up a few times in the night coming into the morning of day 9. I woke up sometime in the morning and found I was really sore, I managed to fall back asleep and I woke up again about half 9 and took paracetamol, ibuprofen, vitamin C and had some milk too. I felt a lot better once the medication had kicked in. I looked in the mirror and realized that so much of this swelling had gone down and I was starting to look like myself again. I had a big bruise on my neck which has been there a while but that was specifically hurting for some reason but that pain eased as the day went on.
I tend to stay in bed the majority of the day, but now I am starting to plan to go on walks very soon, obviously not in very busy places just yet but emptier places to get some fresh air. I saw on a recovery tip list that it mentioned to go on walks as it can encourage the swelling to go down and help get yourself back on track.
I am really starting to miss solid foods! I got a few presents after my surgery and got given a terry chocolate orange and chocolate magic stars from my mum - sad life. I tried eating a magic star, I didn't bother attempting to chew it, I just pushed the magic star to the roof of my mouth and I could only slightly taste the chocolate, I had three altogether and did not bother having anymore because it just was not the same :( and the top of my mouth was so numb that I couldn't even feel the chocolate star in my mouth, how depressing. It seems that since I got my surgery EVERYONE is posting their food on snapchats and instagram, coincidence or?
I found day 9 a big struggle because of my swollen lips, particularly my top lip it's been so painful. I felt so annoyed because I really wanted solid food and I can't have it :(. My back of my lips (inside my mouth) have been so painful because my lips are sticking to my brace which have hurt my stitches and my mouth is constantly hurting and aching. It also feels like my braces have been tightened on top of that as well so that doesn't help! Let's hope day 10 is better.
DAY 10:
So during the night I woke up once about 4:20 am, luckily I had my paracetamol upstairs that I would have taken at 2:30 am so I took that and this helped some of the pain ease so that I could fall back asleep. The next morning I woke at about 8:30 am and took my meds. I was really tired on day 10 as I had woken up a lot earlier than I had wanted too so I was quite sleepy. My swelling on my lip had gone down slightly so that also eased the pain.
My mum has been worried about me not feeling 'full', so she went to asda to try and find some other foods I could attempt to eat. She bought me this pasta that you just add boiling water too and the pasta is really tired so it was actually possible for me to eat which tasted really nice. She also was recommended to buy this product from asda called 'meal replacement' it's like a strawberry smoothie and it acts like you have just ate a meal to fill me up. It smelt a little like these cakes I used to make when I was younger called 'Tom and Jerry' cupcakes, ha memories they tasted good. I had a nap for about an hour and when I woke up I still felt really tired and felt extremely hot and quite sick so I decided to sit outside for a bit and that fresh air helped me a little as I am always sitting in the house.
I went to sleep about 1 am latest I think as I needed to sort everything ready for bed and take my medication for midnight and sort out the next dosage. I also did hot and cold packs on my face again late at night to help the circulation of the blood go around in my face to encourage the swelling to go down.
DAY 11:
Slowly but surely coming up to the second week mark! I know it's not loads and I have a long way to go but it's so weird that it will be two weeks? The days go so slow and then you realize it hasn't even been two weeks yet and the recovery roughly takes up to three months! Plenty more weeks to go, I can promise myself that.
Anyway, day 11 has probably been the best day so far. I slept till 6:30 am without waking up, which is the longest I have slept for in the night so I took 10 ml of paracetamol. Then I fell back asleep till 10 am and could have slept longer but my neighbors thought they would mow their lawn - haha irritating! So I did feel quite sleepy for about an hour. As usual, I took my medication, vitamin C, drank some milk, ate some soup, had some yogurt and mouthwash (average morning for me). On day 11, I actually left the house. My sister took me to a close by field which people go to for walks/picnics and so on. I was out for about an hour and the walk felt really good. I had got some fresh air so this helped me. I did feel tired once I got home though as it had been the longest I have been out the house and the longest I have walked, but I weren't as exhausted as I thought I would be.
Swelling on my lip and face has also gone down today, I cannot wait till all of the swelling inside my mouth has gone and when my lips fully go back down and when my top lip is no longer numb. When this day comes I will be so happy. I still go to bed with an ice pack around my face because it is still quite comforting and helps numb out some of the pain.
DAY 12:
Again, during the night I woke up around 5:30 am just the once and took the rest of my paracetamol (10 ml). Also I took off my ice pack that I had around my face as it had melted and wasn't needed anymore then I fell back to sleep till about 10 am. Sleep is getting a lot more easier now as the pain is easing off now. I read a recovery timeline on double jaw surgery to get a rough idea on the recovery process and it said at the two week mark that sleeping should no longer be such an issue, so I am quite lucky to start getting this a few days before the two week mark, I used to wake up about four times maybe five in the night when I had not long had the surgery and it was so bad.
So day 12 was okay, I went to ikea with my mum and that was nice because it got me out the house again. I was out for about three hours maximum and I didn't feel so tired afterwards like I did the day before after my walk. I had a friend and her mum visit me and the last time they both saw me was only a few days after the surgery and they both noticed how much the swelling had gone down and how much brighter I seemed as I was moving about more and wasn't sat down all day.
I had two 10 ml doses of ibuprofen on day 12 and after those two I stopped taking it as the pain is not as bad now so I am just on paracetamol now. I didn't take the medication quite as often on day 12 which was because I didn't feel so much pain like I used to before. Once I got home I felt a lot more relaxed, my mum tried getting me to have mash potatoes with gravy and I started off okay but then found it was hurting me too much as it required me to open my mouth a lot more than I have been and wanted to be. So I stopped eating it and just had one of the mug pasta foods again. I also can easily drink through a straw now which is lucky! It is still slightly uncomfortable but I find it a lot easier than I did when it was the first few days. I have only tried the plastic straws that you get with sippy cups and only use it when I need to drink my meal replacement because it is a much thicker drink.
I didn't feel as tired during the day which was refreshing, I did feel slightly sleepy when I first got home from being out but it wasn't like how it has been in the past few days. I am looking forward to when it has been the second week mark, so far the second week has been a lot more better and prefer it way more than the first week - so glad that first week is out the way I can promise you that. Now let's just see how day 13 goes!
DAY 13:
Ahh day 13 was just not a great day. I woke up around 9:30 am and was still knackered and then I had to table soluble paracetamol (which tastes nasty), then I tried to bathe myself for the first time alone - as I usually needed help with my hair, it hurt to hold my head back because of the swelling. So I had a bath and then got rid of the bath water and had a shower (it was my first time standing up in the shower since before the surgery), so I was fine until it got to the last part when I just needed to rinse out my conditioner and I started to feel very weak and tired. I wanted to just sit down so I went I was done I just went to my bed and chilled for about half an hour. My mum came home and then I had some paracetamol and I felt so sleepy, I tried to eat and just felt so heavy and weak. I sat outside for a while to get some fresh air but this didn't do much. This day was not the best day but it wasn't the worse either, I found that the paracetamol was not helping so I asked mum if I could have ibuprofen, ha I lasted a day. I really hate the stuff but I have to admit I felt a lot better afterwards.
Day 13 felt like the longest day, it just dragged and I did nothing. I was so bored but couldn't do anything because I felt dizzy and weak the minute I sat up. It is quite comfortable to go sleep with an ice pack and if you wake up in the night, take it off and you shouldn't feel like you want a new one, - well at least I feel like that anyways, everybody's recovery is different. So only one day left until I can say it has been two weeks, I got asked recently if I could say 'would I do it all over again?' and I said 'No because the draining of recovery'. Maybe when the three months are up at least I may feel differently...hmm we'll see. I didn't do my hot and cold packs this night and I didn't go to bed with an ice pack and thought I would most likely regret this.
DAY 14:
It is the two week mark! but the sleep from the night before coming onto day 14 was horrible and I woke up four times but from 5:30 am on wards. I woke up and managed to get back to sleep even though I was in a lot of pain. I then woke up at 7:30 am and needed to get back to sleep and once again I managed to fall asleep. Then I woke up at 8:30 am and I realized that this time I would not go to sleep till I had some medicine and ice packs. So I got it all sorted out and also realized when I went back to bed that my head was not comfortable because I was aching from my head down to the middle of my back. So I took off my V pillow and the folded blanket and used my actual pillow as I was using these new soft ones on their own. So I put a soft one and then my actual pillow on top and when I laid down I was a lot more comfortable. Luckily I fell asleep and woke up at 10:15 am so I was happy I managed to get some more sleep. I then laid in bed for ages (I can be so lazy), and I got up to have a bath without wetting my hair. Then I went out the house for a bit to go to a drive to Asda, nothing special just so I could get some fresh air, but I stayed in the car I didn't want to get to get out.
I felt okay once the morning was out the way, in the afternoon the inside of my mouth was quite sore and the reason why I went asda was to get some more paracetamol and ibuprofen. For lunch I had a really nice roast chicken flavored pasta and was so nice, it's another one of the mug pasta foods so it was small and easier to eat. I have been told I seem more brighter and happier although it still hurts to smile! And I'm hoping the sleep is a lot better coming on too day 15.
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
First appointment with orthodontist day 8
So on 15th July, I saw my orthodontist for the first time in nearly a month. This was my first check up and my orthodontist took out the elastics that was holding my jaw shut to guide my teeth to bite in the correct place because he needed to change them. He asked me if I had been changing them myself, (obviously I said no) because I was not aware but he said that's fine because I wasn't supposed to anyway. My top lip was so sore that I found it so painful when he moved it up to take off the elastics.
I asked my orthodontist when it would be okay for me to lay down, like if there was a specific set time. He recommended to start now or when I am comfortable which is so good to hear.
We ended up not putting elastics on this week as I was struggling with them which was such a nice feeling, my jaw felt so free which was cool. It also feels quite loose because I am so used to having it held shut with elastics. I was lucky to have elastics and to not have my jaw wired together (my surgeon explained that it is only wired together if during the surgery, when they split the jaw and it doesn't go completely smoothly they wire it together so it does not happen very often).
My orthodontist said I could start easing off the codine that I take as part of my meds which is so good to hear as it had to be the most disgusting one out of them all. I take liquid paracetamol, ibuprofen, codine and have an antiseptic mouthwash (as I cannot brush my teeth). Although my orthodontist told me that now my elastics have come off for a week to try and brush my teeth. Then when I get my elastics back that I will need to change them myself - no pressure ha!
I asked my orthodontist when it would be okay for me to lay down, like if there was a specific set time. He recommended to start now or when I am comfortable which is so good to hear.
We ended up not putting elastics on this week as I was struggling with them which was such a nice feeling, my jaw felt so free which was cool. It also feels quite loose because I am so used to having it held shut with elastics. I was lucky to have elastics and to not have my jaw wired together (my surgeon explained that it is only wired together if during the surgery, when they split the jaw and it doesn't go completely smoothly they wire it together so it does not happen very often).
My orthodontist said I could start easing off the codine that I take as part of my meds which is so good to hear as it had to be the most disgusting one out of them all. I take liquid paracetamol, ibuprofen, codine and have an antiseptic mouthwash (as I cannot brush my teeth). Although my orthodontist told me that now my elastics have come off for a week to try and brush my teeth. Then when I get my elastics back that I will need to change them myself - no pressure ha!
Build up & First week
I am 17 years old, and I have had the double jaw surgery on the 7th July 2015.
Since I was about seven/eight years old I found out then later in my life I will need a jaw surgery, this did not really bother me as I was so young I didn't really understand why I needed it. Growing older, it became more clear that I had an under bite.
I met my surgeon when I was 15 years old so I would have been in year 10 at school, my surgeon explained what the surgery would consist of and used a model of a skull too demonstrate the surgery. Being so early for the surgery they could not predict what age I would be when it would be done and gave me the mark of me being 18 years old when the process will go through as my jaw could still grow and I still had not had braces and the braces would move my jaw out more.
I eventually got my top brace in November 2013, and got my bottom brace is May 2014. I also needed two teeth removed from my top jaw as it was too crowded to keep these two teeth in my mouth.
I got the impression that my brace would be off for the operation but turned out it would stay on whilst the process would go through (I still have it on now).
After waiting so long to know when this surgery would happen I finally got a date confirmed for the surgery to be on the 7th July 2015. The nerves kicked in as I realized it was actually reality and it was definitely going to happen. I was given an appointment card which consisted off just under ten appointments of which i had three before my surgery and a few after the surgery too and the first one was on June 4th. I also had to have a pre op which was to make sure I am 100% healthy for the surgery.
DAY BEFORE SURGERY:
Of course I was really nervous and it had not kicked in that it was the next day, I had friends around me which helped me keep my mind off it. My last proper meal of solid food was pizza and I was only allowed to eat up until midnight but I stopped eating at 9pm, I was allowed to drink tea/coffee/water until 6am.
SURGERY DAY & DAY AFTER:
I had to be at the hospital for 7am so I could be admitted, I had to fill in a form and was told I was first on the list and I would be seen from 8:30am and after that, this made me incredibly nervous and I kept panicking about it as I have wanted it for so long and I realized that this day will change me completely.
I went in about 9:45 am and I was out of the surgery by 13:15 pm. I felt very sick, my face was so numb and all I could taste was blood. They also took out all four of my wisdom teeth. At this point I wasn't extremely swollen and pain had not kicked in but I did feel very hungry. I had to spend one night in hospital and was on morphine which made me feel very sick and tired. I tried to get up to go toilet but got very dizzy and ended up throwing up blood three times and the elastic that kept my jaw shut together snapped but I was told this was normal. Eventually I got some sleep and was a lot more swollen the next morning and attempted eating some milky porridge which was difficult, I was then taken for an x-ray and then to my orthodontist downstairs, she put two elastics on my brace to keep my jaw mostly shut but I can open it if need be. I had some mash and ice cream for lunch which was a lot more manageable and also managed to walk to the toilet without feeling sick or faint. I was given pain killers and then discharged later that day.
FIRST NIGHT HOME:
My nose was incredibly blocked and swollen filled with dry blood this made it very difficult to breathe and irritating. Sleeping was also very difficult as I had to be sitting up to reduce bleeding and swelling. I very much had to be 'babied' by my family as it was difficult to do a lot of stuff on my own. I woke up about 9:30 am but had woke up a few times in the night as I needed to change my ice packs around my face as they got so warm, I also had hot and cold flushes but only had the window open as using fans dried out my skin and lips.
TWO DAYS AFTER SURGERY:
The swelling was so much worse, I had a bath and felt more refreshed but more pain kicked in which made it more difficult to handle. My nose was still blocked with dry blood (not allowed to blow). Sleeping was still such a task and being comfortable in general. I tried to drink as much water as possible and constantly put vaseline on my lips. I could start to feel the stitches in my mouth and the gaps from my wisdom teeth. I also decided to sit outside for about 20 minutes to get some fresh air.
DAY THREE:
I was told this would be the worst day for pain/swelling and discomfort, it was difficult but had no idea what to really expect. I kept getting hot and cold flushes and tried to distract myself by watching films, I started to get fed up by the routine of pain, medication, swelling, sitting there doing nothing and so on.
DAY FOUR:
The sleep from the night before was horrific as it was so painful, I also woke up extremely early and was in so much pain. I felt very sick and felt so boiling hot and just wanted to give up there and then as I started getting sick of it all. I realized that my 'day four' was what the doctors told me 'day three' would be. I did not talk as much on day four as I noticed that is probably what affected it so much with the pain, I also avoided eating as much as I really could not be bothered with the pain. I had been told by my family that the swelling had gone down a lot and I noticed bruising on my cheeks.
DAY 5:
Coming up to the one week mark! still so long to go though! On day 5, quite a lot of swelling had come down but bruising showed up on my cheeks a lot more and almost started on one cheek, flowed down onto my chin and neck and then up onto the other cheek. I slept a lot more on this day too. I woke up about 8am from noisy neighbors - typical! and I took my meds. I then fell back asleep till about 10:30 am, I walked around a little and felt a little sick so I went back to bed and fell back asleep till 12 pm noon. When I went downstairs my mum said that I looked a lot more brighter and better as I had more sleep and the swelling went down a lot more. I had chicken noodle soup (pretty much the only soup I like) and later around 2pm my dad took me out for a drive for a change of scenery and to get some fresh air which was nice to get out of 'staring at the same four walls' scene. I had an hour nap when I returned home as I felt so worn out - so unfit since this surgery! I stayed in bed and had 'dinner' in bed, I had pastina which is literally tiny pastina and it was put in the blender to make it a little more easier. I tried eating with a big spoon (stupid mistake) and found I was opening my jaw too much and although it didn't hurt at the time I knew I would pay for it the next morning so I decided to get a small spoon and a small plastic spoon to help, it just dried up by the time I did this which made it harder to eat the food so I left it. I did not eat much this day at all which was stupid. This day my lips were also extremely dry. I kept trying to put on vaseline but it would dry out really quick. I was reading a website seeing some tips for recovery and saw 'Dry skin and vitamin A+D original ointment' I have kept this in mind but am currently using baby oil which helps slightly and does not make my lips as dry in my sleep.
DAY 6:
In one day it would have been a week since I had my surgery. This has been an incredibly tough week, anyone who has already gone through this process I cannot wait till I can say the recovery is over! So on day 6, I had a rubbish sleep the night before coming onto day 6 and I woke up at 8 am -again! & I did not manage to get back to sleep because of my noisy neighbors - AGAIN?! some of them can be so inconsiderate drilling and building at these early hours! I had chicken noodle soup also again (living life on the edge), and had my meds as soon as I woke up. With the amount of water I have been drinking, I constantly need to wee but I am trying to keep myself as hydrated as possible. Also, when I sleep my nose becomes blocked from the blood and have to breathe through my mouth - (I've always preferred breathing through my nose) which is irritating as it majorly dries out my mouth. Also with still having to sleep sitting up does not make it anymore comfortable! I miss laying down :( I cannot wait for the day when my doctor says it is okay for me to lay down completely. Ever tried sleeping whilst sitting up? try it. Ever been told it's impossible to sleep sitting up? I once thought this, it is not impossible but it's not comfortable i'll warn you on that! For my lips my mum came home and bought me 'Blistex Relief Cream' it's good for dry lips! When I put it on it made my lips feel cooler which was nice and refreshing! - speaking of refreshing I am missing brushing my teeth! Using mouthwash everyday does not completely help and it is not the same feeling!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005OUTLI8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 - this the the link to ointment above.
Since I was about seven/eight years old I found out then later in my life I will need a jaw surgery, this did not really bother me as I was so young I didn't really understand why I needed it. Growing older, it became more clear that I had an under bite.
I met my surgeon when I was 15 years old so I would have been in year 10 at school, my surgeon explained what the surgery would consist of and used a model of a skull too demonstrate the surgery. Being so early for the surgery they could not predict what age I would be when it would be done and gave me the mark of me being 18 years old when the process will go through as my jaw could still grow and I still had not had braces and the braces would move my jaw out more.
I eventually got my top brace in November 2013, and got my bottom brace is May 2014. I also needed two teeth removed from my top jaw as it was too crowded to keep these two teeth in my mouth.
I got the impression that my brace would be off for the operation but turned out it would stay on whilst the process would go through (I still have it on now).
After waiting so long to know when this surgery would happen I finally got a date confirmed for the surgery to be on the 7th July 2015. The nerves kicked in as I realized it was actually reality and it was definitely going to happen. I was given an appointment card which consisted off just under ten appointments of which i had three before my surgery and a few after the surgery too and the first one was on June 4th. I also had to have a pre op which was to make sure I am 100% healthy for the surgery.
DAY BEFORE SURGERY:
Of course I was really nervous and it had not kicked in that it was the next day, I had friends around me which helped me keep my mind off it. My last proper meal of solid food was pizza and I was only allowed to eat up until midnight but I stopped eating at 9pm, I was allowed to drink tea/coffee/water until 6am.
SURGERY DAY & DAY AFTER:
I had to be at the hospital for 7am so I could be admitted, I had to fill in a form and was told I was first on the list and I would be seen from 8:30am and after that, this made me incredibly nervous and I kept panicking about it as I have wanted it for so long and I realized that this day will change me completely.
I went in about 9:45 am and I was out of the surgery by 13:15 pm. I felt very sick, my face was so numb and all I could taste was blood. They also took out all four of my wisdom teeth. At this point I wasn't extremely swollen and pain had not kicked in but I did feel very hungry. I had to spend one night in hospital and was on morphine which made me feel very sick and tired. I tried to get up to go toilet but got very dizzy and ended up throwing up blood three times and the elastic that kept my jaw shut together snapped but I was told this was normal. Eventually I got some sleep and was a lot more swollen the next morning and attempted eating some milky porridge which was difficult, I was then taken for an x-ray and then to my orthodontist downstairs, she put two elastics on my brace to keep my jaw mostly shut but I can open it if need be. I had some mash and ice cream for lunch which was a lot more manageable and also managed to walk to the toilet without feeling sick or faint. I was given pain killers and then discharged later that day.
FIRST NIGHT HOME:
My nose was incredibly blocked and swollen filled with dry blood this made it very difficult to breathe and irritating. Sleeping was also very difficult as I had to be sitting up to reduce bleeding and swelling. I very much had to be 'babied' by my family as it was difficult to do a lot of stuff on my own. I woke up about 9:30 am but had woke up a few times in the night as I needed to change my ice packs around my face as they got so warm, I also had hot and cold flushes but only had the window open as using fans dried out my skin and lips.
TWO DAYS AFTER SURGERY:
The swelling was so much worse, I had a bath and felt more refreshed but more pain kicked in which made it more difficult to handle. My nose was still blocked with dry blood (not allowed to blow). Sleeping was still such a task and being comfortable in general. I tried to drink as much water as possible and constantly put vaseline on my lips. I could start to feel the stitches in my mouth and the gaps from my wisdom teeth. I also decided to sit outside for about 20 minutes to get some fresh air.
DAY THREE:
I was told this would be the worst day for pain/swelling and discomfort, it was difficult but had no idea what to really expect. I kept getting hot and cold flushes and tried to distract myself by watching films, I started to get fed up by the routine of pain, medication, swelling, sitting there doing nothing and so on.
DAY FOUR:
The sleep from the night before was horrific as it was so painful, I also woke up extremely early and was in so much pain. I felt very sick and felt so boiling hot and just wanted to give up there and then as I started getting sick of it all. I realized that my 'day four' was what the doctors told me 'day three' would be. I did not talk as much on day four as I noticed that is probably what affected it so much with the pain, I also avoided eating as much as I really could not be bothered with the pain. I had been told by my family that the swelling had gone down a lot and I noticed bruising on my cheeks.
DAY 5:
Coming up to the one week mark! still so long to go though! On day 5, quite a lot of swelling had come down but bruising showed up on my cheeks a lot more and almost started on one cheek, flowed down onto my chin and neck and then up onto the other cheek. I slept a lot more on this day too. I woke up about 8am from noisy neighbors - typical! and I took my meds. I then fell back asleep till about 10:30 am, I walked around a little and felt a little sick so I went back to bed and fell back asleep till 12 pm noon. When I went downstairs my mum said that I looked a lot more brighter and better as I had more sleep and the swelling went down a lot more. I had chicken noodle soup (pretty much the only soup I like) and later around 2pm my dad took me out for a drive for a change of scenery and to get some fresh air which was nice to get out of 'staring at the same four walls' scene. I had an hour nap when I returned home as I felt so worn out - so unfit since this surgery! I stayed in bed and had 'dinner' in bed, I had pastina which is literally tiny pastina and it was put in the blender to make it a little more easier. I tried eating with a big spoon (stupid mistake) and found I was opening my jaw too much and although it didn't hurt at the time I knew I would pay for it the next morning so I decided to get a small spoon and a small plastic spoon to help, it just dried up by the time I did this which made it harder to eat the food so I left it. I did not eat much this day at all which was stupid. This day my lips were also extremely dry. I kept trying to put on vaseline but it would dry out really quick. I was reading a website seeing some tips for recovery and saw 'Dry skin and vitamin A+D original ointment' I have kept this in mind but am currently using baby oil which helps slightly and does not make my lips as dry in my sleep.
DAY 6:
In one day it would have been a week since I had my surgery. This has been an incredibly tough week, anyone who has already gone through this process I cannot wait till I can say the recovery is over! So on day 6, I had a rubbish sleep the night before coming onto day 6 and I woke up at 8 am -again! & I did not manage to get back to sleep because of my noisy neighbors - AGAIN?! some of them can be so inconsiderate drilling and building at these early hours! I had chicken noodle soup also again (living life on the edge), and had my meds as soon as I woke up. With the amount of water I have been drinking, I constantly need to wee but I am trying to keep myself as hydrated as possible. Also, when I sleep my nose becomes blocked from the blood and have to breathe through my mouth - (I've always preferred breathing through my nose) which is irritating as it majorly dries out my mouth. Also with still having to sleep sitting up does not make it anymore comfortable! I miss laying down :( I cannot wait for the day when my doctor says it is okay for me to lay down completely. Ever tried sleeping whilst sitting up? try it. Ever been told it's impossible to sleep sitting up? I once thought this, it is not impossible but it's not comfortable i'll warn you on that! For my lips my mum came home and bought me 'Blistex Relief Cream' it's good for dry lips! When I put it on it made my lips feel cooler which was nice and refreshing! - speaking of refreshing I am missing brushing my teeth! Using mouthwash everyday does not completely help and it is not the same feeling!
On day 6, my teeth felt very weak particularly my bottom set of teeth. It was like a very annoying feeling as if my braces had been tightened - have not missed that. My top lip also felt like it kept sticking to my brace and it was really hurting the stitches. All I wanted to do at this point was to just sleep.
DAY 7: ONE WEEK!
I would say 'it has gone so fast' but that would be lying. The one who is in pain or going through the process feels like it takes ages where as it is so fast for everybody around them. Anyways, so I had a bit of a better sleep night 6 to day 7, I woke up once in the night to adjust my head and have some water, then I woke up about 7:30 am and fell back asleep till 9 am, mum then came in and had my morning meds for me, I did feel a bit 'crappy' this morning, I decided it was a good idea to talk a lot of the evening of day 6 and payed for it this morning. After I took my meds, I sat there on my phone and chilled out. Eventually the sleepy mode came back on me (as my meds make me incredibly sleepy) I fell asleep about 11 am woke up a few times but eventually fully woke up at 1 pm, I still felt so tired but I had some soup as I had not had anything to 'eat' (I say eat but its more drinking I guess if it's liquid haha) yet. So I had soup - no surprise there. I had the television off and have tried not to talk loads as I do not really want to have the same pain I had yesterday. Talking takes up a lot of energy and makes you very tired after a while, it will just hit you randomly. When I have baths, I feel so much better afterwards even though I do not do much as it is. I tend not to have showers as I have been advised not too as of the pressure of the water going near my jaw, also I can still be dizzy when I stand up which would not be handy in a shower.
Numbness:
Chin: Middle of my chin is completely numb but if I tap it, I know I'm tapping my chin, Sometimes the right side of my chin across my jawline does not feel as numb but today it does, my left side always feels numb. My bottom lip is numb in a way but I feel it a lot more if I touch it and gives a tingly sensation when I do touch it. My actual top lip is the same sensation as the bottom lip but just on top of my lips,under my nose is more numb on the right side and feels more bruised on the left side. My right cheek is numb in places but I get this weird tingly sensation if I stroke my fingers across my cheek (maybe I might be lucky and get feeling back quicker), the left cheek is kind of the same but not as much feeling. My nose is numb and I hate this feeling of a numb nose and dry nostrils, it feels tight on my nose. Under my left eye is not so numb to be honest but under my right eye is still fairly numb and it feels horrible.
Sore lips:
So as the day went on by, my lips was just so swollen and dry. Remember that Vitamin A+D ointment I was recommended? My mum ordered it the day before and it came on day 7, it works a treat, I will leave a link so you can find it. It is great and I would definitely recommend it. It stays on your lips longer unlike the vaseline.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005OUTLI8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 - this the the link to ointment above.
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