Well, I've been out now several times in big groups of people. I went to church, to Bible study, and to a super bowl party. Besides being tired, which I already wrote about, it has been good to be out seeing friends.
Today, one of my friends' moms came up to me and said she had noticed my profile in church Sunday and it reminded her of profiles she had seen and copied from magazines as a child! Wow, that was so nice!!! Other people just kept looking at me and telling me how different I look. "Sorry for staring, I just have to get used to your new face." I've been so open about the surgery and how I'm feeling, I think people feel open with me, too. Nothing was said that bothered me. It's a process for everyone. I was reading that it takes 6 months for the soft-tissue to settle into it's new place, so there's still a lot of changing to occur. Frustrating in ways but I'll just have to learn patience. Next time someone asks me how long recovery takes (what a complicated question... so many aspects of recovery!) at least I can answer about the changes in my face. "Don't get too used to this face, it may look entirely different next time you see me!"
Let's see... other areas of healing?
Feeling? gradually comes back over how long? 6 weeks - 6 months?
Eating? almost normal by...? I'm not sure
Range of motion? how long does that take?
Feeling pretty normal by...? 6 weeks?
I don't know any of the answers to these questions? It's probably different for everyone but there has to be a range. Anyone know a link or have the answers to some or all of these questions?
Anyway, I still feel self-conscious going out, knowing I look a little strange and this isn't the final face. But, I must say, I'm glad I'm pretty open about all this stuff. It's allowed me to talk about it with people who care about me, and it's allowed them to talk about it, too. Everyone is excited for me. I'm still getting lots of prayer and encouragement.
Still looking forward to feeling normal again. My airway has almost doubled in size. There was 7mm of bone advancement and 5mm of soft tissue advancement. I don't know if more soft tissue will move over time. If not, that still changes my airway from 6mm to 11mm! HUGE CHANGE!! I haven't been snoring and I haven't been waking up groggy. Although, I must say I'm very tired this week. I have noticed quite a lot of change in the feeling in my mouth and face so maybe I'm healing at a rapid rate and that is causing fatigue??? I mean, who really knows?
Anyway, still very glad to have done this. Also, glad to be on the post surgery side of this. Biggest complaint at this point is the stiffness in my face. I still can't wait to have a natural smile again.
Kapoor and Sons (2016)
7 years ago
5 comments:
It sounds like you're doing great! :) I'm glad you've felt up to going out and doing some of the things you normally do. That's great about waking up rested! :)
As far as being tired, it can take months for the anesthesia to work its way out of your system. So, besides the energy it takes to heal, your body is probably still working on ridding itself of the drugs.
For whatever it's worth, after my hysterectomy, I'd have lots of energy one day, and the following day I'd wonder how on earth I got out of bed the day before. I've heard that from others as well. I have no idea about how long to expect for a recovery after something like what you've been through, but I suspect the tiredness works similarly.
Glad you're doing so well!
Esther
Thanks Esther! For the empathy on being tired and the encouragement!!
Thanks for the update! As far as you feeling self-conscious going out, think of it as being a celebrity. You have to conceal your true identity, otherwise throngs of people will come up to you for an autograph!! :)
And about the breathing improvement, I'm looking forward to that as well.
Oh wow, how wonderful is it to get those concrete numbers backing up just HOW improved your new airway?!
As far as your timeframe quetions, everything I've seen has been so over the board. Most of the 'Official' Jaw surgery sites say just to take 1 week off work, like the whole thing is a cake walk. (To digress a little, at my first surgeon consult, they gave me literature to read while waiting and I started laughing right there. Surgeon asked what was so funny and smirked at my calling it the "Hollywood" version of Orthognathic surgery. Everything so pretty, fast & simple. Ya RIGHT! He agreed.
Everyone is SO different, and time frame goals from the surgeons just as varied. Do you ever lurk on the archwired site? There's a larger volume of traffic there to see the huge range in personal experiences all in one spot. You might find more of what you're looking for there:
http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=15
Hang in there! It might sound trite, but when things start to feel out of my control I remind myself that I'm NOT ;) But, that everything changes, nothing stays the same, and what doesn't kill you makes you stonger. *hug*
ps. Can I have your autograph?
That's a huge airway change! I'm so glad you're feeling the difference.
It's weird how the soft tissue keeps moving. The bits by my nose seemed puffy for ages, but I think they've gone down now, and the laser thingie seems to have revived some more nerves - they're zinging again now.
Other people probably won't notice the difference between your face now and your final face, though it's obvious to the "wearer".
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