As you may have inferred from my previous post, as of this past Friday I am now free of both skeletal wires which (if you didn't know) were going into my gums at the front of my upper and lower jaws. Now, they may not have hurt while they were in, but the removal........OUCH. Not only did the 7ish numbing shots burn/sting/pinch/kill my gums, but I could STILL feel when she (yes, she -- it was a girl resident this time........OH, SAD OCCASION!) finagled the lower one out. Imagine someone stirring the inside of your gums up with a fork. Yeah. Removal of the top one, however, didn't hurt as much since some of that gum tissue is still numb from surgery - fine by me! My other grandma went with me this time and she actually had to turn away from my chair while they carried out the removal - LOL I thought she was going to pass out! Apparently I didn't inherit my strong stomach from her.
So once my gums were all bloody and skeletal wire-free AND my lips looked like they'd received some heavy-duty botox injections, I got to see my surgeon. My bite still looks great and I actually remembered to ask him about measurements. My top jaw was moved forward 5 millimeters and lower was moved back about 4 millimeters, which means there was almost an entire centimeter of discrepancy to begin with! I'll never understand how I functioned like that.
And here is the fabulous news. The phrase I had been waiting to hear since the July 31st, 2011 (the day before surgery.) I have official surgeon-recommended permission to resume a normal diet now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)
Hearing those words was like hearing angels sing, I kid you not. I had anticipated having to wait another couple of weeks before I'd be given permission for that. So after the appointment, we celebrated with a meal at Cracker Barrel - meatloaf (I see you turning your nose up, but CB has the best meatloaf in the entire universe), biscuits, baked apples, dumplins, and green beans. DELISH! And since I was back in my home town, we of course saw 80 billion people we knew there. Such aspects of small-town life I am definitely already missing.
I am still wearing elastics, but it's a new configuration that isn't anywhere near as tight as the old one. Small steps!!!!! (Seems to be my motto throughout this process. haha) Also, now that I am eating like a human being again, pudding has gone back to being the most disgusting item in my fridge. I don't know if I'll ever finish my last 6 cups.
I also posted a new video a few days ago, so check it out here: Double Jaw Surgery: 37 Days Post-Op
Thank you for the nice feedback if you've been one of the contributors. :) Every encouraging comment means a lot!
Peyton
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