This is a blog about my recovery process after getting orthognathic surgery. I hope that my story is as useful to you as the countless blogs I've read this past year.
It seems that everyone heals just a bit differently. So this is me.
Sorry I've been a terrible blogger. I knew this would happen...
Work is stupid busy. And I've added to it by volunteering to do additional activities like competing in the Staff Lip Sync Battle, being a judge at the annual talent show, and participating in Dancing With The Staff. What. Was. I. Thinking. I don't know - mostly I just want to show my kids that I <3 them. Lame. Haha.
As an apology, here's a video of my group's champoinship lip sync performance from last month. Yeah, that's right, we won. (This is obviously our "we're hardcore!" pose. I think we nailed it. :D)
Today's dentist visit:
My dentist and her assistant (both of whom I really like) kept telling me how different I looked. I don't think I look that different. I was like, "Oh, I don't know... The husband can't really tell, either... And my friends say I look pretty much the same." But they just kept saying it. Apparently, I look very different to them - in a good way? But I guess that's okay. Whatever!
I have never been so excited to get my teeth cleaned before! Jaw surgery and braces definitely make you appreciate a good clean mouth. It's been 7 months since my last cleaning, and the tartar was kind of ridiculous. (I obviously didn't floss right after the surgery, and then I just kind of gave up cuz my teeth already felt fuzzy and gross.) My teeth and brackets are CLEAN again!!! Yay!!! Here's me super happy about it:
Look, no wires!
By the time I left the ortho, though, I was less happy...
Today's orthodontist visit:
He put ANOTHER rubber band in my mouth. :-/ I now have...
regular ligatures on the top,
power chains on the bottom,
an extra pair on power chains connecting my 2-3's on the bottom left where there's a gap,
3 metal ligatures with hooks,
a rubber band on the right in an inverted V shape,
a rubber band on the left in an super slanted V shape,
and ANOTHER rubber band on the left side going from the top molar to my lower 3.
OMG.
Supposedly I might be done with braces in another 4 months or so, but... I'll believe it when I see it. It's pretty terrible in there right now.
*Side note: Either nobody cares that I have braces and ridiculous amounts of rubber bands in my mouth, or people are REALLY nice and don't ever talk about it to my face. I'm thinking it's the former. Cuz high school kids are pretty good about saying whatever's on their minds. Then again, they probably don't want me to fail them...
Here are some old and new pictures:
WEEK 21 (aka 5 MONTHS!)
WEEK 25 (aka 6 MONTHS!)
The swelling has possibly subsided a bit from 3 months.
I am just now realizing that curling my hair might make my face look more plump. Or is it just the angles of the photos? Hmmm...
This video talks about the days and weeks right after jaw surgery.
Pain: 0-2/10 (At this point, only my cheeks hurt - from the surgery scars rubbing against my brackets.)
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw very very slightly tingly.
Discomfort: Still hate rubber bands. Still have to wear wax/silicone almost 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: Meh, normal now.
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
Don't get me wrong - I like my job! But, man, working is way more tiring and way less fun than NOT working. Haha. And it totally puffed my cheeks and jowls back up. I don't think anyone else can tell (including my husband) but I know it to be true. I feel like I went back to week 7. And then just stayed there for 4 weeks. It's fine, though, it's fine...
Most days, my job involves a LOT of talking and walking and being semi-animated for 5 hours straight. I see those blogs of 19-year-olds who go back to school AND work at 3 weeks and it's CRAZY to me! I didn't even feel like myself until 4 weeks - just being able to stay out all day and not feel exhausted was an achievement. You young people and your super-healing abilities. Damn.
Okay, I don't have much to write, but here are a few pictures and videos of my progress. I've been taking pictures and making videos, but I've been too lazy to post them. I'm sorry. :(
1st day of work =
1st time icing in weeks.
And being too tired to chew all day.
Fun at the Long Beach Aquarium.
A kissy face picture, requested by a mom friend.
Okay, so let's discuss that last picture. We spent the day with some of my friends (+ kids, cuz they basically all have kids now) and somehow left without kissing one of the little twin sisters goodbye. Being a 3-year-old, she wasn't really having that. Therefore, we were asked to send a picture of us making a kissy face. Crisis averted.
But I also included that picture because it shows that I can't really suck in my cheeks anymore. I mean, I'm sure I'll be able to in a few more months (3? 6?) but for now my cheeks are still too swollen. That's partly how I know that they're swollen, by the way. I guess I should be happy that my face wrinkles are a little bit puffed out, huh? Meh, whatever. I'm not too concerned either way I guess. I either look puffy and un-me or wrinkly and like-the-new-me (which I wouldn't even be able to identify, yet, since I've never seen it before).
When people ask, "are you happy with the results?" My response is still, "um, yeah - I think so. My teeth fit together, so hopefully they won't fall out anymore. And my face is fine. I don't know."
~Regarding Jaw Surgery and Beauty~
When I look at before and after pictures of other people online, I almost always think that the after picture is better. Like, objectively better. And, yes, I know that looks and beauty are subjective. But, for real, when a face is more aligned it almost always looks more aesthetically pleasing. There was only one instance of the before picture looking better to me, but that was of a woman who had an "open bite" - the open bite made her face longer and, once it was fixed, her face looked like it got a little smooshed vertically. Therefore, she had this old-lady kind of mouth situation where she looked like she was missing teeth. In reality, she just had small teeth. It made me sad cuz she was in her late twenties and went from looking "cute" to looking like a mom. (Sorry, moms - as a group, you don't look old. I promise.)
In every other comparison, though, whether the person used to have an under bite or an over bite, that person looked obviously better to me after the surgery. So it was always weird that people would write about how they couldn't tell if they liked their new face. I'd be thinking, "That's ridiculous. You look better. You're just writing this so you don't seem vain or don't seem like you just did it for your looks. Come on, you can be honest. Admit that you look obviously better." And, the thing is, these people would readily admit that other people TOLD THEM they look better and/or look "so different."
Okay, so that's the difference - most people really can't tell that I had surgery. Some can, but some supposedly really cannot. A close coworker friend of mine (who I see and talk to on a daily basis) claims that she really can't tell the difference. Former students, who had the misfortune of having to stare at me for an hour each day, would come back to visit and only notice my new braces. (And everyone knows how honest kids can be.) Very few people see me and go, "Oh my gosh, you look so different!" There's been, like... 2.
So do I think I look "better?" Um... I don't look worse. And I was perfectly happy before. But I'm also happy now. And I'm smart enough to not hate my new face because that's just stupid. (You have to self-brainwash, sometimes, people. You can't change what you can't change. Unless you wanna live your life constantly being unhappy.) I will say that my profile is very nice now. But, if you read the beginning of my blog, you know that I very rarely thought about my profile before this whole adventure started. ~End of Random Thought~
Back to the aquarium - did you know that annual pass holders can scuba dive at the aquarium?!?!?! You get to dive in a tank that houses all of their CRAZY sea animals! Like fish and crab and sharks!!! And, because it's a fake environment, it's all perfectly clear water. Freaking amazing!!! Since we're not certified, it's going to cost us the price of certification ($250, but you hold the certification for life) and the actual "Dive Immersion" experience ($279). That's a sh*tload of money, yes, but where else would you be able to dive somewhere that is so safe, so full of sea life, and with such clear water? :D Plus the aquarium is awesome so I'm down to contribute some monies their way.
On a side note, I'm really not into zoos cuz I feel bad for the animals. But I love aquariums! Is that weird? Am I mammal-biased? Oh, oh, there is some other news - I got new Rubber Bands!!!
Okay, technically they're the same rubber bands - they're just in a new position. The "V" now come forward onto my #3 teeth at the bottom. That makes them a little tighter and it makes me... look like a VAMPIRE! Muah ha ha... I think the red lipstick really helps.
Maybe I should be a vampire for Halloween... Hmmm...
Which reminds me... here's a picture of my Halloween makeup from two years ago. Not only is it just an awesome photo, but it also shows the state of my teeth from below. Not terrible, but you can tell that they're crooked. In high school, they use to be straight. Like, perfectly straight. Tooth on tooth contact + some crookedness = teeth that move every time you bite down.
Halloween 2014
See in the first/vampire picture how they're still not perfectly straight? These braces aren't coming off anytime soon...
At my last orthodontist visit:
Me: "Dr. (surgeon) asked me when my braces would be coming off. He thought they'd come off really soon. But I told him it's gonna be a while, still."
Ortho: "Oh, yeah, those surgeons don't know. Haha."
Me: "I told him I haven't even asked you how much longer it would be - it would probably just make me sad."
Ortho: (Little laugh.)
And that was it. No response from him. Hahaha.
So that's about it... here are some update pictures and videos.
Week 11
WEEK 13 (aka 3 MONTHS!)
I didn't do a good job showing off my jawline, sorry.
The first video talks about pre-surgery things; the second talks about the actual surgery itself plus a little bit of pain management afterwards.
Pain: 0-2/10 (Sometimes I'm fine. But when my cheeks hurt from my brackets, I NEED silicone.)
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw very very slightly tingly.
Discomfort: I still hate rubber bands. I still have to wear wax/silicone almost 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: -6 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
OC Fair!
I went to the OC Fair today! Do you know that you can get in FREE on Wednesdays if you donate certain things? Today, it was five pieces of new or gently worn clothing items per person. Score! Just thought I'd share a cute picture before I start ranting about my braces...
We spent nearly 4 hours there and both mommy and baby did so well!
Doesn't that banana look sooo excited?! I was a little confused about the log, since all of his friends are obviously sweet-style food items, but then my Facebook friends informed me that it was actually a CHURRO. Ahhhhhhhh, I seeeeee! I feel like that hat and mustache combo give off a cowboy-y feel, though, as opposed to a vaquero feel or a totally racist sombrero/black mustache feel. Amirite? :D Broken Bracket Racket
I remember I got my bottom braces put on on a Tuesday. The pain that week was no joke. I couldn't eat; I could barely talk. I was miserable. That Friday, at around noon, I realized that my bottom left #2 bracket had come loose. I was on a picnic with some friends and when I called the ortho's office two hours later, I was informed by a recording that their office had closed at 1:30 pm that day. RAHHH!!!! By Sunday morning, the bracket next to it had also popped off. I don't even know how that happened! I was seriously eating mush at that point. Anyway, he fixed both brackets Monday.
Except one of them was glued on crooked... which eventually made that tooth go crooked... but we'll get to that later.
A few months later, I was eating poke (raw fish and rice, not chips - nothing hard in there at all) and my top right #5 bracket came loose. Eventually, that gets fixed. (That's 3, if you're counting.)
Maybe another month after that, I was camping and eating grilled chicken (this one may have been my fault, but who knows) and that #5 bracket comes off AGAIN. And... another bracket next to it. I had that "is this a nightmare?" moment that sometimes happens, cuz two brackets at one time? They get glued back on. (Okay, we're at 5 now.)
After the surgery, my bottom left #1 popped off. It gets repaired a week later, but now my bottom front teeth aren't as straight as they used to be... (That's 6 repairs, people. Is this normal? Am I jinxed?)
Yesterday, I went to see my ortho and he stressed the importance of my wearing my rubber bands all the time. (I've been sooo good about it. I'm quite impressed with myself!) Supposedly my bite is "opening up." I don't see what he's talking about, but he seems kinda worried about it. Anyway, he has one of the assistants replace the ligatures on top and then power chain my bottoms (all the way across every tooth). I could feel the pulling of the power chain as she put it on. I didn't notice anything right then, but after dinner (a fish burrito, which was completely soft inside) when I brushed my teeth I notice that my bottom left #2 bracket had literally broken in half down the middle!!! WHAT?!?!?! Here's a picture... it's a little fuzzy but it shows my crooked tooth and an obviously un-perfect bracket sitting on top of it.
Fun times. So his office opened at 11:00 am this morning (he has crazy random hours) but the doctor wasn't there today so I couldn't actually get it fixed anyway. The assistant had me go in just to check things out, she removed the broken piece, then she chained me back up. "Sometimes, with only half of a bracket attached, the tooth can rotate. If that starts happening, give us a call and we'll fix it right away. Otherwise, we'll see you on your next appointment in three weeks." Um, okay. So here's what it looks like now...
I guess what they say about ceramic braces being more delicate is true. Oh well. At least my braces are still pretty. Haha.
When I signed my ortho contract, it specified that I would get charged $75 for each bracket that came off after the first five. I have not been charged, yet, though. And, really, I'd argue that at least five of those incidents weren't my fault - I was eating ridiculously soft things in those instances. I'll let you know if he tries to ever charge me (cuz I'd be pretty upset).
My Crooked Tooth
Look how crooked that tooth is! It didn't used to be like that - there wasn't a huge gap at the base of the tooth before. Hopefully it gets fixed soon since the bracket is already broken anyway.
Right now, we're waiting on a little gap to form between two of my upper teeth - I wanna say #4 and #5 on the upper right - so that he can go in and shave between the teeth. He did that earlier, but he didn't get it all smoothed out so now there's this rough edge that rips my floss. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until a few weeks after he already started closing the gap back up - I usually don't floss for a few weeks after an adjustment cuz my gums are so sore.
I'm making my ortho sound kind of terrible, but I actually still really like him! He's got a good eye (most of the time) and he's really nice and funny. Everyone makes mistakes, right? :)
Oh, I AM super worried about my retainers, though. He's pretty adamant about my wearing those traditional wire retainers that make you lisp. It's pretty far into the future, so we've only discussed it once, but I'm dreading them and definitely pre-sad about them.
Last night, I finally slept using a regular pillow...
I think most people sleep "normally" after a few weeks, but I wanted to minimize my swelling as much as possible. But, with work starting up soon, I figured it was inevitable. I think my swelling looks the same, though. What do you think?
Wow... 9 weeks post-op...
There's still the tiniest bit of swelling, but only I see it.
No video this week - maybe next week...
Pain: 2/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw very very slightly tingly.
Discomfort: I still hate rubber bands. I still have to wear wax/silicone 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: -6 lbs (I feel like those 2 new pounds don't really count - I've had less time to eat lately cuz I've been running around making copies and lesson planning. I smell beginning-of-the-year-no-time-to-eat-weight-loss coming on... But that's not the good kind of weight loss where you work out and eat healthfully. No, it's the kind where everything turns to flab and you waste away into nothing. We'll see how it goes. Haha.)
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
Happy anniversary to my hubby! Well, not today, but sometime last week. We've been married for... wait for it... nine years and we've been together for... wait or it... SEVENTEEN! Like, seriously, that sounds crazy right? Seventeen years is an almost-adult! I've been with my husband for longer than most of my students have been alive. (So. Old.) I wanted to post a picture of us at dinner, but I think they're all on his phone. Oh well.
And then it was my dad's birthday! While I didn't end up buying him anything ("Don't get me anything! I have too many clothes already!") I did make him his favorite noodles. Well, his favorite noodles that I make. Haha. It's just this Chinese cold noodle sauce with egg noodles and julienned vegetables. My dad used to make it when I was little, but I think he forgot how cuz he said he tried to make it recently and my mom said it turned out terrible. :P I've been making my version for a few years now - it's a recipe I got from (omg, so embarrassing) Andrew Zimmern. It's pretty tasty, though. And super easy. I add more veggies and baked tofu, though, since it's so carby. Anyway, here's us:
(So I think my sister might make me remove this animation if she ever finds my blog, but it's SO CUTE I had to include it. Hehe.)
Ice cream cake, of course.
Acne (mostly on my chin, but sometimes above my lip as well)
I am not going to post a picture of my pimples (cuz eww) but I'm telling you they're there, okay? I started noticing them about a month after the surgery and then it's slowly gotten worse. And, by worse, I mean that at any point in time I usually have 2-3 little whiteheads and about 10 either forming or healing. It's not the worst thing ever, by any means, but I've also never had "acne" before so it's totally new to me and annoying as heck. I'm required to cover them with foundation and concealer every day - it kinda reminds me of those "before pictures" that Katy Perry or Brittany Spears would use in Proactive commercials.
So I was feeling a little more irritated about the whole thing... until I found this blog post. DO NOT click on that if you don't wanna see the worst reaction to a facial EVER. It's reeeeally sad (I feel for this girl) and it's really sobering (I no longer feel sad about my measly little pimples). On a side note, she recently had to take down a blog post where she basically mean-girl live-blogged a wedding and she got totally roasted for it. Comments included something like, "what a terrible person...maybe that's why she was punished by the facial experience" which is also totally mean-girl! Jeez.
Back to my acne. Haha. It may be getting slightly better. I went crazy researching skincare and acne products and decided to change my entire skincare routine. Drastic, I know. What I found was that the only products that are proven to change the texture of your skin, unclog pores, and stimulate new skin cell growth are alpha and beta hydroxy acids - things like vitamin A (retinoids), vitamin C, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, etc. Fruit enzymes (ferulic acid), antioxidants, blue light, and whatnot are cool, too, but more like "extras." What I was using, La Mer (I know that sounds uber-fancy but my aunt bought me a little starter set), was fine, but it's kinda froufrou. Oooooo, miracle seaweed. Before that, I used Algenist, who's claim to fame is also some kind of secret microalgae. The new skincare products are mostly from Drunk Elephant. I would tell you exactly what I'm using, but... let's see how it works first and I'll keep you updated...
I don't wanna be bagging on Algenist, though - both me and hubby really like their Triple-Action Micropolish & Peel. And I still really like their Ultra Lightweight UV Defense Fluid SFP 50. So there. :)
Video and Compulsory Face Pics
This video is about how and why I chose my oral surgeon, some insurance considerations (in the USA), and what I paid for the surgery. While the hospital costs were relatively minor/non-existent, since the hospital was in-network for my PPO, I did have to pay for most of my surgeon's costs, the assistant surgeon's costs, and some x-rays. (That's on top of my orthodontics costs, which my dental insurance chipped in $1500 for. Ha. While appreciated, that's a pretty minor contribution.) If you live in the states, definitely look into your company's "flexible spending plan," which takes a predetermined amount of pre-taxed money out of each paycheck that you can then use for medical/dental/vision/childcare reasons. It's kind of a pain, but totally worth it when you're saving thousands of dollars.
Random update: I can open my mouth 2.5 fingers now!
And here's me at 8 weeks... someone told me last night that I look "ten years younger." That's sweet, but I sort of hate those compliments. Unless she was trying to tell me that I now look like a teenager. :P
(Once, in college, an acquaintance I hadn't seen in two years told me that I "got so pretty" after I lost a few pounds and grew out my hair. She was seriously like, "oh my GAWD" and she obviously really meant it, but... Not cool, girl. Not cool.)
These are kinda fuzzy, huh? Sorry.
Unless something interesting happens, I don't think I'll be updating the blog for a few weeks. My summer vacation is ending, so I'll be pretty busy for a while...
Pain: 2/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw very very slightly tingly. Discomfort: I still hate rubber bands. I still have to wear wax/silicone 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
I got a comment today on a video! Hahaha, that shouldn't really be a big deal, but it was my first comment and confirmation that this is actually slightly helpful to somebody out there! :D Therefore, I shall continue. Haha.
Here's my video this week. It's about how I chose my orthodontist, how much that choice may matter in terms of your future face, and a small list of braces must-haves.
By the way, just a note about last week's video. I mentioned that I didn't get saw surgery for aesthetic reasons (which anyone who gets orthognathic surgery knows, I'm sure) but I also want to say that I have nothing against cosmetic surgery or anyone who gets it. Do what you wanna do. Live your life. Whatevers. My point was just that I did not get jaw surgery to "look better."
Swim Lessons
Today, I went with my friend to her son's swim class. It was ADORABLE. There was some crying, but overall the kids did great. The 10-student classes were held in someone's very nice backyard pool. $250 for one week of classes. Let's see... conservatively, maybe he teaches 4 classes per day for 10 weeks out of the summer... that's $100,000. Pretty good racket! (Really, though, it was very cute and the kids progress quickly throughout the week. Day one and two might entail major crying, but by day three they're pretty into it. Amazing.)
My face today:
My bottom lip is def smaller now.
Pain: 2/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better. Discomfort: I still hate rubber bands. I still have to wear wax/silicone 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
The rubber bands went on on Wednesday; Thursday was a nightmare, Friday was slightly better. I think hanging out with people (and therefore not sitting around feeling sorry for myself) definitely helped. Here's me and my little buddies at the beach. Before they came along, me and their mommy would boogie board at this beach. Fun times. (Current times are fun, too, but slightly less so since it's all child-watching all the time. Haha. But look how cute. Totally love them.)
By the way, orthodontic pain is NOT easier to handle than jaw surgery healing pain. While the first night after surgery was one of the hardest of my life, the rest was pretty cake. Rest, heal, watch TV, sit around. That's it.
Oh, I forgot to show you guys this awesome picture of my new x-rays! I took it last week at the surgeon's office. Cool, huh?
Okay, last thing about the stupid rubber bands. The pain was actually so bad that I went BACK to the ortho's office the next morning. I just couldn't believe that this was right - it hurt soooo much! The doctor was pretty nice but he said, "Yes, this is what I wanted." Supposedly, by bite was "starting to open" and, after one day of rubber bands, it was "already starting to close." I have no idea what he's referring to, but... okay...
That's all for now. I'm still eating soft foods and exercising most days, but haven't tried out my new weights yet. Soon, soon...
Pain: 3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: I still hate rubber bands. I still have to wear wax/silicone 24/7 on all of my molars.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
My day started off so great! Everything seemed to be healing well, I've had pretty much zero pain for a few days now, and I've been on a roll with my workouts - I even had another one planned for this afternoon. And then... I met with my orthodontist.
All Orthodontists Should Have to Wear Braces!
I'm pretty sure that nice older man posing as my orthodontist is really just a sadist. Or maybe all orthodontists are sadists. (Like that dentist from Little Shop of Horrors, you know?)
Things started off normally. He took out my wires, gave them a little bend, and put them back in. Then, he said something to his assistant about my needing rubber bands. At this point, I'm not shocked/scared. I've had rubber bands before and, although they were kinda annoying, really they were fine. As soon as she put these bands in, though, I could FEEL the tightness. O.M.G. They were so f-ing tight. (Each one is hooked onto my top 4's, loop down to my bottom 4's, then looped onto my top 3's in a "V" shape.) I could barely open my mouth. I could TELL they would hurt, and quickly.
As soon as I went home, I had some delicious homemade noodles that I made with my parents the other day and then I immediately took some Advil.
Three hours later, I sent the following text to my friends:
I'm sorry to be a big cry baby, but I need to explain to you guys my dilemma right now. So 6 of teeth feel like they're slowly being ripped out of my skull. But I can't exactly hold my teeth completely shut because then the contact between all of my upper and lower teeth hurt. So I have to keep this constant pressure to slightly keep my teeth apart. But long term that just makes those 6 teeth hurt more! So. Sad.
A few hours after that, I didn't even have to worry about it anymore cuz I couldn't open my mouth AT ALL. Those 6 teeth hurt, AND all of the other teeth that had any contact with each other hurt as well (from the pressure of the rubber bands holding my bite together).
Oh, and when the husband came home from dinner I made those noodles again. This time, as soon as I put a spoonful into my mouth, I knew it was over. No chewing on anything. No noodles. No tofu. No super soft potatoes. Just no. I swallowed a few spoonfuls, felt totally sorry for myself because food doesn't TASTE like anything when you can't chew, and gave the rest to hubby. Back to shakes for me.
Am I pathetic or what?!?! Sorry.
Homemade Noodles
Ok, I'll stop complaining now and show you those delicious noodles that I can no longer eat. I can pretty much guarantee that you've never eaten, seen, or even heard of them before. I've never seen them in any restaurant and nobody outside of my family has ever heard of them before. In Chinese, they're called "mian pian." Literally translated, it means "noodle sheets" or something to that effect. Basically, they're flat little squares of noodles. You make the dough, then cut/pull them into little logs for later use. Then, when you're ready to actually make the noodles, you flatten the logs along the edges, pull them out long, and then you pinch off little squares that get dropped into a pot of boiling water. (They're kinda similar to "la mian" which is "pulled noodles" or this other thing called "dao xioa mian" which is "knife-cut dough." These can be found in certain Chinese restaurants.) Anyway, I took some pictures for you, cuz why not?
That's what they look like after they've been pulled long.
You could just dump them in the water like this.
And this is the finished product. I guess it's kinda like soup?
This is one my favorite foods. Like, on every one of my birthdays, this is what my parents make me. Usually we just eat it with chicken broth, but I went crazy when my parents came to visit me and I made this soup (which is also one of those very particular dishes that none of my friends have ever heard of). I say I went crazy cuz it takes 2 hours just to chop up all the ingredients. It's called "sao z" which may or may not translate into "soup for things." (I totally made that up.) You can pretty much put anything you want in it, but I used...
beef
garlic
scallions
potatoes
king oyster mushrooms
daikon
firm tofu
napa cabbage
It's definitely a comfort food for me. So not being able to eat it made me super sad.
New Video Series
I decided that my weekly videos are super boring and non-informative for anyone who happens to stumble upon them on YouTube. So, from now on, I'm going to do a little series of videos talking about why I got the surgery, the surgery itself, and so on. (I obviously haven't really thought it through yet. I'll work on it, though.) Anyhow, today's video is about why I decided to get the surgery. While I've already covered this topic in my very first post, in the video I talk about it in a different way. Feel free to skip it, though, if you want. Haha. Again, these videos are mostly for me to look at a year from now - just to see how my swelling and speaking is progressing.
And my face today...
See the smile? Yeah, this is before the rubber bands.
Pain: 5/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: I HATE RUBBER BANDS!!!!! So. Much.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
About a week ago I made a pact with my dad that we would each start waking up early to go for walks. Recently, we've both been pretty much sitting around all day. He used to be really active, but with old age and injuries he's been sitting on his butt as much as I have since the surgery. But it's HOT in the summer! So he's been going on 5:00 am 30-minute walks (wtf, 5 in the morning?) while I've been going on 7:30 am 3.5-mile walks. (I tell him I walk every day, but really it's most days cuz damn 7:30 am is still early for me.) Anyway, it's been working out great. I listen to podcasts and wave to people along this awesome "loop."
Isn't that pretty?
What podcasts do I listen to, you ask? Freakonomics Radio, This American Life, and Serial (the first season was A-mazing, the second is so-so). I LOVE it. I feel like I'm learning so much! And the best part is that it's all freeeeeee! Haha. See ya later, Pandora.
Side note: Our entire "loop" (I live inside a loop, like an actual loop that surrounds my neighborhood.) is EXACTLY 5 miles. And half of the loop is exactly 3.5 miles. When I first figured this out with the MapMyRun app, the following conversation occurred:
me: "Honey, isn't it crazy that the loop is exactly 5 miles?! And half of the loop is 3.5 miles?!"
hubby: "Uh, this was a planned community..."
me: "I'm dum." Looking down in shame.
hubby: "Yeah." Pats my head.
And Now... Faster/Hoppier Walking!
Today, I got the best news from my surgeon! I can start resistance training and jogging!!! Mind you, the oral surgery coordinator had told me that I wouldn't be able to JOG for 6 months after surgery, so this is such an awesome surprise. :D
(I still can't go crazy with HIIT training, spinning, or surfing. I was thinking about boogie boarding this week, but the husband talked me out of it. In my defense, I've boogie boarded plenty and the board has never gotten away from me and banged me in the face before.)
So what did I do this evening? I went for a run! (Okay, a jog. And some walking.)
Before and after. :)
Okay, that's all for now.
Pain: 0-2/10. This is new. I have very little-to-no pain most of the day, but if I eat something especially chewy (certain noodles?) my jaw hurts in very particular spots. I'll show you later this week in the video. I'm still icing most days, but only when there's pain.
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -4 lbs. AGH I gained a pound!!!
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
The swelling, the numbness, the nighttime soreness - it's all unchanged from week 4. Aesthetically, I feel like I haven't changed since week 3. Here's a very short video so you can see for yourself:
Too Much Fun?
I do wonder, though, if my "sameness" from last week has anything to do with the general eventfulness of this past week. I went from doing nothing (and staying away from alcohol, as it can cause facial bloating) to having multiple days of lots of activities (as well as a few bday and holiday drinks). For three days in a row, I was out and about. That's a lot for a hermit like me!
I am trying to go out more, though. I have little outings planned as I am feeling less tired in general. I'm SO ready to start working out again. I actually bought some dumbbells - 10, 12, and 15 lbs - but basically everyone is telling me it's too early to do those kinds of exercises. Um, did you know that weights are really expensive? As they increase in poundage, they increase in price. And colored weights are generally 3-4 more pricey than black ones. Haha. I bought these, btw, and I really like them. (I got black 10's and 15's, cuz they were so much cheaper, but I got the blue 12's cuz the price was almost the same. They also sell them in pairs here, but they're not necessarily cheaper. Gotta do the math, guys.)
I think I'm gonna start out with some pilates soon... go with the lightest coils. I NEED to gain some muscle.
Pictures
Here are some random pictures of the week's festivities, followed by my normal face pics:
'Merica block party with my softball buddies and their neighbors.
You can see me in my Captain America shirt over on the right!
I got to have zero Cotixan burritos. Isn't that sad?
Birthday picnic with some of my fav people.
Maybe the alcohol made me puffy-faced?
Or it's just my face now.
Oh, and I colored my hair. Does anyone know anything about "ash" tones? I swear I have a little bit of a greenish tint to my hair right now, but the colorist said that the ash tones will wash out in a few shampoos. Here are some photos that he Instagramed - the greenish tint is totally absent from these, but I got confirmation from friends (like 3, is that enough?) that there is indeed a faint greenish tint in person... I'll wait a week while using clarifying shampoo. See what happens. (I look crazy blonde in these photos!)
Pain: 2-3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -5 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
Happy 4th of July! We have the BEST fireworks right outside our house. It's seriously amazing. Oh, I mean, good job America woohoo!
I actually went to a really fun block party, but left before the fireworks started. The fireworks at my house are soooooo good. Here's a taste...
Oh and here's a picture of my nails. Random, I know.
Also, my birthday just passed! I celebrated it with a non-massage, a bday lunch, and a bday dinner. The non-massage is being called such because (even though I asked the receptionist when I scheduled our appointments) the massage therapist told me that she couldn't massage me on my back for an hour. (No lying on the face, remember?) She said that she could do an hour when someone's on her stomach, but it's not possible to do an hour on someone's back - 1) Something about massaging all the way up and down the body to flush things out (?!?), 2) Her fingers will get tired if she only gives me a half-hour body massage and a half-hour foot rub. I sorta wanted to cry, but it was fine. I went to CVS to wait for my friend Kari. (Kari's birthday is the day before mine, so we like to celebrate together whenever we can.) Then Kari and I went to Roy's for lunch. For our double-birthday, they gave us the chocolate souffle! MMMMMmmmmmmm.....
We both got the short rib lunch plate. So yummy.
So very nice of them - this thing is super tasty.
And then I went to dinner with hubby, his brother, and our sister in law. We went to Anchor Hitch, a new-ish restaurant that specializes in oysters (raw bar) and seafood. The main reason I wanted to go was for their uni pasta, but it sorta tasted like noodles in cream sauce. Wah wa wa... But everything else, especially the OYSTERS, were delicious. Highly recommend. Plus, they have a cute little space attached to them. More restaurants, a bar, ping pong tables, seating areas...
My face today (day 30):
You can't see the rest of my Captain America
tank top - the most patriotic thing I own.
Pain: 2-3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -5 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
Omg, I can't believe it's been FOUR weeks. That's crazy. I feel incredibly lucky that my progress thus far has been sooo damn good - way better than I ever imagined!
Also, it's my birthday in 2 days! Ahhh! :D
Four Week Video Update
I go a little more in depth about what I'm eating and how to give yourself a light facial massage.
(So here's the problem with posting every week or even every few days - I don't remember the important points of my week! I should probably write them down, but it's hard to not be "in the moment" and have to think "I need to write this down for my blog!" I'll work on it.)
Doctor's Visit
I saw my surgeon two days ago. The visit was super quick. He looked at my bite and my stitches, then answered a few questions. Here goes:
I should be sticking to soft foods.
I should keep working on opening up my jaws/bite.
Incision sites/stitches look good.
The stitches will fall out on their own in a few weeks.
For my residual swelling, I can use heat, then massage, then ice.
I will see him again in two weeks.
That's it! I really should have taken a picture of my x-ray with all of the screws and plates in it. I'll have to make sure to do that next time and show you guys.
Uneven Swelling (that's a good thing!)
About 50% of the time, my normal sitting/relaxed position while watching TV (when I'm not on my phone or iPad) is with my hands somewhere on my face/jaw/neck area. And the other night I suddenly realized that my right jawline was less puffy than my left! So of course I immediately jumped out of bed to take pictures for me/you guys. Haha. Even though I had on zero makeup and some of the pictures were quite unattractive (you'll see). But I figured it's good to show you the real un-made-up version of me once in a while. Cuz, really, they're all me. The nice pictures and the yucky pictures - that's what I look like as a real person. With all of the filters and posed crap that inundate our eyeballs in ALL kinds of media (on Instagram and Facebook, in print media like magazines and ads, on TV and in the movies) I feel like I constantly have to remind myself that what I see is NOT REAL. They're Photoshop-ed and beautified and perfected versions of people/life. The good thing that I've noticed is that kids realize this. Having grown up in the age of filters, they get that everything is kinda fake. Good for them!
Sorry about my rant. That came outta nowhere, huh?
Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took.
These aren't yucky - they're just me. Notice how my left cheek (your right)
is chubbier than my right cheek? I swear I didn't turn or tilt my face.
Also, omg, my nose is still crooked. Wth.
I can't believe I'm posting this. But here you can
really see the difference in the swelling. So neat!
Acne
That reminds me. I totally have little pimples all over my chin! They're tiny little whiteheads and bumps. Once in a while, I get a normal sized pimple. I still think this has something to do with the bandages that were on my chin area for 6 days. Although... it seems that a lot of people get their bandages taken off on day 2 but they still get acne. Hrmmm. I don't know. Once again, I'll just count myself lucky (for now) to just be having problems on my chin. (Knock on wood.)
I even started looking into acne facials. :P And I've been researching acid peels and laser treatments. I know I sound crazy to some people, but I swear these are common and not out-of-the-ordinary insane. Uh, unless they are and I just don't know it because I live in Southern California. ??? There's actually this at-home fraxel laser, Tria Age-Defying Laser, that increases collagen production, diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, fades old acne scars and sun spots, and seems to help with acne. The only problem is that it's $500. Most people love it. But, again, it's $500. I'll sleep on it. And, yes, I feel the need to defy my age. I have issues. See above rant.
My 4-week pictures. (What a difference makeup makes, right?)
Another terrible lighting bathroom pic. Sorry - no more daylight.
Pain: 2-3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -5 lbs (That's a NEW pound, guys. However, let's keep in mind that I gained about 7-8 pounds before the surgery, so I'm still "over" my normal weight. Darn this excellent healing! Just kidding just kidding I love my not-rubber-banded new bite!)
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
Yes, just like everyone else says in their blogs - one day, you wake up with more FEELINGS. I have totally normal sensations everywhere except:
My Lower Gums
I think I now have full sensation on the inner part of my lower gums (so behind my teeth). The outer part of my gums, the part you would be able to see if I went "GRRRR!" like a rabid dog is still completely numb. It's numb to about half-way where the stitches start. The part around the stitches is super tender. Actually, one little part of the stitches came undone and when I pulled on it (I don't know why I pulled on it - maybe to see where it was still attached?) it really really stung like a mother.
My Chin/Jaw Area
For the longest time, the part to the left of my chin felt kind of okay while the chin itself and the right side of the chin felt super tingly and uncomfortable when touched. Now, I would say that I have 80% of the sensation back on the left side, while the right side now feels like how the left side used to feel. The chin almost matches the right side sensation, but it's still a little tingly. All in all, not bad!
Back on the Colace
This is the TMI portion. I stopped having to take Colace (for constipation) maybe a week ago. Now I'm all backed up again. So I started taking one Colace a day (down from three) and I bought ingredients to make myself a green smoothie every day. I probably should have done that since the beginning of my straw-eating capabilities. Ah well. If you're interested, here's what I put in my smoothie. It's simple and easy and I chop everything up and put it into a big container so that I only have to wash/chop a few times a week. Each day, I just blend it up in my handy dandy NurtiBullet.
1/2 cup crushed ice (to keep it cold while drinking)
1/4 of a big cucumber (8-10 inches)
1/2 of a medium sized apple (I like green delicious or fuji or pink lady apples)
(optional for a thicker consistency: 1/2 of a banana OR a scoop of greek yogurt OR a tbsp of nut butter)
1 cup of baby kale & spinach
2/3 cup of coconut water (or apple juice for a sweeter smoothie)
You can obviously switch out the cucumber and maybe some of the leafy greens for whatever else is in your fridge - tomatos, romaine lettuce, zuchini, etc. And, instead of apples, you can use peaches or nectarines or berries. Then you get a better variety of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants!
Here's my face today, even though I think it looks like it did a week ago. Maybe next time I'll do a comparison. Or a whole series of pictures! Yeah, I wanna do that...
My lips are slightly crooked.
But less than before surgery, so it's cool.
I'm noticing that the sofa pictures are much better than the bathroom pictures. (This one is a bathroom pic.) I don't know why it took me 3+ weeks to notice that. Jeez.
Pain: 2-3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums numb on the outside portion. Chin area and right side of jaw still tingly/numb, but getting better.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
A shitload of stuff happened today to make up for yesterday!
But first, an update video!
Is it weird that my video cover pictures are not screenshots from the videos? I feel like that's some sort of false advertising. Whatevers!
Ortho Visit
It was a pretty quick visit, but the orthodontist changed out my bottom/front ligatures to a power chain. So now I have one long power chain across the top and three separate power chains on the bottom. I imagine he couldn't put in a long one on the bottom, even if he wanted to, cuz my cheeks are all swollen up against my back brackets. (And, man, do they hurt. I can't even spend one minute without the silicone.)
He also said he spoke with my surgeon: "I talked to Dr. Mandel and I asked him why you weren't wearing any rubber bands. He said your bite just came out so perfect you didn't need them!" Sweet.
So, while I'm TOTALLY HAPPY to not be wearing any runner bands for my bite, I think that the fact that I'm not makes some people think I'm basically all better. But my good friends are awesome and caring and know that I'm still slowly recovering.
My Sephora Makeover
Let me just say that I've been putting on makeup since I was 13. And I do a pretty good job of it! However, I can only do a few looks with confidence - a light cat eye, a serious cat eye, and a smokey cat eye. (Notice a pattern here?) So I was really excited for this makeover. As someone who spends a ridiculous amount of money at Sephora (I buy almost all of my makeup and skincare there, easily spending hundreds of dollars twice year when I stock up) I can get makeovers pretty much whenever I want without having to buy anything, but I'm usually just too lazy to schedule an appointment. But not this time! I asked for... a "cut crease" and/or "luminous, summery skin." I told her she could just do ONE of them if she thought it would look weird together. She said it would be fine. And then... she did this to my face...
OMG, isn't that AWEFUL??? I look like a clown. Or hooker. Actually, yeah, I look like a hooker. I kept being like, "wow, that looks crazy, but keep going. I wanna see the end result." It's not like her makeup was a clown mask. Wtf. My friends' responses: "Why are you so shiny?" "Why did she make your eyebrows so thick?" "That eyeliner is nuts." What I couldn't get over was the "cut crease." You see that terrible little shadow above my eye? That's the worst cut crease I've ever seen. Nobody walks around like that! How could she even let me walk out like that? I marched right into a restroom, wiped everything off, and put on some red lipstick. Better, right?
Now I don't know what to do. They have a customer satisfaction survey, but I feel bad saying that she did a terrible job. Especially when I thanked her when she was done, didn't complain, and didn't quite realize how horrendous I looked until I saw myself in a non-Sephora mirror. Maybe I can just upload my pictures so they can see the results for themselves? Or maybe that's what non-Asians think Asians should look like? No way, right? Yuk.
YouTube makeup tutorials, here I come!
Book Club Meeting
We went to Urban Plates (kinda like Tender Greens or Lemonade in concept) and we ordered ahi with squashes, a flatbread pizza, curried veggies over brown rice, mac and cheese, and a giant salad. Things I tried but couldn't/shouldn't really eat: pizza was too chewy, curried veggies were too hard, squashes were way too hard. Things I ate as my meal: ahi and the mac and cheese. Not bad. As long as there's something I can eat, I'm happy. :)
And my THREE WEEK picture:
Love red lipstick. I redid the whole face once I got home.
So I took a picture from a different angle to really show my swelling and my now-more-emphasized jowl lines. I hope they go away, but I don't think they will. I figure, with the movement of my jaw back into my face, these things might be permanent. Like old-lady face bags. (Sorry, old ladies.) Plus I'm getting pretty old myself, so I feel like I saw it starting already and now it'll just get worse.
Jowl lines taking up residence.
Pain: 2-3/10
Numbness: Bottom gums totally numb. Chin area very stiff/tingly, but the right side and chin more than the left side.
Discomfort: My cheeks keep getting stuck in the brackets when I talk. Wax/silicone all day every day.
Weight: -4 lbs
(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.)
