Day 6: No Splint/Rubber Bands?!

(June 7th, 2016)

Surgeon's Visit

I woke up so excited to get that chin bandage off! Lucky for me, the appointment was at 9:00 am, so I didn't have to wait all day to get over there. Hubby drove me over, and then...

The surgeon took off the four rubber bands that were in my mouth! For good! (Well, maybe not for good, but for now at least.) I told him that my bite felt almost perfect and he goes, "Oh, I was hoping we could take some of those rubber bands out today. Maybe even all of them. Hmm, lemme see..." Then he looks around in there and I bite down a few times (I can open my teeth about 1 cm?) and he says, "Oh, that bite looks great. Yeah, let's go ahead and take all these out." What the hell?! So my response is, "Uh, really?" He asks me what I'm worried about, I say something about reading about regression, and then he and his assistant chuckle, "Oh, gosh, don't read all that stuff on the internet!" So, yeah, I dunno - I got no explanation but I guess my bite feels pretty good right now, sooo...?

So the rest of the day, I've just been in shock. Oh, and I finally posted about my jaw surgery on Facebook. Just a little update - definitely no pictures or sad stories. But some people did ask for pictures, so I sent them a few privately. For whatever reason, I love sending my friends pictures of my swollen face! It's so interesting! (Actually, I always send my friends gross pictures - when I got gum grafting, when I had to get stitches from surfing, when I thought I had pinkeye...)

Oh, my doctor also said:

• I can suck on a straw.
• I can swish water/mouthwash around in my mouth.
• Still be careful not to "brush" at my stitches. 
• Still don't use my Waterpik. (but I already started to on the LOWEST setting; I told him so)
• I can sleep laying down now. (but I don't think I will until I'm less swollen)
• I asked, "Can I chew?" and he didn't really answer. So I'm not chewing, just in case. 
• My swelling has gone down well but I have way more bruising than most people.

As I was going down my list of questions, he says, "You can talk with your mouth open, it's okay." So I've been trying to do that today, but it feels really stiff.

I'm totally gonna get pimples.

Regarding the removal of my chin bandage. So we have this citrus wax remover that we use on our snowboards and surfboards whenever we have to re-wax. It smells super strong and you're supposed to use it in a well ventilated area. And you don't get that shit on your skin. Well, I think they used that stuff on my face to melt the adhesive from the bandage! I mean, it could have been something else, but it smelled the same and had the same consistency. And that bandage was TIGHT on my skin. It was fine, but I definitely think that at least some of the skin troubles people seem to have after this surgery has got to do with getting a layer of their skin slowly peeled off and then having wax/glue remover oil slathered on right afterwards. Ouch. And yuk. I can already see a little whitehead forming on my chin. That, along with my shiny new cold sore and my crazy chin and neck bruises, make me feel HAWT.

I feel like the picture doesn't quite capture how square
my face is looking right now.

Side note: I can drink out of a cup today! I just rest the rim of the cup on my bottom lip and tilt my head back. :D It makes "eating" much easier.

Pain: 3-5/10

Numbness: My gum are still totally numb. And, now that the bandage is off, I realize that my entire chin is tingly (like, from the corners of my lower lip all the way down) and weird-feeling. 

Discomfort: I feel a little more energized today. A friend came to visit and we walked 20 minutes or so and I didn't get tired during the walk. (Felt pretty sleepy afterwards, though.)

Weight: -3 lbs

(Black items stayed the same as the last post. RED items changed slightly.) 

Jaw surgery day 6, done. 

~m