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.
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| 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. |
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| 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?)
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| 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.)
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.)
~m
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