Week 8: Celebrations! (and acne)

(July 27th, 2016) 

Celebrations! 

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.) 

~m

Week 7: Maybe I'm Helping?

(July 20th, 2016)

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.) 

~m

Week 6.5: Horrible, Terrible, Tortuous Rubber Bands

(July 17th, 2016)

Slow Torture

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.) 

~m

Week 6: OMG Rubber Bands?!?!

(July 13th, 2016)

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.) 

~m

Week 5.5: Let's Get Fit Again

(July 11th, 2016)

My Dad; My Walking Buddy

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.) 

~m

Week 5: Same same...

(July 6th, 2016) 

Everything is the Same

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.) 

~m

Week 4.5: Many Celebrations

(July 4, 2016)

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.) 

~m