I'm getting really close to celebrating my 3 month anniversary!
A lot has changed for me in the past month. My new bite is coming along swimmingly. I've been wearing my bands for around 15-18 hours per day, sometimes even more. I was prescribed four the first orthodontic appointment, but I went back last week and was reduced to two. My orthodontist says that I can be out of braces by February/March, so I'm really excited.
I've still got some swelling, and my smile is still a bit crooked. I read somewhere that it's due to the swelling, and that it should straighten itself as the swelling goes down, but I can't help but be a bit worried. What if I have a crooked smile forever???
The swelling is reducing V-E-R-Y slowly, and it's so tedious waiting for my chipmunk cheeks to go away. I think that there's still some swelling on my chin, too. I hate that the most right now. But my "true" face is coming out slowly. I wish my nose returned back to normal. I hate how it seems to be stretched out on my face.
I got my hair done a few weeks ago. I think that definitely helped with making my face look less swollen. The poofiness of my new curls distract from the poofiness of my face.
In the beginning of this blog, especially during the first two weeks, I thought this day would never come. Two months seemed like an eternity, and you might as well have asked me to wait for the next 10 years. I couldn't imagine what my face would look like without ten pounds of swollen cheeks, and the thought of leaving my house was daunting. Now, sixty days later, I can barely remember the pain and discomfort. Funny how the human memory works, isn't it?
If not for the meticulous records I've kept, I would hardly believe that I had surgery. Well, that and some of the stiffness I have left in my face. I'm now trying to keep up with the task of returning to normal life, like remembering to chew before I swallow. My adjustment period seems to be longer than most people's experience, which is probably compounded by the fact that I'm trying to adjust living in Seoul at the same time. I have to constantly remind myself that personal space doesn't exist here, and that someone shoving you on the subway isn't a direct attack on your person. The latter is difficult because I am ready to kill anyone who touches my new, expensive face.
I can pretty much eat most things now, minus really crunchy and tough foods. I've had salads, sandwiches, pastas. This weekend, I attempted to eat a burrito, but was waylaid by the spiciness (two months without spice has made me a weak kitten) and the exhaustion of chewing the tortilla. I should've gotten the quesadilla instead. But what I really want is an enchilada.
The official dates are a bit sketchy. Technically, I'm 3 days after my 7-week mark. But I'm also hitting my 2 month mark next Tuesday. I don't know how the numbers can be so off. It's past my bedtime, and I can't be bothered to perform math - however simple - after 3pm. My brain is on logical shut down.
Now that I'm wearing 4 bands ALL THE TIME except when I eat, I feel like sometimes my muscles in my chin spazz out. Good news: I ate my first sandwich today. The bread was toasted, the meat was ham, and I ate all the veggies except for the pickles. Tomatoes, lettuce, onions, they were all chewed haphazardly because I've discovered that while the bands are helping most of my back teeth meet, my molars (the teeth wayyyyyy in the back) don't meet! WHATTTTTTT!
The general consensus seems to be that this is common, but it's still making me apprehensive. Also, I discovered that there seems to be muscles or gum or something that's making my molars even harder to reach, so I'm skeptical as to how I'm going to attach rubber bands back there. (God, that's going to be fun, isn't it?)
Now I'm watching Jesse Eisenberg on the David Letterman Show, and he kinda looks like he has a really short neck. I have this image of a little person (colloquial, midget) with a short neck, sunglasses, and a cane for his slight limp. Is there really somebody like that or am I creating this out of my mind? I think he goes to NYU because his major sounds like something that came out of Gallatin. Who else is not going to watch this film?
I had a pleasant surprise yesterday. Turns out that I had my splint removal date wrong. It was TODAY, not Saturday like I originally anticipated.
I went in today, and it was amazing to get that thing unwired from my upper teeth. The sensation of running my tongue over my back teeth was like an awkward reunion with the cousin you used to go skinny dipping with but now he’s older and you’re older and you don’t know what to say to each other and all you think about is how you used to run around naked in each other’s paddling pools… Yes, it was like that.
I also got my surgical hooks removed. I don’t know if I really talked about this, but my surgical hooks were really screws embedded in my gums. I don’t know the logistics of how that worked, nor do I really care to know because just the thought of it makes me a little nauseous. When I got those taken out, I’m pretty sure my doctor used a screw driver. Or at least it felt like it. Also, one of them was stuck to my upper lip, so that was painful. Other than that, I didn’t feel much because I have no feelings in my gums right now. NONE. (On the up side, on the subway ride home I started getting those champagne bubble fizzy feelings in my left lower lip, and I’m beginning to feel hot and cold temps on the other numb bits.)
Afterwards, I had to take photos and then got my first ortho treatment post-op. The joy of the splint removal was a little short lived as I got some rubber bands on my back brackets. To be honest, I’m a little confused with the purpose of these because I can feel my back molars meet (at least on the right side where I have feeling). I wore them for about 2 hours when they gave me an immense headache, so I removed two of the four I’m supposed to wear. I’m getting to be a pro with these bands.
For dinner, I celebrated by eating McDonald’s, which kinda grosses me out. I haven’t eaten Micky D’s in about 2.5 years. Maybe even more than that. I can even remember the last time I ate it. My best friend and I were driving back to campus after a night out – I’m going to assume we were partying – and were starving so we stopped at the only place open at 3 or 4 am and swore we would never mention to anyone that we ate there. The good news is that I’ve discovered that I can chew a lot more than I anticipated. AND, chewing is so much easier without the splint. You have less of that where-does-the-food-go-after-chomping chaos.
Now that I’m feeling really post-op, I suppose there’s not much to do except continue to attempt to chomp through foods I used to love and worry about whether or not my new bite will shift (resulting in even more dental work, heaven forbid, I would just dieeeee).
Before Kayne West became known for the joker that he's become, he was actually doing things that were meaningful. The first single he ever released as a rapper was "Through the Wire." I was a freshman in college at that time, completely unaware of how much meaning this song would have for me in the future.
He recorded the song after being involved in a near fatal accident in Hollywood. He had to undergo reconstructive facial surgery, which resulted in having metal plates placed in his face and his jaw wired shut for 6 weeks. Two weeks into jaw ordeal, he recorded this song - with his wired still in place. That's amazing. And I bet there isn't a single post-op orthognathic patient who doesn't sympathize with the following words:
I drink a boost for breakfast, and ensure for dizzert
Somebody ordered pancakes I just sip the sizzurp
That right there could drive a sane man bizzerk
Today is the 5 week mark! 10 more days until my splint is no more, and only 3 more weeks until my 2 month anniversary. My life is all about numbers these days.
I’ve been eating pasta lately. Long noodles are easier as you can just cut them up and swallow them whole, but I’ve been attempting to chew more lately so I’ve been eating macaroni type noodles. Chewing is still a bit tiring after a while, and halfway into the meal, I start just swallowing. I’m still having issues with the food reaching my throat without having my tongue guide it there. I think it’ll be easier once the splint is out.
I’m also trying to get my stamina back up to where it used to be pre-op. I get tired really easily, which is frustrating because there are so many things I want to do. It’s difficult because I can get my energy levels up without eating and since eating is a chore I tend not to eat as much. Catch 22.
I spent a lot of time staring at my neck yesterday. It looks longer. When I put my hair up, I look like that girl on TV with the extremely long neck. One time, she came on screen with her hair in a top knot, and her neck looked crazy. That’s me now. I can no longer wear the top knot, one of my favorite hairstyles after seeing countless Swedish girls rock the shit out of it in May.
I’m now in the clear for the acne that appeared post-op. They disappeared like they came – without notice and suddenly. I can now count on one hand the pimples I have left. Four. Well, three and a half. One is about to leave.
Now I’m counting the days until the splint is gone – 12 more awful days with this mess and then it’s ta-ta!
