WELL Its been awhile since I've made a new blog post! I guess it has just been super busy, plus I started a YouTube video blog as well, so I have made newer posts on that.
I had my surgery last Wednesday (the 16th)!! It went well and everything turned out great. My surgeon is located in Springdale, AR, which is about 3 hours away. So my parents and I went down the day before for my Pre-op appointment. During this appointment the nurse just informed us of what to expect and what to do for after the surgery. The doc made some last minute measurements so that night he could do a "trial-run" of my surgery to make sure all was ready and precise. That made me feel so confident in him! After that appointment, my parents and I went out to a nice dinner (this would be my last). I had a great steak, baked potato, shrimp, salad...hmmm my mouth is watering RIGHT NOW.
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| Last supper :( |
The next day I woke up very nervous about my surgery, but ready to get it over with. However, my surgery was not until 2pm so that meant no eating, or drinking (not even water) the whole day. We arrived at the surgical center around 1:15, but they were a bit delayed so I did not get taken back until around 2:15. I entered a room and was presented with a lovely surgical gown. I put it on and then waited for a nurse to come in to wrap my hair. They did this so that during the surgery, my hair would be out of the way and would not interfere with the surgery.
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| Right before surgery with my hair wrapped up! |
Next, the anesthesiologist came in to talk with my parents and I about what exactly he would do and how he was going to take great care of me. At this point, I was very ready to just get it over with. In the next couple minutes, Dr. Boldings nurse, Whitney, came and got me and took me back to the operating room. I laid down on the table/bed thing, and they started my IV. They did something else that was very interesting to me. When they started the IV, they took a couple vials of blood that, during the surgery, they would spin down to its richest form. Then when the surgery was near completed, they would use that blood to place back into my jaw areas. This promotes better healing and reduces after-surgery swelling! How neat! :)
So then the anesthesiologist said he was going to give me a little cocktail. And some cocktail it was! I remember starting to cough for whatever reason and then the whole room began to twirl and spin... and that was it.
Until I woke up... Oh man.
Not the greatest feeling ever. I was so sick... Throwing up blood. Actually spraying blood because of course, I could not open my mouth. It was the worst I think I've ever felt. Sorry to scare any one reading this prior to surgery-- This may not happen to you! It was just my reaction to the drugs, I believe. So after sitting there for however long just thinking about what all just happened, they finally told me I could go up to my suite where I would stay the night. They wheeled me up and got me into my bed. For whatever reason, I decided to call a few friends (they tried their best to understand me). Then I was out again.
The next morning I started off with a yummy Ensure drink and some meds! The doc came to visit me and then we were headed home. I slept pretty much the whole way home. And that's it really. I've had some difficulties since surgery;
- Nausea: because of not eating very much, swallowing a lot of blood as well
- Bloody nose/coughing up blood
- Sleeping through the night, getting comfortable
- HEADACHE- My temple area hasn't really stopped pounding since surgery.. I'm guessing from all the trauma my face has gone through :)
- boredom- although I have had some nice visitors come to see me which was so GREAT
- Hunger! This one is probably the worst...
Other than all that, things have been getting better! Ive been feeling better with each day which is nice! My swelling is starting to go down, as well. Ill post back again soon with any new updates! Thanks for reading!
Here are some before/after pictures throughout the process so far!
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| Side profile |
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| Side profile |
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| front view... ugh never again! |
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| Sorry its gruesome! Right after surgery! |
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| Side profile after surgery! |
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| Looking good :) ha! |
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| One side of stitches (starting to bruise as well!) |
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| Not thrilled about this food! |
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| Right before surgery compared to day after surgery! Its crazy! |
Also forgot to link up this with my YouTube account for those interested in following it as well!
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBDAILEY10/videos
Your journey through jaw surgery was never an easy experience. You even stated in your first blog that you’re scared of how things would go. Well, you made it! All you needed was time to recover. I bet right now, you’re living the normal life again and finally showing off that beautiful smile. And oh, you’re finally able to eat the food you’ve been craving for. Congratulations and cheers to your new life! ;)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you had to go through after the jaw surgery. My orthodontist advised me to be creative about what I eat during the first few weeks. I had a pureed diet at home. During 4th to 6th week, my food didn’t need to be liquid anymore, but soft meals that requires minimal chewing such as scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes.
ReplyDeleteRandal Cole