Well I spent a lot of this weekend feeling very tired. My mom came down to visit/help and I spent a lot of time talking, and did some running around. Which made me very, very tired. I didn't get naps or quiet time either. Last night I slept pretty poorly (the windchimes out clanging all night on the deck right outside the living room where I sleep in the recliner didn't help much). I need to remember to go remove the windchimes before I bunk down for the night. It's really a pain being in the recliner still. Saturday am I did a little test and tried laying down for a bit. It really made my neck and face and chin quite uncomfortable. It's difficult if we have guests because no one can be in the kitchen or living room where the recliner is since the light and noise keeps me awake. Frankly folks, I need my rest and I'm not getting great rest. I wish I could nap during the day, but that only seems to happen if I take some pain meds. I try not to take them during the day even I need them, because I don't want to be drugged up and feel crummy. Those meds make me feel like I have a hangover. I'm taking Ibuprofen every 6 hours or so half a dose of the Lortab before bed. I usually have chin and lip and sinus and ear pain by then. My chin, lips, cheeks, and nose are still almost completely numb. My swelling has gone down a lot on the outside, but I am still very swollen. By comparison it just looks like a lot less.
The drooling is becoming a little better. It is worse if I bend over. Talking is still a big chore. I tried some soft food to chew like cheese and banana. Wow, was it a chore. It is almost like my jaws forgot how to chew. I think I need to practice chwing. That sounds funny, doesn't it?
I am stilla huge mess when I "eat". I was sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, Paul, and V and drinking soup. Since my face is numb, this is what I looked like. Paul thought it was cute and picked up my phone and took a picture.
Do you see the black kitchen towel for drool and food around my neck? I also have my glasses off because they hurt my nose and sinuses.
You're at the stage in recovery that I believe is the hardest. You're at the point of being sick of sleeping sitting up, the recliner and couch suck, it's hard to rest, you're hungry,a dn sick of wiping your drool. But I promise that will get better with each day! Chewing is really weird at first, but you will get used to it. Literally, one day you will just wake up and chewing will feel perfectly normal, you'll be able to talk just like you used to, and you won't be drooling everywhere. Just hang in there a few more days! The hardest part is over! It may not seem like it at first, but everything is improving a little bit every day, and in just a couple of weeks you'll feel like a totally different person than you do right now.
ReplyDeleteJEN,
ReplyDeleteYou have been through a great deal with your surgeries. I am proud of you for going forward and having this one. We're all thinking of you and wishing you the best.
ANN
I think you look great! The last time I visited you were right in the midst of the swelling. Now I see a beautiful face and balanced features hiding behind the soup!
ReplyDeleteHang in there--you've got 3 weeks behind you, and days of feeling better and better ahead!