Day 13 - what do I eat

Someone is always asking me, what can you "eat" these days? Can you drink through a straw? I wish I could, but my lips are still numb and it is too difficult. I'm only down 4 lbs since the surgery; I had lost 2 prior to that due to not being to chew well after receiving my lower implant denture and it being so high that my back molars didn't touch rendering me unable to chew much food.

Yesterday I ate:

9:30 am - two eggs blended with some milk and butter. Water. a sweet potato blended with protein powder and vanilla soy milk.
12:30 pm - two cups of blended homemade corn chowder my husband made for me. 1 cup fruit smoothie (frozen fruit, soy milk, protein powder, little greek yogurt)
2:45 - became very hungry. blended 1/2 c rotisserie chicken, no salt organic chicken broth, instant mashed potatoes, butter and drank it. Delish!
6:00 pm - 1/2 refried beans, little greek yogurt, guacamole blended. Another small smoothie.
10:00 pm - felt a bit nibbly. Drank half of a 210 calorie vanilla muscle milk drink.

It's an added challenge eating gluten free. I also eat a fairly high protein diet, so it's difficult to eat so many carbs.

If you have any good ideas, let me know!

Day 11- Day of Pain

I am still taking about 400 mg of Ibuprofen every six hours. The Lortab (narcotic) I take usually around 8:00 pm because my muscles and sinuses are singing a pain song by that time. If I take Lortab during the day, I usually have to sleep it off approximatly 2 hours after taking it. Then I feel yucky and hung over. How do people function on this stuff? I feel guilty whenever I take it, like I don't really need it and am getting addicted to this stuff.

It's no secret I've had pain behind my eyes and in the sinuses immediately below my cheeks. It's this terrible dull ache and quite intense. The rest of my face is still somewhat numb and I get zings and burning twinges of the nerves coming back. This can be uncomfortable. The sinus/cheek pain started yesterday afternoon (I had it a couple of days ago), and didn't stop much of the afternoon. By the time Paul brough V home I realized I should have taken the pain meds. I took them around 6:00 pm and they did not help. Around 9:00 I took more ibuprofen. I was crying and putting a heating pad and writhing around in the chair it was so awful. Then my chin started zinging and hurting. Finally, I must have fallen asleep.

This morning - Day 12, I woke up feeling a little dizzy (ugh oh) and a little nauseous. I pray and beg that this doesn't develop into something.

Day 10 - double digits

I guess it is no secret I wish to leave this experience far behind me. Yesterday I saw a little improvement, but boy you guys, is it slow. I took a shower. And I loaded the dishwasher. During which I became short of breath. I then convinced myself I had a pulmonary embolism. Sigh. I think my Hemoglobin is low actually. I was anemic going into surgery and I see my Hemoglobin was down to 9.5 post surgery. Plus I'm not eating enough. A typical day I will "drink" blended rice cereal with peanut butter & soy milk, blended mashed potatoes w/broth & margarine, 2 boxes of high protein drink, maybe some more soup and a smoothie. Maybe 700 calories a day. It takes so looonggg to get everything ready and then to prepare it and eat it. Paul brought me home some blended (yay, saves time) lentil soup from the middle eastern restaurant last night and I drank two large cups of it.

I miss my routine. I miss work and being able to play and be responsible for my daughter. My husband is traditionally at the office until between 730-930 each night, he's had to do daycare drop off plus pick up so he is home by 5:20 most evenings. I like it but I know is extremely difficult from a workload standpoint.



The verdicts:
Down 5 lbs in weight
still red pus sinus drainage, but becoming clearer. When will this end ????
nose is so sore and crusty from drainage and wiping
Still can't breathe via nose
still hurts to wear glasses
Still haven't driven anywhere
Swelling is waaaayyyy down.
Still drooling. Lips are still numb and swollen.
my lower jaw slides around in and out of the split frequently. I don't think it is supposed to be doing that.
Still on antibiotics
Not taking much pain meds. Lortab maybe before bed when all the muscles are tired. Ibuprofen regularly to help with swelling
Much of my face is still numb. The nerves pulse and burn and surge frequently and it is a little uncomfortable.

I'll post pictures later.

day 9

I don't feel like posting today because I felt actually fairly decent yesterday but then am having lots of sinus pain. Ugh. I just want to get back to normal!!! It hurts just to be on the computer. My sinus are full of cement. Vi was up coughing all night too. I'm in HELL I think sometimes.

The only positive point? My swelling is waaayyyy down.

Need a side view pic. Like the dishtowel around my neck to catch all the drool from my numb unable to close lips? The left eye swelling has turned into a black eye.

Day 6-7

I think there becomes a point in people's surgery where they "hit the wall" so to speak. The worst part has come, and things have hit rock bottom and will improve from this point. I really hoped I reached that part yesterday. Because it was awful. I don't want to get any worse than totally miserable. I'm a step up from miserable today.

I don't remember if I blogged about this yesterday, but I woke up with a lot of swelling around my eye. New swelling. There also was the foulest nastiest sulfur taste and smell in my mouth. Yesterday, my nasal fluid had become thin and clear. It was orange and brown and puss like and did I mention the taste in my mouth? It make me want to vomit it is like rotten eggs.



I called the resident on call and came in. He said my bite wasn't in the splint and added about four more bands. Gee, thanks. He also said my mouth was dirty with food (I am trying so hard, you try to clean your damn banded shut with no feeling drooly mouth). He wasn't sure if it was an infection or not (It is, and I am sure it is a sulfurous bacteria like Actinomyces). I was given Clindamycin to take 20 ml four times a day. I think I notice a small difference today.








If you are considering this procedure, please be informed about all the potential awfulness this may involve. I'm also pretty darn depressed. I am lucky I have so many people to care about me..

Day 5

I really haven't had too much pain lately. I take Motrin twice a day and the Hydrocodone maybe twice a day. Last night I got myself into trouble. P was at work my mom was giving V a bath and all these nerve spasms hit me all over my face plus throbbing ears. P got me the painkillers, water, and made me feel so much better with a smoothie. I think I let it go too long, because it didn't kick in as I had hoped.

There is still tons of sinus drainage and swelling. WHEN IS THE NOSE FAUCET GOING TO STOP?

I brushed the teeth I could reach with saltwater and tried to rinse, but when your mouth is splinted and banded and almost swollen shut, it wasn't too successful. My mouth and teeth feel GROSS!!!

Day 4

It is only Day 4? I thought it was later.
My nose is still terribly runny. It is an orange tinged mucus. WHEN IS IT GOING TO STOP? I'm still pretty numb, but my ears and under my chin ache. I drool constantly and between my leaky nose, numb lips, and drooling, I am going through lots of clothes and small towels as bibs. Lots of swelling. So much work to drink anything. The skin sluffed off my lips, painlessly. Some scabs left around my mouth. I'm using ice packs on and off, but they are destroyed from frequent use.

I don't' feel that hungry but have been drinking as much as I can. It is much easier with my throat not hurting, but still really difficult with numb lips. Nothing sounds that good. With increased caloric demands for healing, I should be around 2000 calories a day, I'm probably doing 400-600. I'm trying so hard! Usually have some blenderized soup, some protein drink, and then nothing after that sounds that good. Today my mom made me some blenderized rice cereal and I ate 4 synringes of that which was a LOT of effort, but still was only 100 calories of food.