Day 4

Today I have been a sunday snoozer. I slept so much today its crazy! Granted I needed every moment of it and am grateful for the time that I had. Ooooo and great news!! I have a new ability!! I can close my mouth!! YAY!!!! Before today I had been oozing and of course drooling like a mad person but today I can close and hold my mouth shut. I took pictures! Oh and I can kind of smile haha.  I mean at least it doesn't hurt to laugh as much now...man did I forget how funny the lion king is. Tarzan too. I watched a few disney movies today with my brother who also stayed home sick from church. 

I also discovered that the reason everything tastes weird is because the inside of my mouth is peeling. All that dead skin from surgery and such, is peeling off. I deal with peeling the skin off my lips every day now but its better since the swelling is down...but the inside, that makes me nervous. Luckily I have a tongue scraper which I have been using religiously the past two days. Thats as gross as it gets for today except that I think I have discovered stitches in my lower lip. I suppose that only makes sense but I just didn't realize what all was going on in there until today. 

My caloric intake today was much better than yesterday considering all I managed to get down yesterday was a yogurt cup, 2 cup of apple juice, 1 cup cranberry juice, and 1 cup chicken broth. No nearly enough for a day. But today haha, I stuffed down a vanilla Boost, several cups of water and juices, and spaghettios!! I have this idea that if I can fit it in my mouth, its soft enough you could gum it, then i can eat it! Tomorrow I get to have a smoothie and soup! yay! Honestly, I thought that this whole liquid/soft food diet would get old really fast but its not that bad. I eat less and sometimes what I eats tastes kinda funky but its not all that bad. At least its not all soupy...I mean I can eat cottage cheese! My favorite thing so far though is definitely yogurt, and I have never liked yogurt. haha. Tomorrow or Tuesday I get to go to the store and get some soft foods that I want!! YAY! I am so excited. I think I am going to get a lot of creamy soups. I am kinda tired of ground up foods. Hopefully my taste buds and mouth will get with the program and start letting me enjoy most of my food again. Who knows? 

Daddykins left today for Colorado, and he won't be back until Thursday. At the rate I am healing though, my swelling should be down far enough by Thursday that only those who know me well will know that I am swollen. That's what the doc said on Wednesday when I left the hospital. Bruising may continue to get worse but thats alright, I think its kinda cool. I have more battle scars haha. My grandpa made a comment today about how many pictures I have been taking of myself. But really can ya blame me? When in my life will my face and neck be like this again?? Hopefully never again but thats the point. I have to document. haha. It's kinda fun and it gives me something to do. 

Well thats it for tonight...i need to get some sleep. Have fun and thanks for reading. And remember to live happily, tell those who matter that you love them dearly, and have a few good belly laughs everyday. It helps. :D 

Day 3...oozing bruises

Holla!!

I am feeling quite a bit better today. After 72 hours the swelling is definitely down. Thank goodness. All that pressure on my poor little face just hurt. Don't get me wrong, I am still fairly swollen but I can sorta smile now. Laughing hurts like crazy though, so I have to really watch it when I am around my dad. He calls what I do "inserting" rather than "eating"  and his description of it gets me every time. I just crack up. I am so easy to make fun of and I actually don't mind it as long as its all in good fun. 

Even though the swelling is going down my jaw is ever more painful. I think it has something to do with the fact that the swelling cushioned my face and now that its going down my face, neck, and chest are showing more bruising and hurting more. My bottom lip swelling is even down!!! That makes me so excited. Today i about caused my grandpa to have a heart attack when I leapt for joy because I took a drink of chicken broth without 1)using my finger to hold up my lip and 2) I didn't spill all over myself!! Oh yeah baby! Progress!!! I didn't eat much today though. I was sleeping and hurting and feeling drowsy and dizzy most of the day. I must make up for that tomorrow. Good news moment! I am maintaining my weight at 115 so far!! That makes me so  happy because honestly losing tons of weight would be neither healthy or comfortable right now. I have noticed that my legs are getting thinner and that worries me because they are small  enough. I am bloated because of all the meds and liquids but I am sure that will sort itself out like everything else. 

Right now I can hear my dad playing music downstairs and it makes me think about when I was little and he would do that when I was trying to fall asleep. :)  I love being home. Jane left this morning and now I am a tad bit more lonely but its all good I know that I have people around that love me and want to help me get better so I am content where I am. P.S. sleeping on a recliner isnt nearly as awful as it sounds, and when lying down completely hurts, well a recliner is like a dream bed. 

Have fun! Hakuna Matata

Day 2...heat packs yay!

Hello all,

I am glad to report that with my recent discover that I can take percocet every 4 hours, that my pain is very much decreased from yesterday. Not only that but it's also good to know that I have to take antibiotics every 6 hours. Today I found out that ground up enchiladas are actually pretty tasty when you add sour cream and hot picante sauce to them! I was thinking while eating my yummy ground up bread pudding, about the one thing I really wanted to eat instead of bread pudding. I had been thinking about Enchiladas, one of my top favorite foods. Lo and behold, thats what we had for dinner, and I didn't even say a word to momsy about my secret food desires. 

Today I made the switch from cold/ice packs to heat. Unfortunately the heat makes my face and skin swell even more...vasodilation...ugh. On the flip side, my face and neck muscles are loving the heat. They relax which in turn lessens the tension on and around my face, which lowers my pain level significantly. Also, the futon couch is way more comfortable than the brown couch I was sleeping on last night so I am excited for a more comfortable nights sleep. I know the docs said that I could lay down to sleep but ya know, that just hurts. Laying down hurts, even half laying down kinda hurts. Too much pressure on my face. So this isn't the most relaxing and chill surgery to recover from in the whole world  but hey, at least I can still pretend to eat normally. Granted I have little control over my bottom lip (because it is huge!!) which makes eating and especially drinking incredibly difficult. I have managed however to find ways to push my lip against the glass so that I do not spill everywhere!! YAY! The first time I did it I literally patted myself on the back. I was so happy! Which reminds me, mom kept bugging me all day yesterday about my hair and how it needed to be washed. Today, I took a bath and washed my hair all by myself. haha. Its funny that, that fact makes me so happy. It was a task indeed. My head was throbbing and I felt really weak but I did it. My hair is clean. 

Want to know something kinda cool?? My jaw/chin was moved forward 13mm. THATS CRAZY! Really awesome actually! I am really excited to see what it all looks like when the swelling goes down. Good news though, it should start decreasing tomorrow!! Dad leaves on a business trip for a few days this week and I am hoping that by the time he gets back I will be able to talk more normally. Everyone asks me what part hurts the most. To be quite frank, all of it. Everything just hurts differently. Bone pain sucks and really that is the most intense pain that I feel. I mean really I have 3 screws in each side of my jaw plus new bone!! This pain is eased by the motrin and percocet though which believe me without them I would be writhing in pain most of the time. Then on top of that there is the muscular pain in my neck and face, thats just completely different. It hurts but can be soothed fairly easily by light massage, heat, etc. The most annoying and terrible looking part of it all, is the swelling. The swelling hurts like I don't even know what! I feel like my bottom lip has been stretched out over my head and around down by my feel then left to swell up. Ugh! It hurts. Heat kinda helps soothe the swelling pain but it also makes it worse. Ice worked so well but now Ice is hurting my muscles so thats a no go. So all in all, yes it hurts really bad, but then again not as bad as I had imagined so I am quite happy with the results. yay!! 

This is Jane's last night here and I am sad to see her go. I miss her when shes not around. Even when she is just down stairs I miss her and wonder where she is. Haha. I think its separation anxiety. We have never been separated this long in our entire friendship of 9 almost 10 years and so now that we are back together after a long year its like I don't want to let her go again. But she must and I must stay here. Thats life. Asi es la vida. Its good too, I am glad we have had time together though and that she was here for my surgery. I had my hospital buddy with me there. yay!! But hey I had better go take a nap or something...goodnight my dear friends and family, and followers haha

Remember to smile because all a frown really does is bring other people down, and when you look in the mirror if thats what you see than you keep yourself down. Smile and remember that everyday is worth living. Something good and important is supposed to happen for you every single day. 

Life is Good

Day 1...OBESE Cheeks

Holla! Today is Day One after surgery. I am doing better than yesterday but my face is HUGE!! I am more swollen than yesterday and will be even more swollen tomorrow. Crazy! After tomorrow though, the swelling should go down. I can't even begin to explain how happy I will be once the swelling goes down. My bottom lip is huge! It hurts so bad! And every now and then my mouth will still bleed but at least m not constantly bleeding like yesterday. 

But before I begin talking about today I think I should mention a few things about last night. At about 3 am my IV got bent somehow and I had to get another one. It took about 4 tries to get a new IV and I just kept ice on my face all night. Since it took so long to get another IV, I got to talk to the techs and stuff for a while which took my mind off how uncomfortable my face felt. After another little while I was able to finally fall asleep! Thank goodness! 

This morning my docs stopped by and checked my bite. I can bite all the way down without it hurting too bad so they decided not to band up my teeth! YAY! Then once I could swallow most of what I shoved into my mouth and keep it down, well I was able to come home. So here I am. I have antibiotics, percocet, motrin 800 mg tabs, bacitracin for my lips, and mouthwash...since I can't brush for a few more days. Right now I'm watching Forrest Gump and chillin on the couch. I hope I will be able to get some pea soup down for dinner. Luckily that will be good tasting and followed by water shouldn't hurt too much. And hey tonight I can play mormon bridge to keep my mind off the swelling. Really, it doesn't hurt as bad as it looks like it would. Thats the good part. Anyways, I am going to go eat! Wish me luck! Enjoy the pics. Today is only Day One and swelling and bruising are still getting worse. By tomorrow night I believe that my neck will be completely bruised. Looking forward to the next few days, things will only get better!!

Thanks again for all the love and well wishes! I appreciate all of the support! It helps me stay focussed and remember that this part will not last forever. I had imagined all of this hurting a lot more too! At least I can handle it though. The med tech I had watchin me this morning saw me in regular clothes when I checked out and complemented my figure sayin I looked good and that this surgery is probably only going to make things better all around. Haha. A few of em said that I must be really pretty without the swollen cheeks. That made me feel better, I must admit. Well, I'm headin out for the night. Have a good one and dream of good days and belly laughs. 

~Abby

Day Zero

Hey guys this is Jane "the friend". This is the post Abbs wrote in the hospital but she didn't have internet to post it. She'll be there at least through tomorrow, but she'll probably be coming home then. We'll see. She's doing really well, she has her air freshener so everything's good. Her face is pretty lopsided and swollen right now but she'll be even more gorgeous soon. Her chin is now 13 mm further forward than it was and it has a dead person's bone in it.....creepy. There is some bruising but we'll probably see more of that tomorrow. And now a note from "the mommy"---

Hey there fans!  I was Abby's first fan, before anyone else even knew her.  She could kick pretty good even then!  Anyway, as usual, Abby is a real champ.  She had a great attitude going into this thing, taking all kinds of pictures for post comparison and eating steak the night before, and she was fairly chipper tonight.  Now that is saying something for someone in huge amounts of pain (morphine and percoset go a long ways--see her post below) with ice bags on each cheek and an extra to blot where she wants it most.  I know she can't wait to see the results when the fat lips and cheeks disappear.  So, now you get to read Abby's own experience today.  Bye.

Wednesday 

Friends, family, freaks, geeks, lovers, and laughers,

Hi yall!! So I am alive!! Yay no serious problems or complications! My surgery went as well as planned. When I was checkin in at the Airforce Gate to get on to Base surgery called and said I needed to rush in because the OR (Operating Room) was already to get me in and get er done, even though my scheduled check-in time wasn’t for another 20 mins! I ran in with Jane up to the Lab and the techs were held up so I let them know after about 15 mins of waiting, that the OR was ready and wanted me there 10 mins ago. haha. One tech figured out there was a hold up and that my case was urgent so we went down to the lab on the first floor...and luckily found an empty room. He works in UA (urine analysis) which I found interesting, I like medicine so don’t be too shocked by that. He says that after working there a little while you get used to the urine smell and you can actually smell different bacteria and substances in the urine without checking...which they check anyway of course! 

After getting my blood drawn we went up to Same Day Surgery where Jane and I waited for about 15 mins for my Dad to come up and then 10 more mins before I headed off for more pre-op check in. I got changed and was rushed out to the waiting room to drop off my stuff and head to the pre-OR station where it took longer than expected to get an IV, for it seems I still have runaway veins. Finally they got it going and I got wonderful anesthesia. I don’t remember much after that until I woke up in post-op. Soon thereafter I met up with my mom and jane.

Now...bleeding a lot but with a suction thing that gets it out. Lots of rinsing and just management. haha. The pain isn’t nearly as bad as I had imagined. Really just feels tight and sore to open much. I can talk a bit more than I thought I’d be able to and actually they encourage it to some degree. Its hard to get up and walk on my own because of the drugs but its all good. 

So I will write more tomorrow...hopefully jane will post some pics and her thoughts about the whole shabang! But hey Im sooo swollen and thats really the hardest part. Its hard to swallow anything but i gotta do what i gotta do. thanks for the support and love and prayers and hope! I love you all and hope that you are having a great week! 

~your mushroom/cow/blimpie faced, funny little friend~

Wednesday!! Pre-surgery :D

So, I didn't post last night because honestly i just didn't want to. haha. Too busy doing all the things I can't do for the next 6 weeks. Well Just typing to say hey and that I am heading out. Jane will post pictures and info tonight but I gotta rush! Gotta go shower and remove nail polish, etc. Surgery will be about 4 hours or so and I will be in the hospital at least tonight. We will see how it goes! Thanks for the well wishes and love you all! Have fun! And remember things are really only as hard as you believe they are...and sometimes they are DANG hard~

abby 

Monday!! 1.5 days!!

Okok,  

So I lied. Well I didn't lie. I just didn't end up taking tons of pictures today. However I was quite productive considering how tired I was today. Ummm...so this morning Jane and I woke up 15 mins late at the time we should have been leaving to drop my daddykins off at work. So we were more than rushed but still got to Wilford Hall on time. Wilford Hall is the hospital where I will be having my surgery, its on Andrews Airforce Base. I saw HemOnc and got my labs done there and some other necessary things. Then right after that we went home to take a nap and then headed to the gym. 

Oh my gosh! I haven't really worked out since I got out here so I loved every moment of it. I run about 10 minute miles and I got to 2.5 straight today, which is great! Especially since I forgot my inhaler in the car and started to tense up haha. I get this idea in my head sometimes that if I just push it that I can keep going and not walk it out for a few minutes between miles...well thats what I did today and thats where my problem was. Oh well, maybe one day I will learn. Gotta love awesome breathing techniques though. They save my life I tell ya. Let's just say it was a well earned workout hight today. I will admit that I am rather upset that I won't be able to workout much until about 3 or 4 weeks after surgery so really today was the last day. I think I might be rebellious though and go running tomorrow morning and then do some routine yoga anyway. I know I am supposed to relax before surgery but 1 month! Really?? 

So... I looked up all of this info about post-op care because I don't know, I just like to be informed. While doing the search I found awesome recipes that I can't wait to try...never would have thought of spinach salad as being good blended into a very liquidy soup but I might as well try it. I think I will get sick of ensure real quick so I am preparing in advance. haha :) My Orthodontist suggested that I try nachos ground up. He had top jaw surgery, I am having bottom, so he knows what it is like to be on a liquid diet for 6 weeks. I'm looking forward to that creation! I also found on youtube a lot of really interesting and informative videos about jaw surgeries. I really was surprised by this one girls videos...the swelling and bruising seemed to go away so fast. here is the link to her site if you want to watch the videos. It's nothing nasty I promise.  Just kinda cool to see her progress. Who knows maybe I will make a few videos and put em up haha. 

Today was a great day and I have tons more planned for tomorrow. Pictures for sure will be uploaded tomorrow night for yall to see and believe me if you stay tuned then you will see some interesting ones on wednesday and thursday. Don't be surprised if my hair is shorter tomorrow too...I'm getting it cut so that surgery will be less of a mess. I really dont want nasty things in my hair haha. I will take befores and afters of that too no worries. But hey tomorrow is my relaxation day before surgery so I will be taking care of last minute prep and eating wishes before I can't eat for a while. 

Food to eat tomorrow:

baby carrots

chips

gum

cereal

whatever i get at the rainforest cafe

bread (something i won't be able to eat for 3 weeks or more)

And whatever else my little heart desires and I can get ahold of haha...i love food :) 

I am getting a bit more nervous about surgery but the more I learn about it and the more I think about it, the better I feel. It's the right thing, and the right thing to do is rarely the easiest thing but hey compared to a lot of things this is a walk in the park and as my friend keeps reminding me, at least I won't be in school too. That's so true! That would suck...but here I am with people ready and willing to help take care of me when I need help in these next few weeks. YAY! Love you all and hope you have a great night. Maybe tonight will be the 3rd night in a row that I dream of beautiful languages, food, books, and beaches. If one thing has been constant in my life, for about 5 days before every surgery I have wonderful dreams about secret desires that I wish to fulfill later in my life. It's a great relief that at least when I sleep I set my concerns and stress and pain aside to go with the people i love, or in peaceful solitude, to beautiful places around the world, I can only really dream of. 

:D  A GOOD dream is one of the small and simple pleasures that I treasure as much as a really good eclair or a chat with a good friend. 

Abby

Sunday...3 days to surgery

Dearest followers and devoted friends,

I just want to say thanks for all of the wonderful support you have offered me in the past few months. I started this whole journey I suppose the day I was born...its not like i chose an overbite but ya know life worked out this way so here I am. 

The first time I heard that I might need surgery was back in Aberdeen, MD when I was about 13. All I knew then was that it MIGHT be a good idea but would probably be completely unnecessary. Yeah right. haha. So After having braces a year and a half (in my freshman year of high school) to see if that would fix anything I was told that surgery would be necessary to fix my bite. I hated that option and decided that I could live with it as long as it didn't hurt and annoy me everyday. Well, now it does just that. When I came home to San Antonio to visit my family for Christmas we threw around the idea of surgery and met the head surgeon at the Army Hospital here, but I wasn't totally serious until new years, after I had read Leah's blog about her surgery (click to read)

It was then I called my parents and said "I'm going to do this!" "We are going to do this!" And away I went. 

I called up Dr.Trapnell my Orthodontist out at school and I got braces on 2 weeks later! It's crazy how fast all of this has gone and I am glad to say that it took a lot less time than I thought. Dr. Trapnell said that surgery is a great option for me and that I could expect good results and have my braces off a year after surgery. So...3 days after my initial appt I got my braces!! Woot! Then I came back for a break between terms and had my first surgery appt. I had to have my case submitted to the  board of the hospital and they decided that they could take my case. Little did I know they thought i was ready for surgery then...in JUNE!! I went back to school for summer term and my Orthodontist finally thinks that I am ready for surgery. YAY! 

My friend asked why I want surgery and I just have to tell you all so you know...My jaws lock up occasionally and everyday my jaws hurt and my bite sucks. I think that a lot of my pain is muscular because for the past 2 years it has gotten steadily worse. I get more and more tension headaches every month, from trying to correct the problem myself. Bringing my chin forward when I smile, trying to bring all my teeth together when I eat, etc. Trying to hold my jaw in the right place just puts a lot of extra strain on my facial muscles which I hope will be relieved after surgery and my bite is corrected. That and it will look better haha.  

I got back to San Antonio on Monday and Tuesday morning I had my second surgery appt. I went in thinking ya know I probably won't have surgery for a good month or so, so this is no big deal right? WRONG! After looking at my file the surgeon says, "well ma'am would you like surgery sooner or later?" Thinking that sooner meant like 3 weeks I said, "sooner." The next thing I knew my parents were calling me at the same time, my head was spinning, and I had agreed to have surgery NEXT WEEK!! I had no idea things would go this fast, but ya know why not just get er done! So Wednesday August 26th, 2009 is the date for my Mandibular Advancement Surgery. In doing all of the Pre-op work this week I have come to find out some great news about the post operative odds and ends:

-I will not be wired shut except for surgery!! YAY! 

-Instead I will have a metal plate in my mouth that will line up my bite, but I will be able to open and close it

-I will be hospitalized for the first day or so after surgery until oral pain meds are enough and I'm not bleeding and "oozing" profusely. A really nasty part of almost every surgery I have ever had. 

-I will be able to eat soup and stuff normally but its true, no solid food for 6 weeks!!! 

-I do not have to sleep sitting up for a week but it is recommended that I sleep up in a recliner to prevent swelling.

-I will have at least 6 screws in my face afterwards. 3 on each side of my jaw.

-If necessary they will cut my chin and bring it forward so I dont look funky after. which would involve an additional 3 to 6 screws. And no these will not go off in the airport haha. 

-There will be no outward scarring...its all done inside the mouth.

-Right after surgery my lower jaw should be completely numb and it will just be very very very sore to talk

-My face will be HUGE! I have never really minded that haha...those of you with me during chemo know that well haha. I am used to not looking like myself for long periods of time. For me its more amusing than weird or ugly haha. 

-My face and jaw should be back to "normal" and healed almost completely after 5 or 6 months. 

So thats about it for now. I'm a bit nervous about surgery right now, but that's really only because I have never had General Anesthesia before. I don't know how I feel about being completely knocked out for over 5 hours. I am also nervous about waking up and not being able to move my mouth or talk. My mom said we can get a white board so that I can still talk to people...because they just don't know sign language well enough to talk with me in it. Too bad, for once I thought I could really use it :)  The only other thing I am a bit worried about is the weight loss. It is estimated that I will lost about 20 lbs and being only 110 to start...well, that sucks. I have been 90 before but I really don't want to go there again! 

So I will post more tomorrow...its PICTURE DAY!! I will be having a photo shoot haha...of my face, many angles just to have awesome before and afters! I just keep thinking about how different it will be afterwards! Im excited to get it over and done with so that I can get back to school and the rest of my life! It will be an adventure for sure! :D Never a dull moment in the life of Abby Cox...I tell ya. So Thank you for all of your support and well wishing! I appreciate it! Pray for me, hope for me, and think of me, for I will be doing the same for you.  I love you all and hope that you have a great week. And thanks Jane for flying in to see me and being here for my surgery! I really want/need you here. Well its really really late so I will write later. ADIOS!!

Your nervous/excited/happy with life/funny little friend,

Abby