3 weeks to go! No more BITE PLATE!

It will be 4 weeks on Wednesday!!! One Month POST-OP!!! Whooooo I made it! Yay! A lot has happened since I wrote a few weeks ago so I hope this info will be helpful for anyone considering surgery or just interested in the medical/life part. 

First off let me say that the swelling continues to go down a bit everyday. In the morning because I have switched to sleeping in bed again, and with only one pillow or none at all (thats the way I like it HA!), I have consequently woken up with a slightly swollen face. Luckily throughout the day it usually fades off around 3 or so. I got my bite plate out on Tuesday and it's amazing how different my mouth feels! I kept biting trying to figure out how it should be but now it just fits all on its own. There is so much space in there that just wasn't there before haha. It's incredible. Feels so odd to have my teeth together but it's great I love it! I just shove food in to my mouth and suck or swallow so no biting yet but in 3 weeks I can chew!! Oh and I stopped the antibiotics after 10 days so that was really nice. To anyone having surgery I would suggest taking fish oil and making sure you use plenty of bacitracin or vaseline on your face and lips. The fish oil seemed to really help my skin stay flexible as did the vaseline. And despite what your doctor may tell you it feels way better to sleep in a chair the first week than to lay down. Even now after about a month, it hurts to put my face below my heart. Also, as a sure way to make sure you are getting enough calories (that is hugely important!) I would suggest eating pudding everyday! Not only is a sweet treat but I never really got tired of it. Chocolate doesn't taste very good the first few days though so make sure you get some vanilla! BOOST or Ensure with protein is good. Its hard to get enough of that when you can't chew. So just be careful and listen to what your body tells you. Everyone is different and no one thing always works for every person. 

Okay okay. So what have I really been up to?? Well, I have been reading a ton. It's fantastic! Out at school and when I am not recovering there are so many other important things to do that it is sometimes hard to find time to read anything for just fun. That's one thing I wish I was better at. I generally find time to read a book a month but I wish I could do better than that. Right now I have it down to a book every week or two weeks depending on the book. Haha. 

So what am I reading? Well I have read "Eat. Pray. Love.", 4 Ensigns (church magazines not books but whatever!), a lot of text online about my hobbies like accupressure & massage & palm reading -so fun and interesting! Right now I am delving into my parents and grandparents collection of books on gospel topics  and a few on the art of womanhood and what exactly that means. I am learning a lot which is the best part. What I find the most interesting is that I am reading these books for married women and they are actually fairly applicable to any and every woman...not just the married woman. Like in this book I am finishing up called "Fascinating Womanhood", Helen Andelin points out the differences between the needs and wants of men and women and what attracts us to each other. It's really good. If you are a married woman...I guess I do believe this book could possibly save your marriage, if you aren't married well its a good read and its just good stuff to know. Sure helps me in my relationships with my brothers, cousins, friends, and Dad just to know what they need.  Next up is my second read of "The 5 Love Languages". I loved this book the first time because it really helped me realize what I needed and expected of those who love me. I also further discovered ways to figure out what their love languages are so that I could more easily communicate my love to them. We are very complex beings, us humans. We have a capacity to really care about others and where a lion might just fight to protect his pride, a man might try to and successfully make a compromise. We have the responsibility and challenge to think.

Anyway, I have also recently taken up yoga again. I missed it terribly. It makes morning meditations much easier as well as provides a peaceful but serious work out if you do it right. Admittedly because of my face I have avoided going into advanced downward dog positions or hand and head stands like scorpion however I hope to take those up again starting in November or December. Whenever I can actually dive off my dad's shoulders and not feel my face throb all night afterwards...then I will again take on scorpion and perhaps more serious cliff diving. haha. Currently I just jump off...no diving. The head below the heart thing just gets to me. So really I have just been taking it easy and trying to let my body heal as naturally as possible. I give into pain meds when it starts to hurt bad enough otherwise a heated rice pack works great! 

Hope all of you are having a fun time wherever you are and whatever you are doing! If you get a chance I would suggest that you take 5 minutes at night or in the morning and just sit somewhere it is quiet and just smile. It will feel dorky at first but I promise that if you find a comfortable position and just sit like that for 5 minutes at the beginning or close of your day you will feel a lot happier. According to tradition in Bali, The Smiling brings good spirits around and good energy into your body and soul. And where there is a lot of good the bad cannot come. So...i offer these words with a prayer of happiness and contentment or at the very least learning, with love

Abby

P.S. If you are looking at my pictures if you know my sister you may notice that with my operation I look more like her than ever! I am happy to say that too because my sister is truly gorgeous inside and out. She is a good woman.  

Days 5 & 6....you won't believe this!!

Pictures *****: the 2nd two are from yesterday and the top 2 are from today!! YAY

Day 5 (Monday August 31, 2009)

So yesterday I got up way later than normal. I woke up at around 7 and was doing stuff by 8. The scary/annoying thing was I woke up writhing in pain because I hadn't had pain meds in 7 hours. That blew! Not even kidding I feel like someone was sawing my jaw right then and there. Sad day, but it got better. Now out at school and stuff I know thats pretty normal for me during the week, and on weekends to sleep in until around 10 or 11. However, since having surgery I have been averaging about 5 hours of sleep a night, with several naps during the day. Normally i sleep from 12-5 which is alright because I take my antibiotics every 6 hours so midnight and 6, noon, and 1800. Yup yup early early. I made my first smoothie since having my operation. I know thats hard to believe but seriously! I have no idea why I didn't do that earlier. 

I made a strawberry and peach smoothie with a bit o honey and milk. Extremely delightful considering the circumstances. My tummy loved me all day for it. I also finished watching The Lion King...What a frikin fantastic movie. I am so excited to say that I think I love it as much now as when I was 1/4 my age. When I was 5 though, my favorite characters were definitely timon and pumba. Duuude I love em!! HAKUNA MATATA!! "what a wonderful phrase..." thats so true. No worries man. "You gotta put your past behind ya" ~Timon. I completely agree. Ya know all things happen for a reason and we just have to discover that reason or accept that its happened and then we can move on and gain the most from it. Its funny, and satisfying, to be able to look back at almost everything in my life good and bad, and see that everything happened for some awesome reason that I can pretty much understand today. There are some things that I honestly do not like accepting but I know that one day I will understand, or not, and thats ok. Anyway, back to what I was saying before haha. Now my favorite character for sure is Rafiki. Did you know that in swahili rafiki means friend. I don't remember when I learned that but I like it, and love him! Haaha. "A santesana squashed banana, hmmm, hmm, hmmm, hmm, hmmm, hmm, hmmmm, hmm" haha. I love it. And he does a lot of what I want/like/wish i could do. Meditation, spiritual, open to revelation, close to the earth, he is wise, funny as all get out, and hey he's a baboon. I think if I weren't a human I could be a baboon, or an otter. haha. fun stuff. 

Well yesterday I also realized that I could kinda smile!! YAY! I ate some soup. Made up my actual bed with raised head, and then fell dead asleep. 

Day 6

Tomorrow it will have been a week since surgery!! I almost don't believe it. This means only 5 more weeks to go, and I can already eat soup, cottage cheese, smoothies, peas, yogurt, soaked pieces of bread, and pudding. Hahaha. YAY! I can actually eat a few more things than that but today I went to the store with my mom to make sure I will have a few of those things around. I have lost about 5 pounds which I guess I am ok with but since I really don't want to lose any more weight I got some BOOST Plus at the HEB. Chocolate tastes really weird right now so I am strictly a vanilla girl for the time being. I am hoping that some how I will get the recommended amount of  calories in the next few weeks because I am told it will speed healing and give me the energy I need to get back to doing normal activities. I am starting a food journal tomorrow to keep track of my intake and make sure that I really am getting enough fluids and calories!! I am excited. I have never really had one before, except for like 2 weeks when I started being a vegetarian the first time. Funny how that worked out. Two of my friends started it with me and then I held it for about a year and they dropped the diet after 2 months. Now they are both vegan, vegetarians, and I eat meat. haha. Love life man! I also got some goober grape, mango juice, V8 juice (i really miss my vegetables!!!!!), and a few cans of broccoli cheese, and chicken & stars soups. :D I am now the definition of a happy camper!! 

Today I woke up so late. I went to bed at midnight and got up at 1pm. CRAZZY! You know what bothered me the most....I missed a dose of my antibiotics!! Ugh. Its ok though. I woke up not in pain just bugged by the fact that I slept so late and wouldn't have time enough to get every thing done I needed to today. For example, since I still can't talk coherently on the phone I needed my momsy or grandparents to call the doc to schedule an appt but my grandparents were gone and my momsy was busy until 2:45 and we went to the store at 3 and didn't get out until 4. Sad. The clinics I need appts at close at 4 so we couldn't call today. Luckily we can call tomorrow!! :) I just hope that my post-op is on thursday haha. That ones really important. They said they might remove my outer stitches on thursday. There are two dark spots on my face with a blue thread stickin out and those are my stitches. Then inside I have stitches all along the bottom of my lip...thats why it is so swollen. Well after getting back from HEB I was exhausted! But I still had to make mashed potatoes for dinner, and I did eat some yumm. 

After only one week the swelling is down so much it's incredible. At the store today some people stared at me and gave me looks and it seemed as if they were trying to figure out if and what was wrong with me. haha. I have bruises and discoloration still and the stitches and swelling. haha. I can only imagine what they thought. 2 People were totally shocked when I actually spoke aahaha. Like I said I am not very coherent and I wouldn't be surprised if they thought I was retarded or something. When the missionaries were over this last week one asked if I had wisdom teeth out. Thats kinda flattering but also the only people really think of when they see a person my age with swelling in the face and ground up food in a dish. haha. I didn't eat in front of them. That would have been unkind. Now my eating is better and I can just drink normally. haha. I used to slurp and suck and lot to get it to my throat haha. Ewww. Jane said it made her feel sick to be around me when I ate. Hahaha. I really am sorry about that but that was the only way I figured out how to eat. I am glad to say is a lot more normal with fewer sound effects. 

Well I am still very tired even after a 3 hour nap following dinner. It's only 11 here but I think I will take another nap until 12, or go talk with my momsy and grandparents for a while. Antibiotics...I tell ya. Need my sleep so. Goodnight all. Hope you have had a great first two days of school at BYU or elsewhere, or just had a ton of fun living your life in whatever beautiful place you are blessed to be in. Seriously, I could live the rest of my life traveling the world because every place has something beautiful and unique to offer. At any rate HAVE FUN and make sure that you tell at least one person every day that you love them, laugh really big twice, and smile at three people you don't know. Everyday. Do that and you will change the world by adding a little bit more love into it. And the world could use a little more love everyday. 

with smiles and hopes, and dreams.

~Abby