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.