post-op pictures

not bad :)

before surgery

POST-OP

WE DID IT!!! i got the surgery! yesterday at 7:30am. i honestly can't remember much after they had the IV in for a good ten minutes (which by the way, took five tries in different places). The next thing i knew i was in and out of consciousness in recovery. all that i remember from recovery was crying(because i couldn't breathe), and Dr. Piper bringing me my teddy bear! Then i woke up in our room with my mom and DJ.

30 Minutes after you wake up, you are required to walk up and down the hall, and then do it over and over again every 30 minutes. That wasn't bad at all, except you can only sleep for 30 minutes at a time. My face is a bit swollen, but mostly from my wisdom teeth extractions. As far as we have been told, the jaw surgery itself does not lead to much swelling.

Eating... well... drinking, is not too bad. they give you water, apple juice, ginger ale, and ensure to keep you hydrated and not hungry. the vanilla ensure wasn't bad, but i REALLY liked the strawberry. I didn't ever try chocolate because I'm not a big fan of chocolate as it is.

It took me a really long time to go pee. I guess peeing is pretty important after surgery, lol. I had the feeling that i had to pee, but every time i tried to go, it wouldn't come out. i tried and tried, and eventually, Piper said he wanted to to drain my bladder and do a catheter. I definitely did NOT want to that. and i think the possibility of it scared the pee right out of me. It took a few hours, and several trips to the bathroom, and i finally peed. no catheter for me :)

so i have lots if pictures and videos, and I'm assuming, you would like to see them as much as i would like to post them.. so i will make a few new blog posts, with different photo categories! but before i go, just know that you should probably get a dry erase board. not only does it help you "talk" , but will keep you and whoever is with you busy. :)

Quick Timeline

• Tuesday: since my mother is a photographer, we decided to take some pre-surgery pictures on the beach. I got my makeup done, got some cute outfits, and dragged my boyfriend (DJ) out and got some cute shots before I'm brace-face for a while. 

• Thursday: DJ and I went out for sushi, and a movie.. kind of like my last hoorah before braces!! 

•  Friday: Went to see doctor piper to get impressions for my splint. Then, headed over to the orthodontist and got me some new braces.. above is my before and after.

• Friday continued: Went out to hamburger Mary's with my friends. Just getting used to the new braces. 

• Sunday: Went to the beach with my friend Olivia. From far away, you can hardly see the braces!! not too shabby, eh?

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is the big day. ill be getting up, probably around 3:45, and leaving at 4:00. We have to be at the hospital by 5:30, and surgery at 8:00. My teeth are a little sore from the braces, and super cold-sensitive on one side for some reason, so we are going to see if the dentist can do anything about that on Tuesday. I'm super and excited and also super nervous, obviously. Two days after the surgery is the ambassador (my show choir) end of the year party. i really REALLY don't want to miss that, so I'm going to try my best to feel up to go say goodbye to all the seniors forever and to all the juniors and sophomores until next time. Will be blogging as soon as i am home from the hospital. maybe a Vlog? we'll see :) xo

Scatter Brain!

I will be spilling whats on my mind in this post. SO MUCH GOING ON!!!

• So, I just finished filling out the big packet of paperwork sent to us from Piper Clinic, and suddenly things are getting so real! I'm thinking happy thoughts, and remembering that when all is said and done, i will be so glad to have this taken care of! 

• My one fear coming out of surgery is yawning. Yawning sucks now, because my jaw range is limited, but it's tolerable. Also, i yawn A LOT for some reason. I don't know, it just freaks me out a little. I guess everyone has a fear going into surgery. 

• Another dentist update: I got my cleaning done, and all but one cavity filled (which will be done on Tuesday). On Monday I have auditions to make it back into the show choir I am in. Super nervous/excited! But after auditions and my last bit of dental work, i can relax until Friday, when i go in the get all my lab work done for the hospital. 

• I get to go to Hamburger Mary's with my show choir girls, and director that Friday, too! That will top off my week perfectly :) 

• The Monday after that i have to go in and get braces out on :( not looking forward to that a bit, but it must be done! It makes it a little more bearable, though, that they use the white/clear brackets in the front, so it doesn't look too bad. 

• I just went and got PJ's and tall socks, and a little jump suit thing for after the surgery! They're all super cozy! The jump suit is just something to throw on if i have to go out, so i don't have to wear jeans or anything uncomfortable, or a less decent like pajamas. 

• My surgery is a few days before my exams, which i will be making up later in the summer, and a week before my brother, and boyfriends graduation! So i will most likely be making a fat-faced appearance at my high school graduation (because ALL my friends are graduating this year), and my brothers graduation party. 

• Lots of family is flying in for my brothers graduation, and staying at our house, so it might be a chaotic first few weeks of recovery!!!! 

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE:

i found an old picture from after i got in my car accident. 

Back story: i told you guys about the accident, but not the treatment. i had to go in and see my chiropractor 3 times a week for almost 5 months! I had to ice my neck every evening 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, and repeat. I am not the kind of person who wants to lie in bed doing nothing, even when I'm icing my neck and back, so i had to think of a way that i could me mobile, and ice at the same time, without holding my ice packs to me with my hands! well, i definitely got creative! even gave myself a little spot to hold my phone :) The whole look, made complete with my favorite smiley boxers :) I hope you enjoy this silly image as much as I do! :)

Filling You In

I went to the dentist on thursday. I would have blogged about it then, if i didn't have such a horrible sore throat. It is literally the worst sore throat  have ever had in my life. It is causing headache and pressure in my ears and face, and a really stiff neck, and as you know, sore throat comes with limited swallowing ability. So yeah, life has sucked since thursday.

But, as far as the dentist went.. They went in and filled two cavities. They worked for about 15 minutes at a time, and dealt with the limited space i gave them, and we took 5 minute breaks between the working. I will be going back a few more times next week for a few more fillings and a cleaning. As far as pain, it wasn't terrible. But it was definitely uncomfortable, and caused soreness in my jaw afterwards. But it must be done, and I'm glad that much is over.

I would write more, but I'm feeling like a slug. A really sick, extra slow, heavy slug. I just hope this sickness passes quickly. I'll let you know how the next few appointments go!

XO

Good Words, Happy Thoughts!

So just before my jaw locked up, i went to the dentist and thy told me i had a few cavities that they needed to take care of. Well, shortly after my jaw locked, making it nearly impossibly for them to get in there and fill the cavities without causing extreme pain to me. My mom just made an appointment to go to the dentist on Monday for a consultation to see what work needs to be done (before the surgery happens) and how to go about doing it. Now I'm only repeating what mother told me, and what i was told is that I'm probably going to be sedated to get my cavities filled. We're going to call Dr. Piper today, and see if the dental work will mess with my jaw too much, pre-surgery, but the dental work does need to get done somehow.

ALSO! My mom was talking to our dentist, Dr. Selby, (who is an AMAZING guy btw) and told him about the TMJ surgery I'm going to be having with Dr. Piper in 3 short weeks, and you know what he said? he said that Dr. Piper is the best TMJ surgeon in the WORLD, and if my TMJ can be fixed, he will fix it. I mean, i never doubted that for a second. All the Piper reviews we're getting from everyone are amazing. From people on blogs and answer websites, to the people we met in his office, to doctors we've been seeing for years, EVERYONE seems to have something good to say about Dr. Piper. I realize how blessed i am to be living only a short hour away from his office, when people are traveling to him from Australia and China! Of course, I am still nervous about the surgery, But the reassuring words we are hearing from every direction are soothing my worries.

I'll let you guys know what they end up doing for my dental work! XO :)