Surgery Survival 101

I noticed I haven't done a surgery survival post yet! What am I thinking! I searched far and wide for a very specific Piper Patient surgery supply list, and it was nearly impossible! 

When I arrived at the hospital for surgery, everything went very fast. We got checked in, were moved upstairs, my mom french braided my hair (you have to keep it out of your face), and then I was pulled back to get my IV and medications and get all cozy in my HEATED hospital gown. So here is a list of things I brought,  and things I wish I brought.

For you Caretaker or Friends/Family that accompany you:

-A blanket/pillow to sleep during your surgery (if they can), and overnight.

-Something to keep them entertained. Books/computer or IPad with movies/games/snacks. The last thing you need is for them to be nervous little worrywarts during the whole surgery!

-A packed dinner if they don't want to eat the hospital food.


For YOU:

-A blanket. (good for before AND after surgery)

-A really cozy change of clothes. they can unhook the IV (without taking the needle out and putting it back in) so you can change into something much comfier than a hospital gown.

-Slippers with grip on the bottom, in case you don't want to wear the hospital socks. Also some socks of your own are nice to have. 

-I brought a white board and dry erase markers, but I really wish I would have thought of my doodle board then. it is not messy at all, and very easy to use and carry around. But all in all, bring something to help you communicate, be it a doodle board, white board, chalkboard, or pen and paper. You don't want to have people trying to interpret your moans and groans for 20 minutes when all you want is some water.

-I really enjoyed having my stuffed animal I got from a surgeon of mine when I was 5. When I was in recovery, I was crying and complaining that I couldn't breathe, (I was just being dramatic) and Dr. Piper brought me back my teddy bear! That's my only memory from recovery, and its a darn good one.

-I usually slept between hall walks, but when I was up, I wanted to play games with my parents and boyfriend. We didn't bring cards or anything like that, so we played hangman on my white board, but I really wish I would have brought a deck of cards!

-The hospital provides a sort of lip balm, but I really wish I would have brought my own, because theirs is very watery and clumps up when it dries. I have found after trying many different things, that EOS balms work the best for me.

-Bring the heating pad you picked up with your other prescriptions, and make sure to replace your ice when it all melts. The nurses were good about checking in, so we rarely had to leave the room for new ice.

-Bathroom essentials (deodorant, soft toothbrush, toothpaste) were very nice to have. I felt a little gross after being in the hospital overnight.

-Bring a free-standing mirror. You're going to want to look at yourself. A lot. Or at least I did. I got this Mary Kay pink travel mirror. It holds your hooks, rubber bands, a mirror, and your splint. It sells for $3 on amazon.

-The hospital will supply your nutritional drinks and water and syringes, tissues, an ice pack, and wash cloths.

MAKE SURE YOU DON'T EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING PAST MIDNIGHT THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR SURGERY AND GOOD LUCCCKKKK!

 Enjoy a few of my photos, including some of the stuff on my survival list!
Xx

A change of clothes 

Slippers and socks (this is the leg gear that they make you wear to avoid blood clots)  

My white board to communicate and play games

My fuzzy blanket that my boyfriend stole while I went out for one of my walks. 

And just a picture of me a few days post op, for your enjoyment ;) 

So Far So Awesome!

So far, school has been easy. My teachers and classmates are learning to understand my muffled speech, I'm on track as far as the small amount of work I have so far, I haven't caught "senioritis" yet, and I'm on a great schedule for when to take out my splint. I am on one hour and fifteen minutes out of my splint five times a day. Here is my break schedule!

6:30- Wake up, take out splint (1) and put in in retainer cleaner. Take morning vitamins. Do jaw exercises. Get ready for school, make breakfast (usually eggs), brush teeth and splint. Leave for school.

7:45- about 15 minutes into first period class. Put splint back in. (Teachers don't seem to mind as long as you fill them in on what is going on)

11:22- Lunch. Take splint out (2). Go to bathroom and do jaw exercises.

12:37- Halfway through sixth period. Put splint back in.

1:30- Halfway through ambassadors (show choir). Take splint out (3) if singing day, leave in if dance day.

2:45- Home. Snack and do jaw exercises. Put splint back in after snack. If it was dancing day, take out splint for 1:15 and snack.

6:30- Dinnertime. Take out splint. (4) Do jaw exercises.

7:45- Put splint back in.

9(ish)- Nightly FaceTime chats. Take splint out (5) and put it in retainer cleaner.

After 1:15 of FaceTime- Do jaw exercises, brush teeth and splint. Put splint back in. Listen to Dracula audiobook (for english class) for a chapter. Take a klonopin and GO TO BED! 

It looks really busy and confusing when i type it out, but really its a piece of cake. I'm just three days in and i don't even have to think about my new schedule anymore. 

My concerns:

My neck and upper back have been hurting lot since the start of school. I don't know if it is how i am sleeping, or having to look up at the board all day, or what. All I know is that all I want to do is heat my jaw and ice my back after a long day at school. (which i make time for while listening to my audiobook). 

So far this year is looking like a good one. :)

Xx

First Day

So, today was the last first day of high school for me. It's scary, growing up. I used to want to be grown up, and now all I want is to be that chubby cheeked five year old that talked to butterflies and bounced around in pig tails singing silly songs. But that's life, right? 

So for the TMJ related stuff; I managed to get second period marked as an "off-period" so I can run home, eat, brush my teeth and do my exercises. Then for 5th period I have an hour of lunch, so I can Eat and socialize and what not, and then I don't have an 8th period either, so I get to go home and get it out one more time before dinner. I really enjoy being on a set schedule, because it makes dealing with my splint much easier. 

As far as talking goes, I am not having much luck in the classroom setting. I feel a little embarrassed when the teachers make me introduce my self and give the class one interest fact about me. 

My statement is usually "I'm Emily, and I can't talk very well because I had jaw surgery"

I have no clue how many people just smiled and nodded because they had no clue what I said. I don't blame them. I'm not yet comfortable pulling out my doodle board to communicate.. Not for such small amounts of sharing.. It might become useful by next week. 

Many of my teachers handed out a syllabus that we had to return with our info, and on the bottom they ask "is there anything special that I should know about you". To avoid any future conflict, I write about exactly what the surgery is, why I got it, and the stages of recover, and my physical limitation due to the surgery. I'm sure they will all understand. 

On a super side note- 

My three month appointment is on September 3rd, and I am so nervous. I've never been nervous for "just-a-checkup" before, but when I think about it my stomach ties in knots and I feel really anxious. But I'm sure all is and will forever be well :) 

Hope everyone going back to school is having a good time 

(First day of senior year photo) 

Xx

Back To School

Summertime is almost officially over. That means a lot of great things are coming to an end. 

-Sleeping in.

-Eating whenever i'm hungry.

-Netflix marathons.

-Seeing my boyfriend everyday.

-Small vacations.

-Lots of beach trips.

-Summer clothes.

-Never being busy.

-No school work.

BUT, the end of summer also means the start of some equally as great things.

-Meeting and making new friends.

-Having a set schedule.

-New clothes.

-Ambassadors. :)

-Not being able to lay in bed for a week straight.

-Starbucks almost every morning (Guilty). 

-Friday night football games.

-Pre-game tailgating.

-Prep rallies. 

This coming year I will FINALLY be a senior!!!! But there's still a lot to do (in the next three days) to prepare to go back to school. School clothes. School supplies. Schedule changes. Hang tag for my car. Buy a locker. Etc. 

BUT I did already buy one magical little device for the coming year, that will benefit my surgery recovery. Lately I have been pushing my jaw forward slightly to help people understand me better when I talk. I know that it's not good for me, and it makes me very sore after just a little bit. SO! I thought I would need something to write on. Something more eco-friendly than pen and paper, and something less messy than a white board and dry erase markers! Now i'm not exactly sure what these babies are called, but I was using one when I went to babysit, and it woks like magic! Just $10 on amazon, and I'm set for answering all the questions I can!

I'll let you know how well it works as soon as I get to find out myself!

BACK TO SCHOOL I GO!

Xx

Freak Out

So yesterday I had to babysit early in the morning. School starts on Tuesday, and I have some scheduling issues (due to surgery) that i need to work out, so i sopped by the school, and then went to Starbucks, then to babysit. I took my splint out to eat with the kids, then put it back in about 30 minutes before my hour was up. I got a call from my school, so I took out my splint and set it in my cup holder , and answered it, only to find out they they were calling to tell my that they will call me later on to wok out my schedule. ugh.

So I got home, feeling like a shower. I talked to my brother in the living room for a few minutes, said hi to my dad in his room, got my towel from my room, and hopped in the shower. As soon as I got out of the shower, my timer to put my splint back in went off. But where was my splint? I don't know.

I searched all over the bathroom, all over the kitchen, my dads room, my room (even cleaned it all up) and all around my car. In the console, in the cup holders, under the seats, under the CAR. EVERYWHERE! My mom came home and helped me look all over the house, and double checked the car.

We started losing hope. We decided to call the piper clinic (which is apparently closed at 3pm on a Friday) And had to call it in as an emergency. So we left a very shameful message about my misplacement of my splint, and continued out desperate search. I was literally freaking out. I was so scared. I have been so good about keeping track of my splint, and then, I just lost it. literally.

I ran out to my car for one last sweep, and did the whole search routine again. About to turn around and go inside, something made me turn around and go around to the passenger side again. I pulled out my phone flashlight and checked under the seat, AGAIN. But then... there it was. The one thing i never thought that i would be SO happy to see.

I ran inside, washed it about 8 times, and my mom and I called back the "urgent" line at Piper Clinic, and left a second, even more shameful message explaining the false alarm. OOPS.

The oral of the story is.. KEEP YOUR SPLINT IN A CASE! Even if you think that you're just putting it down for a second.

AND SMILE
Xx

What's New? Not Much, What's New With You?

I don't know if I ever mentioned this mirror in any of my posts yet, but it has practically been my 

BFF after surgery. It holds all of my rubber bands (plus extra if you're traveling) and the hook, a mirror that it comes with, and my splint when I'm taking it out for my daily breaks! I found it at a goodwill for a dollar, (gross i know, but i washed it by hand like 5 times before using it), but I looked, and if you search "Mary Kay travel mirror" on Amazon, it sells for about $3. It fits right in my purse, and going to school I need something compact and easy to carry around, and it fits right in the front pocket of my backpack! 

I finished camp last Friday. 8am-5pm. long long days of singing and dancing non-stop. Crazy week. One of the dances is extremely fast and at the end, everyone does a different lift/dip/etc. well my friend Olivia and I, both have this weird crazy (hard) lift in the picture below (I'm on the left). It's pretty scary, because I know my head is close to the ground, and if i fell, that would be a major uh-oh after my surgery. But I do feel safe knowing that my lift partner is a gym junkie, and has enough muscle to bruise my sides from holding on so tight, so there's some trust there. The other picture is my entire show choir together! :)

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO SMILE AND STAY POSITIVE ALWAYS NO MATTER WHAT!!!!! HAPPINESS CURES ALMOST ANYTHING! Xx :)

CAMP

I started ambassador camp today (show choir camp) which was so much fun, but my jaw was aching from start to finish (all 9 hours of camp total). I haven't been taking my klonopin very much at all, so it wasn't weird or off schedule that I skipped it this morning. I think I am going to take one each morning before camp this week, because things weren't feeling too great. 

But tonight is one of "Those nights".  The nights I have only occasionally this far into recovery, where I bring out the ice packs and the klonopin. My neck hurts, my jaw aches, my back is sore, my incision spots are in a lot of sharp pain, and i can't seem to fall asleep. Like always. 

To top it all off I have some sort of head cold/sore throat type thing going on, which makes it EXTREMELY difficult to breathe with my splint in. I'm super stuffy and I keep having to stretch open my mouth and get a good breath in every few minutes or so. But it's all temporary and tolerable for now. 

 There's nothing ice packs and some good ole Elvis records can't fix.