Eight Weeks Postop

Life is starting to settle into the new routine. I am sleeping well, which is such a miracle. I am awake all day with only a little mild sleepiness in the afternoon. It doesn't require a nap, I can usually work through the dip in energy until it passes. Who knows, after the first of the year when I get more settled into a regular diet and exercise schedule I may discover that the afternoon dip is a drop in blood sugar or deconditioning .

The most significant problem I have now is that I bite the back incisions (the ones in front of my TMJs) and/or pinch them with the back molar brackets. Whatever the cause, it hurts! The numbness is gone back there and I wish it was back! With the fleshiness/bone protrusion of the BSSO site and the close proximity of everything back there I have no choice but to bite. There isn't alot of area on the side of my molars to help adhere ortho wax. Pretty much all of the space is taken up with the molar bands and brackets. I try to keep a wads of wax jammed into the space between my back molars and cheeks - upper and lower, both sides. Believe it or not, the medieval surgical hooks (that I hated so much) gave me something to push wax onto to secure it in place. I have lots of trouble keeping wax in place because it won't adhere to mucous membranes. I have swallowed more than one piece of wax while eating - it's there when I start, not when I am done. Given enough wax I guess I will tough out the next few months until these braces come off. Don't know that I have a choice.

The numbness on the roof of my mouth is starting to resolve. It tingles and itches alot. Slightly scalded feeling too. The teeth on top are completely numb. Can't feel flossing or brushing at all.

My lower lip that has been the worst area of nerve pain is really starting to change. The scalded feeling is fading significantly. Now I have a presistent itch on the right between my lip and chin. When I scratch it I get pain in my lower right central incisor. Weird. I am wired a little differently now.

It has been cold here lately and I have been wearing my jacket with a scarf. I really can't stand for the standup collar of my jacket to touch my face. It feels like I am being tickled with a feather duster.

The jaw rehab is going very slowly. I am doing what my surgeon told me to do two weeks ago. I am making no progress on increasing my jaw opening or movement forward or laterally. Also, I now have a crunchy sound in my jaw with the jaw exercises that I have been doing. Occassionally when I yawn I have a bit of a muscle cramp and a feeling that my TMJ is popping out of place slightly. I only lasts a few seconds but hurts enough to get my full attention. Dr. H. assured me that normal usage would allow me to return to as normal range of motion as possible. I am really start to doubt this. So - I have contacted an OT friend of mine to see what she thinks. If she thinks that I would benefit from some OT hopefully she will help me word her recommendations to my doctor.

The cheeks are still too puffy. The nurse at my family doctor's office today said that I look different but still have come "chipmunk cheeks". I know she didn't mean to be negative but I really didn't need to hear this today.

Wow, what a whiny post! I must be feeling sorry for myself. I guess I have officially arrived at the middle recovery period. Things are slowly settling in and I want to be done with all of this. What is settling in isn't perfect and I am frustrated. I know, marathon not a race, marathon not a race.