Two Days After Surgery

Headed home this morning! I've been able to take a few sips of protein shake today, which is the most I've eaten since the surgery. I don't really have much of an appetite. 

I only had to wake up about three times during the night to rinse my mouth and use the bathroom. 

My face is still swollen, but here is a comparison of "before and after" so far. I've already noticed my chin is shorter and the bump on my nose is gone. Final results won't be visible for a few more weeks, though.

Update: Got home about two hours ago. Definitely nice being in my own house! 

Also, when we got home, I had a nice surprise waiting for me from my brother, sister, and brother-in-law! 

Here's another picture taken of me in the hospital when the swelling wasn't so severe.

Update:

this morning

this evening

The swelling seems to be increasing as the day goes on. Also, the more I'm up and about, the more my face swells.

Day After Surgery

I actually remember pretty much everything that happened right after I woke up from surgery, surprisingly. I just got out of the hospital this morning, and now we are staying in a hotel. Up until this afternoon, I was dealing with a painful amount of nausea due to excess blood building up in my mouth and going down my throat. My mother got me more anti-nausea medicine,  and now we are working on getting swelling down. 

I had my post-op appointment with my rhinoplasty surgeon today. And he showed me how to redress and clean my nose, which I have to do four times a day. This will allow the tiny splints in my nose to come out more easily next week. 

My face is still swollen, and the doctor said my nose is pointing up more than it usually will because it is taped up for support. 

Here's what I looked like in the hospital:

cute

The thing around my head is circulating ice water to reduce swelling. I'm also wearing an oxygen mask that dispenses water vapor.














Here are some other pictures taken today: 

Morning of Surgery

My mom, dad, grandma, and I are packing things up and fixing to leave. 

Check in time at the hospital is 10, and my surgery should be at about noon. I'll continue blogging as soon as I'm more alert! 

Bye for now! :)

Twenty minutes until I can't eat or drink anything

Drink all the water! 

BEFORE PICTURES

Figured since my surgery is tomorrow, I needed to take "before" pictures. 

So here is my official before: front view and profile 

mugshot style

Here are a few other ones (figured I had a good excuse to take a bunch of pictures)

                                    

Goodbye, old face!

Day Before Surgery

Well, the day is almost here, which is super weird. I'm a little nervous, but I'm very excited. I'm blessed to have many supportive family members and friends who are believing in a smooth recovery with me! 

Yesterday,

I had my crunchy food get-together. We ate and swam, and it was a lovely day. No more crunchy food for a while!

crunchy supplies

Today,

lovely day

I completed my last work out at the gym and enjoyed laying out by the pool with loved ones. It was a beautiful day, and now my mother is preparing my final meal before surgery, which I am super stoked about. 

comfy things

Also, some friends dropped off a surprise at my house, which was super sweet. Everyone has been really caring and such, which, you know, is really nice and stuff! 

So, tomorrow morning, my mom, dad, grandmother, and I will depart for the hospital. I'll be staying over night one night in the hospital and one more night in a hotel. During these two days, I will be going to post-op appointments so my surgeons can clear me for the travel home (about an hour and a half.) 

I probably won't be able to post until Friday, at least. So check back in the next few days for pictures and some videos. (Mom said she is going to film me when I wake up, which will be interesting, to say the least.)

Thanks for reading! 

Liquid Diet Recipes

*This is more for the aid of people who are also going through jaw surgery*

These are a few of the recipes I'm going to try after surgery that were in a book given to me by my jaw surgeon.

Beverage

Mocha Mint Shake

4 teaspoons perked coffee

1/2 teaspoons chocolate extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 8-oz. cup milk

1 teaspoon sweetener

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Combine in blender. 405 calories.

Soup

White Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can chicken broth
2 cans white beans, drained
1/4 teaspoon crushed basil
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute onion and garlic in hot oil. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Puree in blender until smooth. Makes 4 servings, 260 calories each.

Entree

Creamy Chicken Delight

1 chicken breast

1/2 can cream of mushroom soup

3 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken breast until very tender, skin, and debone. Save broth. Cut up chicken and place in blender. Heat remaining ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour sauce over chicken to liquify. Add chicken broth if desired. 470 calories.

From Dinner Through a Straw by Patti Rann Thigpen

Post-Op Necessities!

My jaw surgeon gave me this fancy bag with free stuff inside! I got a recipe book, an ice pack, and a baby toothbrush (I will be using this to brush my teeth with, along with prescription mouth rinse.)

 I also went to Walmart and got a tiny marker board to communicate with. 

I got rolls of gauze to put on my glasses. I'm not allowed to wear my contacts after, and if I wear my glasses, I have to fix them to where they don't touch my face. If the glasses rest on my nose, they could permanently dent it. My eyesight is absolutely horrible, so I had to figure out a way for my glasses not to touch. We're going to wrap gauze around them so they can rest away from my face. I'll most likely make another post when I try it out for the first time. 

Thanks for reading!