Whoa.

So today, for the first time since my surgery, I got dressed in actual clothes, did my make up, and went to a pool party then to hang out with some friends. I can't really explain how I felt when I looked in the mirror once I finished my make up. It was weird. I think all the changes finally hit me. It's definitely going to take some getting used to. Everyone has just been so unbelievably kind about the surgery. Not gonna lie, I expected: "ummmm, so like, did you get a nose job...?" 

So, I will admit that I took a bunch of pictures of my face at different angles. It's not even a vain thing; it's a "my face is different and I don't recognize myself" sort of thing. Haha. It's so weird. Here's a few pictures: 

one of the first pictures I took once my make up was done.
this was actually my unplanned reaction to how it looked, haha. 

Thank you very much for reading. :) 

Two Weeks After Surgery 

Today marks two weeks since my surgery! This second week, I've definitely felt more like myself. The pain is still there, but I've been able to handle it mostly without any pain meds these last few days. Swelling continues to decrease, but there is still some there, especially around my nose. Bruising is slowly fading away, also. I'm excited to finally see the final result within the next few weeks. 

Yesterday, I went back to my jaw surgeon for another post op appointment. He said everything looks perfect. Now, however, I have to wear rubber bands in my mouth to constrict my bite and guide my teeth in the right direction. My surgeon said that teeth start moving very quickly after a surgery like this, so the rubber bands are there to guide my bite. They're not too comfortable to put on because I have to stretch my mouth out a whole bunch, which hurts my nose. However, it gets easier every time. The key is to not get frustrated. 

Soooo here's my face as of ten minutes ago:

Thanks for reading! 

Busy Bee

Well here's pretty much a representation of what I did yesterday:

stared off into space. I did, however, get started on my summer reading (bleh) and receive some very lovely visitors. Even though I'm feeling better than I did last week, it still brightens my day to see my friends. 

I had quite a bit of pain last night. My pain seems to increase in the evenings. 

Although yesterday was a slow day, today was very action-packed. My mother let me go see Monsters University, even though I'm technically not supposed to leave the house (but sitting down in a theater is hardly different from sitting down at home.) The movie was really cute! It was sort of weird, though, to be out in public for the first time. 

the guard lovelies <3

After the movie and various errands, (including a trip to DQ for a quite satisfying hot fudge sundae) I took a much needed nap at home. I was exhausted from not just laying down all day. Then at 4:30, my mom was awesome yet again and let me go watch color guard practice up at my school. I've missed all the guard girls, and was thrilled to go sit in the band room and see everyone. I could tell some of the girls didn't quite know how to react. ("Uh, congrats on your face?") They were all so sweet, though. Being there made me really miss guard, and I can't wait for my six week restriction to be up! 

I still have some pain today, but my jaw and chin swelling has gone down quite a bit. However, my nose remains very swollen, which is a bit frustrating. Baby steps. 

Also, I got bored and put one of my bandannas on my cat. (Did you know bandanna had three n's in it? 'Cause I sure did not. Thank you, spell check.)

stud

Thanks for reading! 

First Taste of Freedom (erm, mac and cheese)

This was on Thursday, the first day I was allowed to ingest something other than liquids. My mom decided to film the joyous occasion. You might also notice that my glasses are taped to my forehead in an oh-so-stylish way. Like I said before, I'm not allowed to wear my glasses the normal person way because they can indent on my nose as it's healing. Contacts are also a no-no for one more week because, due to nerves (body nerves), they can cause my nose to bleed. I'm nearly blind without my glasses, so I must adorn this supergeek look. I'm also extremely mellow and expressionless due to pain and pain meds. Enjoy. 

cute hair

While browsing my mother's iPad, I discovered this gem of a photo taken as soon as I was wheeled to my room in the hospital, right after the surgery. 

Tips & Tricks

There are some things that the doctors don't exactly prepare you for when having jaw surgery and rhinoplasty, leaving you to have to figure out some things on your own. I want to share some of these things to help out anyone who is undergoing or is about to undergo the same process!

I really love Reese's cups, but I'm not allowed to eat those yet because I'm restricted to only chewing mushy foods. If you have a sweet tooth, or just really love peanut butter and nutella like I do, just put a spoonful of each into a mug or a bowl, heat in the microwave until smooth, stir, and eat with a spoon! Sounds strange maybe, but it's essentially liquid peanut butter cups. 

Most hospitals have these, (which is where I got mine) but if you don't have one, I would definitely consider acquiring one. In the hospital right after the surgery, (gross topic warning) I was extremely nauseous. I thought it was because of the pain meds, but it was actually because the incisions inside my mouth were bleeding, and I was swallowing the blood. The doctors failed to tell me they would bleed that much, so I had no clue. My nurse suggested rinsing my mouth with water and spitting it out to get the blood out. She gave me this thing to spit into, and I used it for rinsing and spitting up until like three days after the surgery. I also use it to rinse and spit with my prescription mouth rinse twice a day. Super useful! Would recommend. 

My grandmother bought me this pillow, and it has been really useful for sleeping and resting. In the car on the way home from surgery, I put the pillow in front of my neck, and it helped stabilize my face while I slept so my head wouldn't swing everywhere. Now, I use it behind my neck while I sleep to keep my head facing forward. I like to nuzzle when I sleep, which would be super not great for my nose, so the pillow keeps me from doing that. 

I would also recommend buying all the chapstick you can carry because it is much needed. On the subject of dryness, my skin has been super dry, especially where the tape and splints were. Your skin is likely to freak out after this surgery and get flaky and gross, so I recommend using Vaseline. Face lotion works too, but Vaseline is much more powerful. 

take Vaseline

rub all over face

I hope these were helpful and/or entertaining. Thanks for reading! 

And the second week sedentary grumpiness sets in. Bleh.

The Swollen Chronicles

lovely bed head 

dramatically looking down

Swelling has gone down on my jaw and chin, but my nose keeps swelling in different places. It's weird, actually. It kind of looks a bit different every day. Today, the bridge doesn't appear to be as straight as before because the top part is swollen.

Also, the other day, my mom was curious, so she got out a tape measure and we measured my waist. I lost two inches off my waist, which I thought was weird. If you're about to get this surgery, prepare for your clothes not to fit you for a little while after!