Day 33: Jaw Surgery Reflections

I have spent more time indoors this summer than ever before.  Ordinarily, I delight in taking the opportunity to travel: I am always thrilled to immerse myself in a new culture and language, see the sights, have adventures.  Today I spoke with my best friend via Facetime, someone I've traveled with each summer for the past four or five years.  Her adventure for the season ironically coincided with mine again, however now she is on a two-month excursion in Bolivia while I am here in a two-month experience in jaw surgery.  While she is becoming fluent in Spanish, I am becoming fluent in patience.  And Netflix.  I don't want to sound bitter by any means, but I guess I'm just becoming a little restless.  I'm so eager to go out and grab life by the horns while I am still young and able!  Regardless, I do believe I will come out of this that much more appreciative of each moment I don't have to spend struggling to talk, having wires tear the inside of my mouth, or sucking Ensure out of a syringe.  I may not have been able to see much of the world this summer, but I think this experience has deepened mine.

Tomorrow I return to work, which should be interesting.  As much as the I really should feeling is tugging at me, I am still so reluctant to see and talk to people who aren't close friends while I am in this state.  I also have an orthodontist appointment in which the man will once again attempt to bend down the wires in my gums (the assistant was unsuccessful the first time, I'm pretty sure it's impossible).  Also, I am eager to ask about the next steps to follow once the splint is finally out.  How long do I have to remain in braces?  Is it at all possible to switch to Invisalign?  I don't really understand what the difference would be between metal braces and Invisalign post-surgically-- if the objective is to hold the teeth in their new bite, can that not be done without wires and brackets?  I'm not sure if it's possible, but that would be absolutely amazing to have every scrap of metal (besides the plates holding my jaw together) out of my face by the end of the summer.

Day 31: One Month In Pictures

Since I figure the majority of the swelling has now gone down, I thought it would be interesting to compile all of my progress pics over the month in this post!  Prepare to scroll:

Aaaand in profile:

There's definitely a little swelling around my lips and cheeks still, but I think I'm more or less at my final form!


I learned today that my appointment to get my splint out has been made for August 17th.  Another month from now.  Ugh.  Sometimes it seems like this process will never end-- my whole summer's shot!  I must have been too optimistic going into surgery, thinking that I would have a little free time without all the hardware in my mouth.  Nope.  The wires under my gums on the bottom are serving no purpose, staying in for the sole reason that taking them out requires the complete sedation that will accompany removal of the splint.  I wish I could tear them out myself, but I am powerless to do anything but wait.  I anxiously await the day when jaw surgery isn't always on my mind!