It was a year ago on October 25 that I arrived at UCLA/Santa Monica Hospital and voluntary got onto an operating bed. I remember being quite nervous and afterwards feeling really silly about it. Clearly there was nothing to be nervous about, it was a piece of cake. Part of me thought if I weren't nervous, then something might happen, so better to be nervous.
Looking back now a year later, it all passed too quickly. I feel nostalgic about the days and weeks after the surgery. They were actually really great. Except for the first few days after I came home from the hosptial. I wasn't prepared emotionally for how I would look, like a total freak! Appropriately it was Halloween.
But that soon passed and I basked in the care I received from Jeff. He went shopping and brought home all kinds of soy shakes and made fresh soups everyday. He pretty much indulged my every whim. I remember being pretty hungry for a week or two but I was soon eating mashed potatoes with gravey which went a long way towards making me feel like I was actually eating something.
Finding blogs by other people who had or were having this surgery was a life saver during those first weeks. I spent hours reading other people's blogs and it helped me to feel normal and to know what to expect. I really appreciated that people took the time to write about their experiences as I had no idea what this surgery would entail until after I had it.
There were a lot of ups and downs, like having a splint wired onto the bottom of my mouth. And the hardest part to deal with was and still is the numbness in my bottom lip and chin. I learned to drink with my tongue under the cup or glass. I'm so used to it now, I hardly notice. But it still would be nice to get the feeling back . . .
My orthognathic surgery really was an adventure. And now I am finally moving on to dental implants. I have my consult on Monday.
