Catching Up & Building a Timeline!

 

The years go by FAST! And I find myself having a hard time recalling certain dates off the top of my head when it comes to all this "mouth stuff". So here's the timeline (so-far) of the Whos, What, Wheres and Whens of my ortho-journey! (Will likely update as things develop.)

June 2007- Wisdom Teeth Removed

    Where/Who: (I honestly can't remember!)

August 2007- Braces Begin

    Where: South Texas Orthodontics

    Who: Dr. Bruchmiller

July 2008- LeFort I Osteotomy

    Where: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
    Who: 
        Dr. Leibold
        Dr. Largent

December 2008- "Lipo-sculpture"

    Where: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
    Who: Dr. Leibold

January 2009- Braces Removed!

    Where: South Texas Orthodontics

    Who: Dr. Bruchmiller

2011- Upper Essex retainer lost.

    Where: In a landfill somewhere

    Who: Me 🤦

2012- Prescribed BiteSoft anterior splint

    Where: Today's Dental

    Who: Dr. Frieda Hale

2019- Permanent retainer removed

    Where: Today's Dental

    Who: Dr. Tiberiu Oancea

January 2021- Consultation for smile improvement

    Where: The Smile Designer

    Who: Dr. Maisa M. Idriss

January 2021- Consultation for Orthodontics

    Where: Studebaker Orthodontics

    Who: Dr. Robert Studebaker

March 2021- Consultation for Smile Improvement

    Where: Klein Crossing Dental

    Who: Dr. Melissa Welty

March 2021- Consultation for Smile Improvement

    Where: Consultants in Dental Aesthetics

    Who: Dr. Wes Urich

13 Years Later?! And starting over??

The year is 2021.

Masks are the new lipstick, no one socializes anymore, who cares what my teeth look like?

I do.

I'm sorry I all but abandoned this blog all those years ago. There were many times I'd forgotten all about it (didn't even know there still WAS blogspot?) BUT I will do my best to catch you all up on the last 11 years since my last post.. and nearly 13 years since this whole journey started.

The summer of 2009 I moved from the apartment in San Antonio I shared with my sister back to the Houston area with my parents. Started working, saving.. and in the summer of 2011 I bought my first house and pretty much been there since! (so much for a 5 year plan, but shit happens!)

Jaw surgery just became all but a distant memory.. retainers got lost.. permanent retainers didn't do their job.. and you are just as self conscious about your smile as you were before the whole ordeal and then you wonder... was it even worth it??

The short answer is "yes", with some caveats. I will attempt to explain why that is as well as document and update you all on this new journey.. 

So here I am creeping back like a long-forgotten ghost ship..

BOO!

Welcome, or welcome back.. I am Kam and the journey sets sail once again!

UPDATE. :O

Sorry I kinda dropped off the face of the planet. So much has been going on since the last blog, new jobs, and moving, so many things, I can't even begin to try and recall it all.

Not too much on the jaw-front. My jaw is nice and in place, I still feel that my upper lip is tight, and sometimes, my smile too "gummy", but other than that, and on rare occasion some soreness or puffiness in my mid-face, I feel pretty much normal!

I will have to take some of my update style pictures, but for now, here's a current pic: I've let my hair grow out, it really has been a long time! haha

*sniffle*

Well, I'm almost 6 months post surgery, and it finally happened- I got my first post-surgery cold.

Sneezing, congestion, sore throat and sniffling and yuck, yuck, yuck.

It hit me REALLY hard, I was pretty miserable for a good 4 days, and even though I'm feeling much better, I still get a sniffle here and a cough there. However, I feel that I'm really fortunate. If this thing had hit me sooner, I don't think I could take it.
I mean, with the Lefort I it's like your entire sinus cavity is COMPLETELY changed. I still get a little snoreness in my mid-face, even without a cold, so I'm SO glad that I had healed up enough where I could blow my nose (gently, of course!) and deal with the pain of congestion.

Sinus Cavity- Before & After:

In other, much nicer, news: my Mo-Mo, Daddio, and lil' brother Clay are visiting me and my sister this weekend! It's really nice having them over, my dad and I repaired my car then later tonight we got all fancied-up and went to dinner. It was great! First time we all went out like that since the night before my surgery.

However, everyone is sick, especially my dad. Ooooh I don't want to get sick again!! I hope I don't re-catch anything.
That's about all for now!! And here's today's recovery picture:

BRACES OFF!

BRACES OFF
Yes! They're off! Actually, they've been off, for a while now. I was actually keeping my de-bracing secret for when I came home to my mom- she was SO SURPRISED!

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated my blog. I've been at my parent's for the holidays, so just getting the chance to sit in front of the computer, and taking and uploading pictures is kinda hard. (This is actually an older picture of when the braces just came off.)

It's so nice to not have braces on, being able to floss and brush, and eat, and everything feels so much more free. My orthodontist office gave me some laffy taffy and runts afterward.. I found that kinda funny, because I could'nt eat it anyway due to my jaw. I am totally jealous of Rachel's orthodontist.. flowers and cake after jaw surg and braces?! *envy envy* ;D

THE PUFF
My neck still feels sore.. and there's lumps of scar tissue and bumps here and there, but I just need to be patient and wait for the final result. Who knows, maybe my face will catch up to my neck!
My face still gets it's uber puffy moments. Honestly, sometimes I get really embarrassed of some pictures taken of me. It just doesn't look right sometimes, like my cheeks are unrealistically cherub like and I can still *feel* some of the swelling in my face. (Some pictures come out fine, but others just leave me thinking "What is that? Me?") I just hope it does improve and this isn't how it will be forever. It's already been 6 months, though, and most people I see are "so past the puff" at that time, but I can be patient too.


GARBAGE MOUTH
Just recently I had every post-braces person's nightmare- My retainer was thrown away.
I have an Essix retainer, and usally before eating, I rinse it out then sit it on a napkin to dry. Well, that night, I fell asleep on the couch without it, and the following morning I was looking for it so I would wear it during the day instead.

My retainer was missing.

It was cold.

It was raining.

It was garbage day.

So, after looking around the house franticly, I beat the garbage truck and brought the cold, soaking trash back to the house. It looked like an animal had gotten into the garbage overnight, so I had hoped that no racoon had dental problems, thus stole my retainer.
I also called the orthodontist before diggind through the decomposing mess. They said it would take a week and nearly $200 for a new retainer! UGH! It couldn't get any worse! The essix retainer is made out of a plastic similar to soda bottle plastic. How in the world do they charge $200 for a new one?!
I dug through the trash, no luck. It was so cold and gross that I couldn't go much further, so I waited until the day got a little better.
That afternoon, my mom came home with gloves and my mom, dad, and I (C.S.I.- Dental) dug through the rest of the muck... nothing..

until-- My dad pulls out my retainer! We had just missed it from the garbage that must have fallen out of the bag when the animal got into it!

Now, after many cleanings, my retainer and I are now happily reunited. :)

Whoo!

I just had my second appointment with Dr. Leibold today. He says things looked great!
The bruising has gotten a little worse, but the pain is mostly gone. My neck is just sore, and it's uncomfortable to move my lower face/lips. (I get these weird little sharp pains.)
I no longer have to wear my mummy/nun bandages during the day, just in the evening and when I sleep.
So far, I'm really happy with the way things look! I'm excited to see how things will look in a couple weeks from now!

Here's my before surgery/ 1 week after surgery pic:

Feeling a little better!

Day 1 -3 I felt pretty miserable. I have to wear my "the mummy returns" bandages for about 2 weeks post-surgery (week 1 24/7, week 2 12/7)
That's my day one "What did I just get myself into?" face.

Day 1 & 2 there was a huge amount of pain, everything hurt, my head and neck, and body. Then I got sick and nauseous off of the vicodin. I was not a happy camper. Day 2 I saw Dr. Leibold, he said things looked good and I have an appointment for next week, so I'm eager to see how I am in the next couple of weeks.

Day 3 was a little better, ibuprofen was fine to use. It still hurt a LOT to swallow, or move, or to do much of anything, so I just sat around all day watching tv.

It's now day 4 after surgery, and I'm feeling much better, but still in a large amount of pain. Mostly it's due to my not being able to move and stretch my neck, so there's a lot of tension pain in my neck and back. Swallowing isn't brutally painfull anymore, but it's still very uncomfortable.

Occasionally when I move my face, or something, I get theses sharp pains in my neck, like the muscles hurt, or there's an invisible string being pulled on from the inside of my skin. Also, it feels like I kind of have a bad sunburn.

I really hope all the money and pain will be worth it for the final result. Here was my before surgery/day 1 after surgery pictures. You can't see a huge difference, since I am still pretty swollen and I can't extend my neck comfortably, but it gives you a little idea.

PAIN!

I had my "Lipo-sculpture" today. I had NO idea how much pain I'd be in. It feels like I'm constantly being punched and stabbed in the neck.
I woke up from the anesthesia and the back of my hair was covered in blood.

I thought the most painful thing would have been the price tag. ;) but this, surprisingly, is more painful than the pain I experienced with jaw surgery, and even getting my wisdom teeth removed.

I hope the pain doesn't last long. I'll provide lots of pictures later when I can, but for now, just about everything I do hurts to do so I'm off to go back to bed.

A question for those who have had upper jaw surgery (Lefort 1)

I am at 13 weeks today. These are the "problems" I'm still having and I want to know if these are similar to anyone else who has had upper jaw advancement. Theses are things I haven't heard discussed much, so I hope I'm not alone.

- The roof of my mouth is still sensitive. If I put pressure on it (with my tounge or something) It feels almost like there is a soft spot it kind of feels "ticklish" and it makes the inside of my nostril feel itchy.

- The muscles in my mid face are still twitchy. When I try to wrinkle my nose it spasms and feels uncomfortable.

- I don't think my incision has fully healed yet. it feels fine on the sides, but the area in the front of my mouth looks a little.. strange. I'm not sure if it's normal, or there just wasn't the best job done on my stitches, but here's a picture to describe what I mean. Only in the front, it looks like there are little pockets or something. It also feels irritated when the doctors slide their finger around it (like it gets in and slices across the "pockets")


-Also as far as everthing goes, the right side of my face is SOO much better than the left. Everything is less swollen, but even stranger, I can eat better on that side, whereas on the left, it still feels strange to eat on that side at all.

That's all!! (for now, haha) Pleaase share any insight on how your healing was at 13 weeks. Thanks guys!

Mo-Mo Weekend 2

It's another Mo-Mo weekend! It is great to see my mom again since surgery! She came to town Friday afternoon and we went to dinner at La Madeline. I figured it would be a good place to go, since I can eat soup and pasta like a pro now. And I actually managed to eat the tomato & cheese croissant pretty easily! My momma' and sister where patient as I made my way through the meal. And it was just so great to enjoy dinner, have great conversation, and a lot of laughs. :)

On Saturday we were "out and about" the whole day! We went to a tile company so my sister could get some samples for her Interior Design project. I wanted to go to the opening of the new Jo-Ann Fabrics store. We got a cute metal pumpkin sign to hang on my front door, and some other Halloween decor (they were insanely well priced) and I stocked up on hotglue sticks (which, it sounds funny that I would be so excited over that, but I got 40 HUGE sticks for only $2, which would probably cost me $14 normal priced.) Yeah, I use a lot of hot glue in my projects, so I was stoked. My mom thinks I must be the easiest person to please.

We went to the mall so I could pick up a pair of pants I had purchased earlier, and then we went to Gringo's for dinner. I saw James, a waiter that me and my sister are really familiar with and he didn't even think it was me at first. He said he couldn't be sure when he saw me, but came over because he recognized my sister. He said Stina and I used to look exactly alike and now we look totally different from each other.
This is similar to another experience I had at my orthodontist. Even though I don't think my sister an I look exactly alike, everyone always thinks we're twins. When we went to schedule another appointment one day, one of the ladies there said "Oh, you want to schedule ppointments at the same time- are y'all really good friends or something?"
"We're sisters."
"Oh really?"
(then the other lady comes up from behind us who has only seen me before surgery)
"Oh they're twins!"
"No, haha, we're just sisters"

it just makes me kind of anxious of how different I really look. I see me when I look in the mirror, but the moment I smile or if I see myself from far away I don't really see me.
I worry about what is actual change and what is just swelling or lack of movement in my mid face.

Bah! I'm ranting again.

Anyway, the weekend was great regardless, and I miss my mom already! She's so enjoyable to have around. :)

11 Weeks

I can't believe it's been 11 weeks since surgery!

So far- Eating soft foods easily.
Still weird to yawn. It is very tight and uncomfortable.
When I wrinkle my nose it spasms and is uncomfortable.
Area in the cheeks and around the nose and the nose is still swollen.
Skin is still rebellious and oily since surgery.
I still have a slight over-bite. I kind of figured it would have moved back a little by now like they said it would. hmm.

A couple days ago, I had a Chinderella moment. It looked like the mid-line in my upper jaw was going slightly to the left. When I put a ruler down the center of my nose and upper lip, it looked as it it had shifted 1-2mm to the left. After I went to the Orthodontist this tuesday, I asked him and he gave me a single diagonal band, and the problem has completely dissapeared, so that's good.
I get my (hopefully last) wire in two weeks. I'm excited being done with braces. Hopefully they will be off by Christmas!

I finally saw Dr. Largent (the resident who performed my surgery) today! It was the first time he had seen me since surgery. I was really surprised to see him, so it was nice. Unfortunately, Leibold wasn't there, nor were the digital projections that I was hoping to see. I was under the impression that was the only real reason I was going in, but it's ok because seeing Dr. Largent was worth it. He said he was very happy with my result, and the my surgery went as good as it gets.
I asked him about this "soft spot" on the left side roof of my mouth that I feel sometimes while drinking out of a straw or when I swallow certain foods when it presses against the roof of my mouth. It comes and goes so I really hadn't thought to ask about it until now. He looked at me a little puzzled. He response was mostly "huh. that's weird." and that was the end of it! So, I guess it's nothing too serious. Have any of you ortho-bloggers experienced this phantom soft spot?

I think it's funny when the doctors ask if I'm happy with my result.. like.. how do I respond to that? I usually respond with a positive and reassuring "Yeah! I love it!" but I'm kinda thinking ".. after my weird nose goes back to normal, my face is no longer puffy, and I regain motion in my mid-face... THEN we'll see if I'm happy."

Here's today's recovery pic:


And be sure to wish Holly a safe and smooth procedure, because she's getting her second jaw surgery tomorrow! Good luck Holly! Second times a charm!

No Regrets

I saw the OS today. It had been a while since he went on vacation. I accomplished a lot while he was away, though! :D

First, I went to the dentist! I was anxious due to my tender incision area, but the people at my dentist office are amazing, and it was a gentle cleaning. And I finally had those nasty peridex stains removed!
I asked if they had any pictures or x-rays of me before braces, and if they wouldn't mind emailing them to me. So, vola, I've updated the pre-surgery photos gallery. Now, I haven't been in braces long, just over a year, but I guess I forgot what my teeth looked like. That being said, I don't have any regrets about this whole crazy process. If I had the option of going back, I would do it over again. I'm only a little impatient about the healing, since my face is still very tight feeling and my nose is just doing weird things. Like... one notril is bigger than the other, the tip, and sometimes it looks lopsided. so.. I'm a bit eager to *hopefully* see it go back to the way it was, I've got no clue what it is doing at the moment.

On a semi-related topic, sharing pictures in my gallery is an interesting thing. I'm never been a teeth-smiler and I was never happy with the way my teeth looked, I'd love to get them whitened after braces, and I had that whole underbite thing going for me.. So, normally, I would never share those kinds of pictures with anyone, but for some reason, blogging to you guys, I feel very safe and connected. And to all the orthobloggers- I think you are some of the bravest people to share your journeys with us.

Back to today's adventure at the OS: We took my first batch of post-surgery x-rays. It's really neat to see the difference of the position of the jaws, also, the new hardware. It's sooo.. !! A mix between weird, cool, scifi, neat, crazy, and wow.


We also spoke about the chin/neck thing. I told him I wasn't really interested in the chin implant, but was interested in the lipo. I asked if they had computer imaging, so that maybe I could see for myself before things are concrete. Leibold said they didn't have it at the school, but he had it at his own practice and he would input the information here, and share the results with me the next time I come in.

Speaking to my parents about this is upsetting. I feel like, by wanting this, I'm vain or frivolous and this is something completely unnecessary. Plus, the cost, $860 is a lot of money. I don't expect her to pay for it. I've never spent that much on anything in my life, I'm an avid saver, and to spend so much on something like that makes me feel like it could go to better use. My dad says I should wait until I get a job- which makes no sense to me "Oh, hi, I just started work. I need to take a week off so I can get some crap sucked out of my neck, k, thanks." I've got time to heal right now, this is really my only chance to get this done if I'm going to before I enter into a career.
Speaking to my mom is a little frustrating, I don't think the doctors would call me a good candidate if it was unnecessary. I don't think my neck is fat, I just want a little definition. And I don't think it's unreasonable. And I think that is better than having an implant or having bone cut. I feel so torn up about it, I don't know what to do.

That is about all for now, thanks for listening to my rants and raves! Here's today's recovery pic. (can you tell by all the pictures that I have a favorite shirt? hehe)

8 Weeks

I finally got my hair cut today. Long over due. And took my side by sides with the good ol' moon star background.

I think the pictures tend to look much better than what I look like in "real life". Then again, I don't have to smile, and when I smile I look like a weird weird thing. I'm happy with my new profile, just frustrated with the tip of my nose. Also, the mechanics of my face are still down.
I can't wrinkle my nose without it being uncomfortable and spasm-y. My top lip doesn't like to participate in the smiling much. Still swollen. I've been feeling a little sore lately. And I've been yawning more than I can stand. Each involuntary huge yawn is torture.

That's about it for now. I'm completely exhausted today from lack of sleep, so when I get the chance, I will make a real post! :)

Back On Track

Today I saw my orthodontist for the first time post-surg and got all my surgical hooks taken off and two power bands put on all my teeth top & bottom. He was supposed to put the hooks that I'm still using for night time bands back on, but he forgot. So, I'm gonna call my Oral Surgeon and ask if I should go back, or not worry about it. I also asked him when I can go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned, because I've got rreally embarrasing stains from the Peridex mouth wash, and I'm eager to get them cleaned off. Maybe he was bored, or just sympathetic, but he filed off some of the stain, my teeth look a lot better just with a little bit removed. It made me a little nervous, but I'm just protective of my enamel. I love my soda, so I don't need any help taking enamel off, thanks. ;P My teeth are HURTING!

I drove past dentist on my way home, so I decided to just drop by and make my appointment. I see them Thursday.

Well, it's almost week 7! I've been "chewing" for almost a week, now. I'm very gentle, but excited about my new chewing ability. The mechanics of my face are a little discouraging. My top lip is so tight and doesn't really move when I smile, my open mouth smile looks weird. Like Cindy Lou Who or something.
My face is still swollen. I'm just wondering when will this go awaay.
I still have the "overbite" now. I'm kinda wondering when my top jaw will "move back a little" like the surgeons said it would.
And my nose. Ugh. My dad, for some werid reason, LOVES it. I have the opposite feelings. it's puffy, and gets really wide whenever I smile, especially when I smile "open mouth". I'm kinda hoping it well go back to normal once my face deflates and loosens up. I just wish I had a timeline when I know all this would be done with.

And today's recovery pic:

Freedom!! .... sorta

Whewt! I had a great OS appointment today. As soon as I saw Dr. Leibold I told him that I had a list of questions, and we went through them together. It was awesome.

First, I asked him about post-surgery x-rays. I haven't had any yet and was curious as to how things looked under all the skin and muscle of my face. He said it would no problem to take some. The x-ray lab had just closed, so I'll have to wait until I go in next, but that's fine with me!

I asked him about the bands- and great news! No more bands for me! Well, at least during the day. He said he'd like me to wear them at night, but, again, that's no problem for me. I'm SO relieved to not have to wear the bands anymore, the pressure they were putting on my braces were really irritating the teeth near the hooks.

I asked him about my tooth discoloration due to the peridex mouthwash. He expressed his hatred toward the stuff, but assured me that it can be removed when I go in for a dental cleaning. The only thing is, because of the braces, the teeth are harder to clean, so I might not be able to get all of the stain off until I'm free of braces. For now, I'm pretty embarrassed of my new grey smile. I told my mom I'd smile in a photo once my upper lip is no longer stiff and swollen and once my teeth have been cleaned.

On that note, I asked him when would be a good time to schedule orthodontist and dentist appointments. He said I could see my orthodontist at anytime now, but it's up to me & my ortho when a good time to see the dentist is. I think I will wait until my incision area is completely healed up and back to normal before I go in for a cleaning, since I don't want to irritate it, but I'm excited to see my orthodontist! I want to know when these things are a' comin' off!

I asked him about facial exercises or anything that I should be doing. He didn't seem concerned at all and said those things don't make much difference or something. I don't know, I might make funny faces anyway.

I also asked him about my diet- when I could move on to soft foods (hey, might as well double check) and when my jaw would be completely healed that I could be a nut-cracker. He said at the six-weeks mark I could chew soft foods. And in a year I'll be all set for everything else. So, in just a week and a half I can start getting frustrated trying to chew all the things I want to eat and fail horribly! Then resign back to my life of oatmeal and soup. I want to bite into a subway sandwich soo bad. And pizza! And fried mozzarella sticks! Ohhh I'm so hungry now.

Then I asked him when we should schedule the neck lipo. He said anytime is fine, he's leaving for a few weeks, so after Septmenber 24th we can get the ball moving. He then took another look at me and said "hmm.. I think you'd benefit a lot from a small chin implant."

oh noo! Not that darn chin thing again!

He said the chin implant would be small and combined with the neck lipo it would give me a lot of facial balance and that it would be something to think about. Uuuhh.. I don't know. I think my chin looks fine, but then again, I don't really know what it would look like "better". The lipo is something I really want, and the anesthesia is a flat fee of $260. So, if I'm getting it done and it would be wise to get them done together. Since I don't want to shell out more money for a second procedure anesth. fee & have to go back for another procedure.

Also. Lipo costs $600, the Chin Implant would cost $1070 (then the $260 anesth. fee). So $860 vs. $1930. The HUGE COST difference doesn't help the fact that I'm not sold on the more chin thing. Plus, we're completely broke. I'm not sure where I'd even get the money the lipo, let alone for both. So, I'm torn, because I really want to listen and agree and do everything the doctor thinks is best, because I respect his judgments. He's only been doing this kinda thing for like.. 35 years.. I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about. I have a lot to think about. And some money to start raising. *sigh*

Here's today's recovery pic:

Identity

I think the last part of my last post was a little mis-understood, so I edited it a little to rephrase it.

The only thing that kinda concerned me was that Diedre kept saying "You look so different", "I won't be able to recognize you". Diedre would never say anything to intentionally hurt my feelings, but it gave me a strange feeling. I know I look different, but I still think I look like me... I don't think I look SO different. It's just strange to hear it from someone so close to you. I just wonder, like, what do people really think? Is my face not me anymore?

I'm not completely happy with the way my face looks right now, but I still feel a lot of swelling, so I know that I need to be patient to see the final result. I feel like I'm in an awkward stage at the moment. I'm just eager to see the swelling to continue to go down, excited for the day when the braces come off, what my final look will be... and if the final look is still Kelley.

I think my mom and others were under the impression that what my friend said had upset me. I wasn't upset at all. Or she felt strange around me. What I meant to convey was my concern of identity, which is today's topic. [I might not make a lot of sense, but try and follow this weird little tangent of mine...]

My concern has nothing to do with looking better than I was before, or looking worse. It's about looking the same vs. looking like a different person. I was never that unhappy with the way I looked before surgery and braces, my teeth weren't that crooked (due to the position of my bottom teeth, I didn't have an under bite until braces. I had a "bite"), and I had a "flat" profile, but I wasn't ever that down about it. After braces, I wasn't that confident in the way I smiled, but I knew that would change. I knew I'd have to look worse, before looking better.

My concern is to hear "so different". I knew I'd look a little different. However, I think I still look like Kelley, a little puffy faced and with a different profile, but still Kelley. What worries me is that others won't recognize me the same way. After I completely heal up, I was thinking of cutting my hair, since I've had the same style since Jr.high school. However, in a way, my hair has become even more recognizable than my face. If both change... does Kelley completely disappear? (It's kinda funny I mention my hair, because it's the longest it's been in a while right now. It's drivin' me nuts.)

I think no matter what, I'll be just as satisfied with my post-surgery look as I was with my pre-surgery look. I'll know I'm me, no matter what. I just don't know what to think, or how to react, or how to feel when I hear those two words..

"so different."

... because I don't see it?

Here's today's recovery pic:

I hope I made a little sense in my ramble tonight.

What a day!

Today was by-far the most exhausting day I've had during recovery, but definitely the most fun. One of my best friends, Diedre, was visiting her grandma along with another friend from high school, Kathryn, and her cousin, here in San Antonio. I hadn't seen Diedre since last Christmas, so of course I'd take up the opportunity to see her while she was in the area!
In the afternoon, we went downtown to the Rivercenter Mall, at first I was kind of anxious because of the crowds from tourism, and also that little thing we call TAX FREE CRAZINESS WEEKEND. The mall was crowded, but it wasn't too bad, actually, for what I was expecting. I was still on the look out for flying elbows, and nervously guarding my face from any freak-attacks.
We walked, a lot, but it was worth it. After looking around the mall for a couple hours, we went down to the Market. Diedre loves Mi Tierra bakery, and must stock up on candied orange peel and pumpkin empanadas whenever she gets the chance. They had some pecan brittle that made my mouth water. Curse this healing jaw!! Also, back out in the market, street vendors selling food that filled the air. Ah, what I would give to be able to chomp into a bean and cheese tostada.

After walking around in the brutal Texas heat for several hours, I was beat. When I came home I went into some kind of sluggish coma. My jaw hurt, my feet hurt, my head hurt. I was so hungry, no food, too tired to go to the store. But it was worth it.

The only thing that kinda concerned me was that Diedre kept saying "You look so different" "I won't be able to recognize you". Diedre would never say anything the intentionally hurt my feelings, but it gave me a strange feeling. I know I look different, but I still think I look like me... I don't think I look SO different. It's just strange to hear it from someone so close to you. I just wonder, like, what do people really think? Is my face not me anymore?

I'm not completely happy with the way my face looks right now, but I still feel a lot of swelling, so I know that I need to be patient to see the final result. I feel like I'm in an awkward stage at the moment. I'm just eager to see the swelling to continue to go down, excited for the day when the braces come off, what my final look will be... and if the final look is still Kelley.

And the recovery pic for today:


My skin is still pretty shiny from all the swelling. How strange.

Going Somewhere.... Slowly

I saw my OS again today.

For about 2 seconds.

Grrr! I hate the effect that has on my nerves!! I have an appointment at 3:30, I get there at 3:20, I'm SEEN at 4:15. And Leibold doesn't even see me for more than 1 minute!! I had questions to ask him, but he disappeared pretty quickly after looking a me. (Run! Doctor! Run!)

I didn't have any expectations for my visit today, but when you wait so long only to feel neglected and ignored, it really shatters my nerves!
The resident, Dr. Balachandran, who looked at me seemed very nice. I've seen her around the department, but I wasn't aware she was familiar with me. Unfortunately, after the greeting, she had to feel across my tender incision area. Oooucch!

Sigh.. My next appointment is in two weeks, I just hope they go by quickly. I want to have a better appointment next time. One where I leave feeling good, inspired, and happy. Not neglected, confused, and anxious.

And here's today's recovery picture:

Two Weeks

It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since surgery. It feels like it's been a sloooow two weeks, but I'm just grateful that those two weeks are behind me. Things can only get better at this point, or so I hope!

I decided to go ahead and call my OS office and schedule an appointment for next week. It's something that will just give me peace of mind, and if they want to reschedule the next one to two weeks after, that's fine with me. I just need something like these appointments to look forward to after surgery, otherwise I feel so restless, watch the clock constantly, wishing I had a time machine to travel a couple weeks forward in time. I also feel in the dark about my recovery, I need to hear things are doing well, at least for these first couple of weeks.
I also asked them to forward a question to Leibold for me. I have an existing appointment to see my orthodontist on the 12th to be retied (re-ligged). I think this is too soon to have pressure on my teeth, and I wanted to know when I should reschedule the appointment, or if I should just cancel it and reschedule when I get the "OK". He hasn't gotten back to me yet, so I might just cancel it anyway, for now. Then just reschedule whenever.

That's all I have to report for now, here's today's recovery pic:

Blah...

I had my second post-op appointment today.
I was pretty disappointed when I left. I had built up all these hopes in my head like getting looser bands, no bands for a certain amount of time a day, no bands at all. However, nothing changed. It was just "things are looking good" and I need to keep the bands on as often as possible. And I might be able to move to soft foods in 6 weeks. what?! That's not cool.
And then it was just "see you in two weeks". Which... guh.. I don't know. I really don't want to wait two weeks, and I think I'd be more comfortable being seen weekly, at least for the first couple of weeks. To keep bands on 24/7 for 2 more weeks doesn't make me too happy.

...yeah....

I don't want to seem high maintenance, but I think I will call the appointment scheduler and ask if I can come in next week, too. It's something that would make me feel more comfortable. And right now I'm a little down in the dumps.

By the way, our new friend, Lotti, is having surgery tomorrow. Let's all wish her a safe surgery and a smooth recovery!!

Here's today's recovery pic. Not much change: