3 Weeks Post-Op

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since surgery! Nothing much has changed since last week, except that I can smile a LOT more now! I'm still on soft foods but luckily I've been able to find a lot that I can eat. One of my favorite recipes that has really been helpful with getting protein is crock pot chicken.

For the chicken, you just put a few chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot, and cover them with a container of chicken broth (the large boxy ones, not a can). Then stir in 2 packets of taco mix! Low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. When it's done, shred with a fork. The chicken gets so soft that it's really good for someone on a soft food diet such as myself.

One thing I've also been doing is eating baked potatoes with sour cream, crock pot chicken, and avocado on top. It's been very hard getting any vegetables because most of them are very tough, but avocados do the trick. I've also been drinking looooooots of Jamba Juice. That place is a life saver.

Anywho, that's the update. Eeeeep look at my smile! This whole thing has been SO worth it.

2 Weeks Post-Op

Today marked 2 weeks since my surgery! That went SO fast. I haven't blogged in a week, so I'll cover the past 7 days for you.

Last Wednesday (9 days post-op), I had my second follow-up appointment with Dr. Elliott. He said everything looked really good and that I could start chewing soft foods! This was the day before Thanksgiving, so it was really a blessing. I was able to eat the brisket that my Mom made, since she cooked it in the crock pot and it was really soft. Since then, I've been eating lots of potatoes, shredded chicken, pasta, and salmon. Still no pizza yet (my favorite food), but I think my arteries could use the break anyways.

We did Thanksgiving lunch with Zack's family before heading to mine. I'm not really smiling with teeth in photos yet because I still look really weird when I smile. But I guess I look weird either way?

This is me Thanksgiving night. I could kind of show my upper teeth; very exciting! 

Thanksgiving weekend really gave me a run for my money because it was filled with family and LOTS of shopping. I gained a lot of energy back since I'm allowed to eat more foods, but I still ended up losing 11 POUNDS. That can't be healthy. It will be great when I'm back to a full diet and can get myself back to a healthy weight again!

Today I went back to work! That was really exciting for me; I really love my job and all the people there. I also had a post-op orthodontic appointment at Chamberlain Orthodontics. Dr. Chamberlain said I'm healing faster than ANY of his surgical patients, and he's had a lot of 'em. SCORE! We took photos of my profile and oh my gosh, have I changed! It will change even more when all the swelling goes down, and I'll put up photos of my profile from before until the very end. But for now, check this out!

Hellooooooo, cheekbones! 

Here are some photos that I just took of what I look like now from the front. Every day I can smile a little bit more! Although I still look really weird and swollen. Whatever, I just had jaw surgery.

Well, that's that! I'll probably post again in a week or so. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! :)

Day 7 already?

This will probably be my last post for a week or so since nothing much is changing day by day now. Today I woke up nice and early, put on some makeup and normal clothes, and went out for the day! My parents and I went shopping for quite a while. It was nice to feel human again and get out of my sweatpants.

The absolute most frustrating part of this whole thing is how dang hungry I am! I literally cannot stand watching other people eat and I could kill for a slice of pizza right now. I've been drinking mostly sweet things - applesauce, Jamba Juice, frozen yogurt, etc. I'm totally a savory girl (sourdough bread > cake) so this whole thing has been pretty rough. I've been getting by with mashed potatoes and soup, but I'm still really craving sinking my teeth into a piece of bread. Okay. Rant over.

7 days post upper jaw surgery... I look pretty good. This is as much of a smile as I can muster at the moment!

I mentioned my wrists a few times in previous posts so I just wanted to show them off in all their black and blue glory. I'm still wearing my hospital bracelet because I'm a paranoid freak and I'm scared that I'm going to get in a car accident and they won't know how to take care of me.

Oh, and this is me about a half hour post surgery. I just found this on my Mom's camera. Seeing the difference is crazy! 

Day 6 Photos

I just realized I haven't posted photos recently... so if anyone is interested in seeing how much my face is swelling/getting better.... here you go! All things considered, I could look much, much worse. I am very thankful for how well I'm healing. :)

I can kinda smile! ... right? ;)

This is all for that beautiful bite :)

Not sure if you can see very well, but I've developed some yellow bruising right under my cheeks on both sides. 

Day 5/Day 6

I'm posting this a day late because yesterday was definitely an eventful one and I just didn't get to my computer.

I woke up on Day 5 at about 2am with AWFUL nausea and pain. I was seeing spots, was incredibly sweaty, and could barely make it to the kitchen to get my medicine. Luckily I made it back to my bed and passed out, but that was the absolute worst I've felt this entire time. Then I woke up again at around 8am feeling a little better but not 100%. My parents brought "food" to me in bed, though, and after a while I was feeling much better. The rest of the day I just hung out with my Dad, who stayed home from work all day to help out.

My amazing company Santy sent me flowers in the morning which definitely cheered me up a LOT more! They are seriously the best and I'm so excited to get back to work.

Dad took me to Jamba Juice for lunch and then we went to Cafe Rio. I snuck a few pieces of mashed up rice from his plate... "oops"! ;) By the way, Jamba Juice will extra extra blend your smoothie for you, to ensure no chunks. I also had them add whey protein for some added nutritional value.

When Dad took me home, I was telling him how sad I was that my best friend Jacquelyn wasn't down here with me because she couldn't find a ride home for the weekend. WELL, a few hours later I heard the doorbell ring and my Mom go "I wonder who that could be?!" I was just like.... "I don't know, why don't you go check, lady?" 5 seconds later, Jacquelyn pops into my room! My parents paid for her gas to come down and hang out with me for the weekend. I literally bursted into tears from happiness. It was the best surprise ever!

We all went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and I had chicken broth out of a cup... pretty exciting. Jacquelyn and I went to sleep around 10pm... also very exciting. But I woke up around 2am again in a lot of pain! This routine is getting old. I'm definitely ready to wake up one day in no pain and with a normal face! Although it does feel really good to be able to feel my bite corrected, even though you can't really see it.

My swelling definitely isn't going down at all, no matter how much ice I put on it. I feel like I could lay down on an iceberg for a night and it would actually be worse? My wrists are still really bruised, too.

I'm getting out of the house today for a little bit to go see Catching Fire! But then it's back to chicken broth and endless episodes of Mad Men in bed.

Day 4

I woke up today feeling extremely groggy... probably because I woke myself up last night at midnight and then again at 6am to take my antibiotics. I'm trying to be really good about them... no infections here, thanks! I actually set alarms on my phone for when I take every medication, and also put a schedule up on the fridge. It's really hard to remember when you took certain meds when you're so out of it like I am!

I'm going to have nightmares of alarms when this is all over.

Remember this stuff? It tastes like childhood. 

Last night, my Dad and brother took me on a little ride to Fry's and we got some more food for me, now that I'm a little more knowledgeable about what I can and can't eat. On the list was chicken noodle soup, orange juice, ramen noodles, applesauce, and spaghettios with meatballs. All of which I have to blend before eating. I'm going to start adding avocado into the soups to add some more nutrients as well. 

Oh, Dad. He's been so great about this whole thing!

This KitchenAid blender is awesome. The most important part of choosing a blender for this procedure is that it has puree and liquefy buttons, because you can't have any chunks at ALL! 

Ta Da! This used to be Campbell's Southwestern Soup. It was a little too spicy for me, so I switched back to chicken noodle, but you get the idea. Everything looks like baby food.  

 This morning I had my first follow up visit with Dr. Elliott. Everything is looking pretty peachy, and I get to brush my teeth now! I have to use a children's toothbrush, though, so Winnie the Pooh is gracing my bathroom with his presence at the moment. And I can't feel anything from my upper teeth up to my lower eyelids, so I have to guess that I'm brushing the right spots.

When I got home from the doctor, I took my first bath/shower since I went in on Monday. I know how gross that sounds, but today is the first day I felt well enough to do it myself... and I really didn't want my poor mother to have to bathe me. Let me tell you, that was the BEST bath I've ever had. I used that calming baby bath (Liam's, of course) and it really did help me relax so much. I feel human again for the first time in days!

Pain-wise, I'm not feeling a thing. It's just a lot of pressure in my whole face, but it's not necessarily hurting (thank God). The only really annoying thing is that whenever I bend over to pick something up, my nose starts bleeding. Dr. Elliott says that this is because there's a lot of blood still waiting to be drained from my sinuses. So hopefully that all drains soon, because yuck!

Oh, and this is what I look like now. I will be looking like a chipmunk for quite some time now! See that yellow-ish thing on my neck? That's where my central line was. That thing hurt like hell to get removed, but I'm glad it's gone. (See: Frankenstein)

Day 3

Day 3 is here! I slept through almost the entire night last night. 

Yesterday was the longest day because I couldn't sleep very well and I had to have all sorts of tubes removed, which was not pleasant. My sinuses also were still full of blood from the procedure, so every time I got up to use the restroom, I would have a nosebleed! Hot mess express over here. 

My mom stayed with me all day yesterday and we watched lots of movies. Then dad and Jared stopped by until about 9. Dad let me keep my iPad with me overnight, so I watched Mad Men until I fell asleep around 11. 

I woke up today feeling chipper because I get to go home today!! Hooray! I am also cleared to drink solid-ish liquids like smoothies and blended soups. The chicken broth was getting a little old. 

I'm still pretty dang swollen, but Dr. Elliot says that I look way better than some of his other patients. I also have quite a bit of bruising on my wrists because they stuck me so many times during surgery! But apparently I still look better than most, so I'll take it. 

I'm having raspberry sherbet this morning... It really is the little things :) 

I know I don't look very happy, but I promise I feel better than I look!! 

Surgery day is here!

Well, I'm here waiting at the hospital to get admitted! I've never been in the hospital before, so this is all really new to me. We just heard that I get a private room, yay!

Nervous? Yes. Excited? Also yes. 

Let's do this!

Update:

This is what I looked like just before surgery. I didn't think I'd wear a cap and gown again for a while! 

I look a little too happy... 

I was SO nervous, so my Mom was singing me songs and rubbing my feet to calm me down. God bless that woman. 

Day 2

Today is the day after surgery! I've heard everything went well. They didn't end up wiring or even rubber banding my jaw shut...which is such a godsend!! I've been sucking on ice chips and drinking water, apple juice, and sprite.

I vomited blood last night because I swallowed so much during surgery. That was a first. But luckily since my jaw wasn't wired shut, it wasn't hard or painful.

The worst part about this so far for me is having a central line in my neck, and a urinary catheter. I'm hopefully getting both of those out today! Cross your fingers for me, please!! Luckily, I have a little morphine button. Hehehe. 

When I was able to feel my corrected bite last night, I started crying of happiness.  This whole thing has been such a long time coming, and I'm just so glad it's almost over!

Here's what I look like today. Not nearly as swollen as I thought I would be!! 

Thanks everyone so much for your well wishes :) 

One Week Before

Hey there!

I wanted to create a blog to help others going through the same procedure as I am. Reading other blogs has helped me so much that I wanted to share my experience as well. Also, this is a great way for my friends and family to keep up with me as I undergo this experience! Jawdrey seemed to be the perfect name for the blog. My name is Audrey, so... yeah. Heh.

I got my first set of braces when I was 8 years old. Notice how I said first set. After 2 years, they took them off to see how I was doing or something like that. Nope! Not good enough. After about a month of chewing gum and eating as much hard candy and popcorn as I could stuff my face with, the braces went back on, this time for 4 years. I finally got them off when I was 14.

You'd think that 6 years of braces would have really done the job. And it seemed like they did, until I was about 17. I realized that my lower jaw was sliding forward again, so I went back to the same orthodontist that I had vowed never to see again in my life. Little did I know that this was definitely NOT the end of it. He basically told me that my jaw was destined to be this way, and that even though they did everything they could, I would eventually need surgery. Well, that sucked.

Here are all the adorable pictures of my teeth. I hate how they make you frown. Also, how cute was I in 7th grade? Oh damn!

At the time, we didn't think insurance would cover surgery at all, so any type of procedure wasn't a financial option for us. So, I told the doc "sorry!" and went along my business. I didn't like that guy anyways. My underbite wasn't hurting anyone, so it didn't seem like something I needed to fix at the time.

Flash forward to senior year of college, when I was 21. I was inspecting my teeth after brushing them one night (as I typically do, because I am an oral hygiene FREAK) and realized that one of my front teeth had chipped in the corner. What the what? I just turned 21... did I do something the previous weekend while under the influence of soda (heh)? I chalked it up to natural weirdness and went about my life as normal. But in the next few months, more and more teeth were withering away. AHH!

I love teeth; more specifically, my teeth. What was happening to them?! And then finally, a lightbulb went off. My bottom teeth had perfectly straight lines when touching the teeth that were chipped. And they fit together like peanut butter and jelly. Mac and cheese. You get it. There was a definite issue here. My teeth are precious.

Finally, I consulted Chamberlain Orthodontics, who had amazing reviews from so many people in my community... including my own mother (have you seen her teeth?! A-maz-ing!). Their staff was, and continues to be so wonderful. I am given the perfect amount of attention and never feel like I'm just another patient. They take so much time to answer all of my annoying questions and are just so nice! They did their absolute best to find a solution for me other than surgery; Dr. Chamberlain even sat down with me and drew on x-rays of my face to show me why surgery was the only option. No orthodontist has ever taken that much time out of his day to explain things to me before. And when I didn't particularly feel completely comfortable with the surgeon that they had recommended to me, they went out of their way to find another surgeon that would fit my needs. They continue to go above and beyond with their practice, and I literally could not recommend them enough. If you live anywhere in the Phoenix-Metro area, it's worth the drive to Chandler. I promise.

Over spring break 2013, I had my first consult with Dr. Elliott, the surgeon who would be working with me. I had a really wild spring break, as you can tell. Dr. Elliott made me feel so comfortable, from his warm personality right down to the way his office is decorated (it's like you're in a cozy cabin. I want to sleep there.). He was another doctor who sat down and made sure that every single question I had was answered. If one of his nurses or assistants came in with a question, he would politely wave them off to make sure I knew that I had his undivided attention. This is so important to me in a surgeon, as I can imagine it is for any person going under the knife. I feel so blessed to find someone who can provide that!

I forgot to mention: what's so special about my case is that I get to do Invisalign, instead of regular braces. Invisible braces? Huzzah!! Another thing that's different about my case is that it's actually my upper jaw that's the culprit of this whole mess. You sneaky upper jaw; I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!

We had to battle with the insurance a lot. They rejected my procedure twice, but the third time must have been the charm, because they said yes! The other amazing thing is that we have really great insurance, and we have an out-of-pocket maximum. This means that no matter how much I had to have done, it would be covered outside of that maximum. And the maximum is pretty low for healthcare standards. I thank my lucky stars every single day that I was born into a financially stable, insured family. And I appreciate my Dad SO much for working so hard to keep us that way. Dad, if you're reading this, thank you so much. I don't say it nearly enough. There are so many people out there without healthcare, and I am fortunately not one of them (not trying to get political here, just very thankful).

4 days ago, I had my last pre-consult with my surgeon, Dr. Michael Elliott. Both of my parents joined me in asking a million questions for the (hopefully) last time. Dr. Elliott showed us on an actual human skull what he's going to do so I could see it. Little did he know, I've been watching YouTube videos for weeks now, so I'm pretty up to date on the procedure. But my parents don't know too much about it, so they got the preview... much to my Mom's squeamish dismay. If you want to see a quick, 51 second video of what will be happening to me, click here. Dr. Elliott has already assured me that I won't be setting off airport security for the rest of my life... phew!

Starting tomorrow will be my last week at work for a few weeks. I'll be completely out of it for a week, then working from home for two. But I'll be damned if I'm going to miss the company Christmas party. I mean, there's an open bar...

I literally took these pictures right before writing this blog post. Not sure why my face looks so red. Blame it on the iPhone? You can better see my underbite on the right. But after Monday, you will see it no more! Mwahahahah!! 

I'll post again the night before my surgery, and then as much as I can right before and subsequently after. If you just read through all of the above, props to you for being able to sit still for so long. Go give yourself a potty break.