Day 3 : Sipping protein shakes
Today I finally drank a protein shake, I can feel the energy returning to my body. I could tell I was getting a little weaker until last night, due to lack of food energy. Drinking the broth give flavour, but the protein shake makes me feel like the sun is shining onto superman (he gets energy from the sun in case you didn't know, superman is a plant).
In other news, my swelling continues to grow, though it grew less today than it did yesterday, suggesting we're reaching peak hotdog levels soon. I'm past 72 hours from surgery, so theoretically I've passed the hump of the recovery.
Sleeping last night was a struggle. My nostrils clogged up by evening and it felt like I was suffocating all night, I tried taking hot showers, saline nasal sprays, cue tips, and making a life for myself right in front of the humidifier, but nothing seemed to work. Finally around 5 AM when I was taking my next dose of pain meds (on a 3hr cycle, so I tend to never get more than 2-3 hours of sleep at a time), my right nostril cleared up enough to breath without having to keep my mouth painfully open. I slept like a baby from that point on.
Speaking of humidifiers, this Eufy humidifier is hands down the best humidifier I've ever owned. On the other hand, this is the only humidifier I've ever owned, so that probably doesn't mean very much. It is extremely good though, I probably would have suffocated to death without it, or at least thought I was suffocating to death.
The other great thing going on today is that I can now sip from a cup! This greatly increases the flow rate of liquids my mouth is capable of handling.
(Update 11:21am) I'm starting to feel a throbbing sensation in the back of my lower right jaw. It sounds like my nerves are starting to fire up again which is great and all, except for the part where this may become pain very soon. I still have another 1.5 hours before my next pain med, so hopefully the pain doesn't grow too quickly.
I also did a 15 minute walk today, literally doing laps along the hotel floor. It was quite tiring, I'm going to try again one or two more times today.
(Update 12:22pm) Lizzy convinced me to take hydrocet now ahead of schedule (because I had skipped one at night), and the suture pain in my lower jaw was starting to come back, but it's dulled out again. Sometimes I forget that I just had my jaws ripped apart.
Now that I can sip directly from cups I drank a whole broth in one go, and will be having more protein shakes in a bit. These condiment bottles are the gifts that keep on giving because I can unscrew the lid and drink directly from it like a cup.
I have yet to use the blender though, living in SF, my mum is able to go to the vietnamese place across the street and buy large containers of delicious chicken/beef broth for $4.
(Update 1:36pm) Finished another 15min set of hallway walking laps. Started to get slightly light-headed about 9min in, but it felt better than this morning's walk.
Things are finally starting to feel monotonous. One of the things I worry about is whether I'll clench my jaw too hard and break a bracket or warp the position before it sets. I'm being careful to only sleep upright on my back. I'm not sure how legitimate a concern it is. I had a nightmare that I broke the plastic guard between my teeth, and the wiring came off early. I should probably stop thinking about this.
Semi-related, I've started feeling pressure in the jaw, some slight twinges of pains that I think are suture spots inside the cheeks, and pins and needles around my lips, suggesting nerve sensation is returning. I may be imagining it but I think I can feel more of the chin directly under my lower lips.
(Update 6:06pm) I took a hot shower, and my nostrils magically unclogged, is this it? Is this the last time I struggle to breath?
(Update 7:54pm) Nope, nostrils clogged again.
**TMI Warning**
(Update 8:21pm) One chicken broth, 2 protein shakes, one fiber supplement, and one prune juice later, Operation #2 was officially successful.
On to Day 4.
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| The many faces of Hotdog Sam |
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| Day 3, I may look happy, but really I'm just exercising my lips. |
Speaking of humidifiers, this Eufy humidifier is hands down the best humidifier I've ever owned. On the other hand, this is the only humidifier I've ever owned, so that probably doesn't mean very much. It is extremely good though, I probably would have suffocated to death without it, or at least thought I was suffocating to death.
The other great thing going on today is that I can now sip from a cup! This greatly increases the flow rate of liquids my mouth is capable of handling.
(Update 11:21am) I'm starting to feel a throbbing sensation in the back of my lower right jaw. It sounds like my nerves are starting to fire up again which is great and all, except for the part where this may become pain very soon. I still have another 1.5 hours before my next pain med, so hopefully the pain doesn't grow too quickly.
I also did a 15 minute walk today, literally doing laps along the hotel floor. It was quite tiring, I'm going to try again one or two more times today.
 |
| Where I go walkies. |
(Update 12:22pm) Lizzy convinced me to take hydrocet now ahead of schedule (because I had skipped one at night), and the suture pain in my lower jaw was starting to come back, but it's dulled out again. Sometimes I forget that I just had my jaws ripped apart.
Now that I can sip directly from cups I drank a whole broth in one go, and will be having more protein shakes in a bit. These condiment bottles are the gifts that keep on giving because I can unscrew the lid and drink directly from it like a cup.
I have yet to use the blender though, living in SF, my mum is able to go to the vietnamese place across the street and buy large containers of delicious chicken/beef broth for $4.
(Update 1:36pm) Finished another 15min set of hallway walking laps. Started to get slightly light-headed about 9min in, but it felt better than this morning's walk.
Things are finally starting to feel monotonous. One of the things I worry about is whether I'll clench my jaw too hard and break a bracket or warp the position before it sets. I'm being careful to only sleep upright on my back. I'm not sure how legitimate a concern it is. I had a nightmare that I broke the plastic guard between my teeth, and the wiring came off early. I should probably stop thinking about this.
Semi-related, I've started feeling pressure in the jaw, some slight twinges of pains that I think are suture spots inside the cheeks, and pins and needles around my lips, suggesting nerve sensation is returning. I may be imagining it but I think I can feel more of the chin directly under my lower lips.
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| Purple still has little or no sensation, green is where sensation has started to come back |
(Update 7:54pm) Nope, nostrils clogged again.
**TMI Warning**
(Update 8:21pm) One chicken broth, 2 protein shakes, one fiber supplement, and one prune juice later, Operation #2 was officially successful.
On to Day 4.
I think the blender will be more useful once your jaws are unwired but you still can't actually chew.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteYeah that sounds right, It's possible that my mum'll be moving the blender back to my apartment tomorrow, since she's leaving pretty soon, I may also move back to my apartment day after tomorrow
Delete