Day 4 Update

Hey Everyone
Its been 4 days now since surgery and I am starting to feel better. I honestly think that most of the discomfort/pain I have had is mainly from the anchorage plates that were put in. I saw the surgeon yesterday and he is happy with everything. Dr Peter Mouser has been amazing, I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Turning the key
Dr Mouser started turning yesterday, a few days earlier than expected. I am turning once a day for about 20 days. I am already starting to get a gap and I wouldnt say it hurts that much, its just more of a tight/pressure feeling after its turned. Neurofen plus has been helping a great deal.

Swelling & numbness
The swelling is slowly going down and a little bit of bruising has shown up on my cheek today. The swelling was not bad at first it gradually got worse over the first 3 days, now I think its starting to subside. I also have some slight bruising on my cheek today, its a little bit yellow. Regarding numbness I couldnt feel my top lips for almost 3 days, but its getting better now. When I touch my front teeth I cant really feel them, I think it will take a while for that to come back.

Eating
Normally I LOVE my food and I thought I would find it quite difficult eating soft and liquid foods, but it actually hasnt been that bad. The first few days I didnt feel like eating too much and when I did eat I would get so full quickly. The key is to have a variety and invest in a blender if you don't have one. Some of the foods I have been having are: chicken and vegie soup blended (from a chinese take away shop), Sanitarium up and go protein drinks, custard, pumpkin soup, tomato soup, ice cream and jelly. I had scrambled eggs for dinner last night and I just had some fried rice for lunch today - you dont need to chew either, they are quite easy to swallow hole. I am going to make a beef casserole tonight and blend it to make sure I get some much needed nutrients. And tomorrow I plan on having some mashed vegies. I havent really lost any weight yet but I think thats because of the swelling, Ill let you know in a few days if that changes!

Sleeping
Sleeping has not been too bad, I had to sleep on my back for the first few nights, but now I am sleeping normally. As gross as it sounds the first few nights I would have blood on my pillow when I woke up so I started using a towel. The pain killers help you get a good night sleep! I am finding I need a nap during the day as you do get tired quite easily, but I am not sleeping as much as I thought I would.

Brushing teeth
I started lightly brushing my teeth the next day. Its actually really important I keep the plates clean so I have a special soft toothbrush from my OS. I am also using savacol mouth wash after all of my meals.

Other randoms things I have experienced
The first night or two I had some blood coming out through either my nose or throat. I am still occasionally bringing up blood but its subsided. Pain in general isnt too bad, its definitely managable with pain meds, I am also on antibotics to prevent infection. I have had my husband off work helping me which you definitely need, you just dont have much energy to do anything. Ice packs didnt help that much, only on the 2nd or 3rd day when my face felt hot from the swelling.

I have also found every day to be different and your days are very up and down. One minute I feel great then a few hours later I feel crappy. I think sometimes its because I havent eaten much because once i eat i start to feel a bit better.

Another nice note was my orthodontist sent me a nice package while I was in hospital as a get well present, I thought that was a lovely touch :) They really do care about their clients and I have received great care from both the ortho and OS.