tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53413222987124978212024-02-07T13:26:23.085-05:00Thrill of the Perfect Grill - A Braces & Jaw Surgery DiaryThis blog will be used to rant and rave, vent, joke, laugh and embarrass myself while I take this two-year adventure to have perfect teeth. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I will ;).LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-92195104294953831672012-01-07T17:55:00.002-05:002012-01-07T18:04:42.230-05:002012!Happy New Year to you all!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRx9dHrAFo0n3KsHzqfvQ6IEJA6-JmAZwzLUKVCYmH8es5KXI2JaC6Vd-WOt03Ddtu_iCacQ1b9n_k6Ndk0v3esKzr9UdC5F9DY7hTzFclqHc5Nohia8NCe-7BzbUBvfvIDhasVWfjijI/s1600/lex.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRx9dHrAFo0n3KsHzqfvQ6IEJA6-JmAZwzLUKVCYmH8es5KXI2JaC6Vd-WOt03Ddtu_iCacQ1b9n_k6Ndk0v3esKzr9UdC5F9DY7hTzFclqHc5Nohia8NCe-7BzbUBvfvIDhasVWfjijI/s320/lex.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695029776083659282" /></a><br /><br />Wow, it has been a REALLY long time since I posted anything - I was preoccupied with showing off my new pearly whites!<br /><br />Life has been fantastic since I last posted back in March when I officially got my braces off. I have a new dream job and I am happy and healthy - can't ask for anything else.<br /><br />Update on my teeth/surgery - I have to wear my night "retainer" every night for the rest of my life (as per my Orthodontist's orders). It looks very similar to Invisalign. Sometimes if I don't wear it for a few nights, I can definitely feel that my teeth have shifted a little bit (even though I have upper and lower wires). I have to ensure I keep on track per doctor's orders! As for my numbness that I was always speaking about - I STILL have some. I'd say it's still about 5% numb in my upper left lip and the middle of my lower lip, as well as a bit of a topical numbness in my chin area. I'm OK with this though. If this is the only side effect, then that's pretty great.<br /><br />How are all of you out there? I hope everyone is enjoying their braces/jaw surgery journey as much as I did. Stay strong and know that it's WORTH IT!!<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-26416654155040871532011-03-02T23:05:00.006-05:002011-03-02T23:14:27.621-05:00NO MORE BRACES!!!<div><div><div><div><div><div>Well hello there.<br /><br />Welcome to my blog... my name is Alexis AND I HAVE NO MORE BRACES!!!!!<br /></div><div>I will post a HUGE detailed message tomorrow with everything that happened... but for now I wanted to show you my new sparkly teeth (vs. before my braces).<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 317px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 184px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579701282411645442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICVvTb-B9w8CFSxXDW5OzIcCLMV4CPDw6iGvjwYvYbLiOLo8BOPkcjgsBa42NIiMwo6Chh9JvIOnZ0Xk7u2x0qVzbchvbqBXAKOiE2a-ave8sQCEhaM0kaxP6Zm4Zakkb1VrDS_EJLIZn/s400/IMG00073-20110302-1121.jpg" /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579701594916556914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EhysLcRCTd-xdp0BhNMAK53t4UguuG-BlrEBUTPrpJxS7BcF4G5JzSVTfhSCFI-qxPLRyfoxxxozbuZ2eI03NWJhVioyXpkk_n68tkWu2bB_QxA05TBQvyJLifGDaIcf3cqLTu3vnMFc/s320/Before.jpg" /></div></div></div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-54776559504810530272011-02-14T21:03:00.005-05:002011-02-14T22:01:21.556-05:00Neon Pink & Root CanalsHappy Valentines Day!<br /><br />Good news and bad news since I last blogged.<br /><br /><strong>Good news:</strong><br /><br /><br />1) I now have <span style="color:#ff6666;">NEON PINK </span><span style="color:#000000;">ligatures on my braces... and will have them on for the next two weeks! I feel like a huge geek and I kinda love it.</span><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573736276813323570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-94WaUo32OOY5NWXq2Q6mVgQcUl8WtGxzxQePh1un7qNFU7OIKNKrvGP_nzuIaKnJdKzeismGbMUi3jiafkE8B1XUziZPmeLjkKYnLb6YbVEmvahhJ0maQM9v_8Rg4gS6DbQiJhi2sHqC/s320/Month+22.jpg" /><br />2) I'm still on track to get my braces off on MARCH 2!!! That's 16 days away. I still can't believe how fast the time has actually gone by.<br /><br /><strong>Bad news:</strong><br /><br />I had TWO <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">fricken</span> root canals last week. Yeah I know. As soon as I thought my dental hell was coming to an end... they had to spring that surprise on me. It hurt like hell when the root canal specialist stuck the general anesthetic needles in my gums. They had to put temporary fillings in the teeth for now until I get my braces off and get the insides bleached. After that I get the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">permanent</span> fillings. So until then, the specialist said I have to be very careful with what I eat and ensure I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> put any extra pressure on those teeth or bite into anything hard. Ugh. I booked the permanent fillings and bleaching for later in the day after I get the braces off... so only 2 more weeks of being careful.<br /><br />Just a short update for now!<br /><br />Alexis<br /><br />P.s. adding an after-thought! I forgot to mention that they took my last molds today! They took top and bottom molds and a "bite" wax mold thingy. This is to make my permanent retainers (in the back of my teeth) and my clear retainer (looks like invisalign). It's so close I can't handle it anymore!!!LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-87437798230597615522011-01-19T22:32:00.004-05:002011-01-19T22:57:13.282-05:00De-Bracing Date - MARCH 2!!!!!Happy belated New Year!<br /><br /><br />This is the most recent photo I have of myself, for your jaw/face progress inquiries, It was taken on New Years Eve:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 199px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564108220663549218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRODDaVb7iLgw1YUHTMvCafFdcKpaMHD1p7rkyT2bAUvgB0nqUQd_xDAiJ4lwSsZOxy6eQ4gipFVf9sUAzArqx0qgpWfIXpcJ_U3qw82-U5YIR5mNmc1ektl3H6C9KCROck8HZ6SYDFroQ/s320/photo+2222222.JPG" /><br />Between my last post in October and the beginning of January there have not been many changes/updates....UNTIL NOW!<br /><br />You heard it here first folks (before <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">TMZ</span> could break the news) - my braces are OFFICIALLY coming off on March 2! Holy cow. I can't believe my 2 year adventure is coming to a close.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000000;">MARCH 2 =40 days from today<span style="color:#330033;">!</span><span style="color:#ffffff;">!</span><span style="color:#ffcc00;">!</span><span style="color:#cc33cc;">!</span><span style="color:#00cccc;">!</span><span style="color:#33cc00;">!</span><span style="color:#990000;">!</span></span></strong></div><br /><div align="left">...and so the countdown has begun. I feel like this whole process has been about countdowns. Countdown to my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ortho</span> appointments, to my surgery, to my braces coming off. I may miss it. I'll have to think of something else to count down to. Any ideas will help my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">withdrawal</span> of countdowns. Thanks in advance.</div><br /><div align="left"></div><p>I have an appointment in 4 weeks from now (on Valentines Day of course) to get my last adjustment and for them to take molds to make my retainer(s). </p><p>Before my braces are taken off, I need to get my front tooth checked out. As I mentioned in previous posts, my front top left tooth seems to be darker in colour than the rest of my teeth. My dentist took <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">xrays</span> and did an exam, but he couldn't find the reason for it. He is sending me to a root canal specialist this coming Monday morning (at 7:50 am...<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">FML</span>) to check if I have a dead/infected nerve that is causing the darkness. I REALLY hope I don't need a root canal and the darkness can be fixed by professional whitening. If I do need a root canal, my orthodontist has made it clear that I'll need to have it done BEFORE the braces come off. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oy</span>. It would make sense though... it would complete my round of dental hell in these past 2 years... 1st braces, then wisdom teeth removal, then jaw surgery... and now a root canal.</p><p>I also spoke with my dentist about the professional whitening services they provide because you KNOW <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">I'm</span> getting these suckers whitened as soon as the braces come off. They offer two choices. The first is an in-office one-time 45 appointment which costs $800+. The second option (which he recommended) is a take home 2 week process where you have to wear these <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">invisalign</span> type retainers twice a day for 30 min. He said you can see results after the first day. This option costs approx. 1/2 the in-office procedure. I think I'm gonna save my money and go with the 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> procedure. I'll put the savings towards a basket of apples I'll be able to bite into once the braces come off. Oh and GUM!!!! So much gum...<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">mmm</span>.</p><p>A quick update on jaw <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">surgery</span> progress. My upper left lip is still partially numb, as is my chin and middle of my bottom lip. The numbness is less and less each day, which also makes the area more sensitive to cold/hot because the nerve endings are extra sensitive. My upper jaw is still numb as well. They originally said most feeling should come back in 6 months after the surgery, but can sometimes take up to a year. I'm just glad I have muscle movement in those areas... the numbness can go away as slowly as it wants.</p><p>Until my next post... keep fit and have fun!</p><p>Alexis<br /></p><div align="left"></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-35536740168805795292010-10-24T16:42:00.006-04:002010-10-24T17:04:44.238-04:00Day 65: 4 more months of braces!"Double double toil and trouble; fire burn and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cauldron</span> bubble..." <div><div></div><div>Happy almost Halloween! Love this upcoming holiday :) Not sure what I'm going to be yet... but I will make sure to post a photo of my costume!<br /></div><div>It's been a few weeks since I last posted... so here are some new photos that were taken last week and a friend's engagement party:</div><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531717677050956994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY3m6EH5dgK-bOQt0-IimuMl_6fv8jUFF2_LDMW_r__76OK6u9QpQs8O14-f1G20chLdzn7Fll16BmnT4LC_Pn-RjeHXilFlq-QwOUN0p2IAGTCKL5Wuz6NBUJqsICOU1AoPX_5rlb122/s320/IMG_4613.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 246px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531718148565076786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6n8ZnSwNPfzca0A0Tuh386DpNzzwVVXYBXDwOYTBOGfXIqY4mo046GDtnflnMcMSN4mjga3RB6mq7Y1iNPJXIt76DAzi3c2XuY0zwaLBAGEuVawAPVPbs2ioILdnO5_B4wx8944LGuFgE/s320/IMG_4562.JPG" />Eating has been amazing! I can basically eat everything now (except I still stay away from anything really hard just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">in case</span> (and also to be mindful of breaking a bracket). You don't realise how essential eating nutritional food is to your mental and physical health until your not able to do it! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Geez</span>... I've learned from this whole adventure that I can never have an eating disorder, I would go <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">CrAzY</span> :). Plus I love eating <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">wayyyy</span> to much.</div><div></div><div>Little progress to report. There is more sensation in my numb parts (upper left lip, middle bottom lip and chin). I have been able to feel hot/cold in those areas and sometimes I feel little prickly feelings. </div><div></div><div>I've been able to gain some weight back - which as I just mentioned makes me feel so much more healthy and sane. I've also been going back to the gym! I went twice this week! I'm hoping to go 2-3 times this upcoming week and weight train for the first time since <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre</span>-op.</div><div></div><div>As you've seen in the title of this post - I have approx. 4 months left of these metal things on my teeth! I CANNOT WAIT!!!!! I guess that means I need to start saving up for teeth whitening :).</div><div></div><div>I promised a video a while back, but I haven't gotten around to making one. I will try my best this week or next!</div><div></div><div>I hope everyone has an awesome Halloween!!!</div><div></div><div>Alexis</div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-83539310719427911862010-10-04T22:09:00.005-04:002010-10-04T22:34:31.737-04:00Day 45: Chewing is the best thing EVER!Week 7 is here! Holy <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Camoly</span>!!!<br /><br />Here are pictures from Day 43 (Saturday):<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUt-Ur-1W5QNz51-QzsjzkqwfYcw8WJJxEcyyWm4uIHT5joFqlyfziLMcMJ3GqdFLOxjH9GRCAqMGLuQ1sXn8-xDuNrGaSs-KppGep8G-flUX6PxvP2YrJoPgnE3l-jeElB9RmN_3vcAP/s1600/Day+43+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524379202235380002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIUt-Ur-1W5QNz51-QzsjzkqwfYcw8WJJxEcyyWm4uIHT5joFqlyfziLMcMJ3GqdFLOxjH9GRCAqMGLuQ1sXn8-xDuNrGaSs-KppGep8G-flUX6PxvP2YrJoPgnE3l-jeElB9RmN_3vcAP/s200/Day+43+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M8XkvsCG8u-T3yHQQ2nMYvFddDTVN9txcu0JVll5eXGXm5U7YfdSdelcVWiKfhT6vjkMipJhE9BT_IcSq_GLe_fd8gCppkmClpkrKCm5F0bcdTv_msPCct4hGlJGz2jpjISD25n41ZF0/s1600/Day+43+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524379079834376418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7M8XkvsCG8u-T3yHQQ2nMYvFddDTVN9txcu0JVll5eXGXm5U7YfdSdelcVWiKfhT6vjkMipJhE9BT_IcSq_GLe_fd8gCppkmClpkrKCm5F0bcdTv_msPCct4hGlJGz2jpjISD25n41ZF0/s200/Day+43+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoNKt2UvXvEjdrxKuUvajof8nAAtwvfeh7sei73ttfcFb642X1DpLb0tE_h0XTfETIlMB37LzTdVWIhsKjWS9dzCrskjWEiX9YpvlvTk87pGMhTZhJlPb8mrvi0Zvpj5v0IgNYbkCa3BP/s1600/day+43+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524379075443343346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoNKt2UvXvEjdrxKuUvajof8nAAtwvfeh7sei73ttfcFb642X1DpLb0tE_h0XTfETIlMB37LzTdVWIhsKjWS9dzCrskjWEiX9YpvlvTk87pGMhTZhJlPb8mrvi0Zvpj5v0IgNYbkCa3BP/s200/day+43+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq99LuzWAjnzyJkMsg7v65hj8WuQ2cVL9Utz_Z8EcM-Xrcmap_uT1zbMUaACZTpxdVnfXBS0I7kv5-gTFqLzaf9MF_H1WQOVFiEmzEKZKOo2TID9ZTvH3_a2BLZg-y8by6paDvFiGiLLi/s1600/Day+43+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524379069422157106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq99LuzWAjnzyJkMsg7v65hj8WuQ2cVL9Utz_Z8EcM-Xrcmap_uT1zbMUaACZTpxdVnfXBS0I7kv5-gTFqLzaf9MF_H1WQOVFiEmzEKZKOo2TID9ZTvH3_a2BLZg-y8by6paDvFiGiLLi/s200/Day+43+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br />I'm thinking my swelling is down to about 2% now... I don't even know how to tell anymore! I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> look swollen at all, but I can still feel some pressure above my lips and beside my nose area... so I assume that means it's still swollen.<br /><br />As you can tell by the title of this post, CHEWING IS AMAZING!!!! So... last week I was allowed to start chewing as of Tuesday when I had my post-op appointment with my oral surgeon. I did NOT take advantage of that. This turned out to be a very bad idea because the next morning I went to the orthodontist and my teeth ended up being so sensitive for the next week! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Arrrgghh</span>! This was my first appointment post-op and my orthodontist was very excited to see and impressed with my new bite. He took out those horrendous surgical wires and put in a brand new wire! Here is the good news... ARE YOU READY!?!?!<br /><br />HE PREDICTS THAT I WILL ONLY HAVE 5 MONTHS LEFT OF MY BRACES!!!!<br /><br />So that is pretty fantastic. I am so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">fricken</span> psyched you can't even imagine!!!!! That means...by my intricate calculations... that I will have them off in FEBRUARY! WHAT WHAT!!!<br /><br />On the weekend my teeth started to become less sensitive, so I was able to eat items that required chewing. Here is my list of food items that I have chewed thus far:<br /><br />- Sushi<br />- Pizza<br />- Gourmet sandwich from Sandwich Box (my favorite sandwich place EVER)<br />- Shrimp Stirfry (I made it!)<br />- Blueberry pancakes with bacon sprinkles :)<br />- Salad<br />- Mini breton crackers with humus<br />- Chickpea salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and tahini sauce<br /><br />In order to move my progress along, my O<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">rtho</span> has me wearing elastics on my back teeth 24/7 and elastics on my canines and 2 of the lower teeth <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">directly</span> below during the night. He has me doing this because since the surgery my back teeth <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> touch and he's trying to pull them together. I've been pretty good with wearing the elastics all the time... except for the odd time when I eat and then forget to put them back in for a few hours. Hopefully I can keep it up! Getting elastics on the back teeth has been pretty tricky and sometimes takes a few minutes. I'm sure I'll be an expert in a weeks time though.<br /><br />Numbness is SLOWLY disappearing in my upper left lip and chin... I will randomly have itching/pin prick feelings/itching in those areas... which can only mean that I CAN FEEL SOMETHING!!! Still feels like I have plumping lip gloss on though... an interesting feeling.<br /><br />I know I said I was going to try to make a video last week, but I did not get around to it. I will try to make one this week!<br /><br />How is everyone else doing with their recoveries!?<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-80330044661309323972010-09-28T20:59:00.004-04:002010-09-28T23:34:18.543-04:00Day 39: Last Post-Op Visit (until the braces come off!)I thought I'd spice things up a bit in the photo area and show you a REAL photo of me post-op! This photo was taken 2 weekends ago at a wedding! I'm with my bf and his wonderful aunt who made me so many delicious foods during my recovery :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPohrfMW-GKYVBI1ZoUECiL_d90NSWvZNhmh81yVihwyViypDFClsUB756c0m6WuyR4jIv7tivQlkxY_Udk-3ZggtEPbaF-uWentra9uQViwMOehH8f59aFOahyphenhyphenxXCTPTJT0eDTrx-fFik/s1600/Janice+and+Steve%27s+wedding+055.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522135269593123282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPohrfMW-GKYVBI1ZoUECiL_d90NSWvZNhmh81yVihwyViypDFClsUB756c0m6WuyR4jIv7tivQlkxY_Udk-3ZggtEPbaF-uWentra9uQViwMOehH8f59aFOahyphenhyphenxXCTPTJT0eDTrx-fFik/s320/Janice+and+Steve%27s+wedding+055.JPG" /></a> So I had my last post-op appointment today with my oral surgeon!!! He said that I don't have to see him again until AFTER my braces are off! He said I look amazing for 6 weeks post op and couldn't be happier with the results! AND that he can't forsee my braces being on for that much longer (FINGERS CROSSED!!!).<br /><br />I asked him some questions, which I'll list for you with the answers:<br /><br />1) <strong>When can I chew again?</strong><br />Answer - NOW!!!!! He said I can start chewing as of today, but that I should take caution and chew soft foods for now - nothing too crunchy! This was seriously the BEST news I could have gotten! I have been so tired of eating mush and this will be an excellent way to get my appetite back up!<br /><br />2) <strong>My lips are still a bit seperated when I'm at rest - will this get better as I recover and once I get my braces off?</strong><br />Answer - This will get a bit better once the swelling is totally gone and the braces come off. He said that my lips may still be seperated a bit at rest but if I continue to build up my lip muscles it may help it out (how does one build up lip muscles?!).<br /><br />3) <strong>I heard Vitamin B12 is good for nerve regeneration - is this true? Is there something else I can use?</strong><br />Answer - He said that he hasnt really heard about B12 being that good. He said these things do take time and that all of the numbness should go away by the 6 month mark. (not 2 years like I thought!)<br /><br />4) <strong>I have a weird numb spot on my chin that puffs out when I close my mouth - will this go away with time?</strong><br />Answer - It should go away but I should make not of the progress of it and come see him if it's still there when I get my braces off.<br /><br />So tommorow morning is my first orthodontist appointment since my operation! Hopefully he gives me good news :)<br /><br />Sleep well everyone!LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-27882469470462866422010-09-26T22:37:00.005-04:002010-09-26T23:14:36.599-04:00Day 37: Exciting Week Ahead!Hi!!!!!<br /><br />Well 5-weeks post-op has come and gone and here are my photos from Day 37!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG0Zf3XrBt8pBYyF8k3TcEcF9rS1DBTIfXSj8q6v5ZcqDKd7LIvfOH5z9ljfrjcqRwrb79gKlhQ_c6DcC9Isjv5POa_KtUBICn5KYHhAIvhgIoVZBjKuFLe6a_or1bvw4QOJKOj29zZvC/s1600/Day+37+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521417483149840242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG0Zf3XrBt8pBYyF8k3TcEcF9rS1DBTIfXSj8q6v5ZcqDKd7LIvfOH5z9ljfrjcqRwrb79gKlhQ_c6DcC9Isjv5POa_KtUBICn5KYHhAIvhgIoVZBjKuFLe6a_or1bvw4QOJKOj29zZvC/s200/Day+37+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0MdPSlmbsj_QFqkAuRk0qyW_ddNyr2UXduCZL82-dWDyX5QGSOhIRzcIbGryGXqXLUvnB9vFHEiAfhKlelw98l37d3ExCa7NPXXKcNVLRm_nIX6JTZhWokC98UeX_qAXGuPRuh5ios9b/s1600/Day+37+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521417473201336034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0MdPSlmbsj_QFqkAuRk0qyW_ddNyr2UXduCZL82-dWDyX5QGSOhIRzcIbGryGXqXLUvnB9vFHEiAfhKlelw98l37d3ExCa7NPXXKcNVLRm_nIX6JTZhWokC98UeX_qAXGuPRuh5ios9b/s200/Day+37+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh721qy27oQz46F40XBphsmWoacleyg74KpZlNq3bMsHkA8hFNQwuuFj0zKVt_8IZw3jHXSOviUTCKI594H36weqeZG7ZtT7yiGx140fVc70mZPKju_nwlhci5tkTX7VxpOsohMI4ha-lmt/s1600/Day+37+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521417468446001490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh721qy27oQz46F40XBphsmWoacleyg74KpZlNq3bMsHkA8hFNQwuuFj0zKVt_8IZw3jHXSOviUTCKI594H36weqeZG7ZtT7yiGx140fVc70mZPKju_nwlhci5tkTX7VxpOsohMI4ha-lmt/s200/Day+37+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUG6I6IPMmEDW-3ZOPadX-NpsO3ZVcJLEdPBpLoEaKlOMGV0iL9OTmCVgw05Fb5HNMCzxw3GgsErOCbHmdfu1mdbyNLzjd094nv9tYRySZgn-CZaeeNh0PVMASa7hyEK9eBleWuhdAXlR/s1600/Day+37+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521417465363762002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUG6I6IPMmEDW-3ZOPadX-NpsO3ZVcJLEdPBpLoEaKlOMGV0iL9OTmCVgw05Fb5HNMCzxw3GgsErOCbHmdfu1mdbyNLzjd094nv9tYRySZgn-CZaeeNh0PVMASa7hyEK9eBleWuhdAXlR/s200/Day+37+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br />This week coming up is exciting in my jaw surgery/braces adventure! On Tuesday I have my 6-week post op appointment with my oral surgeon (#3 post-op appointment) and then on Wednesday I have my 1st orthodontist appointment post-op!!!!! That means I get my surgical wires off - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">HURAY</span>!!!!!<br /><br />I feel that the swelling is at about 4% (maybe 1% down from last post - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">hehe</span>). I can really see the shape of my new face now. My cheekbones are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> back and better then ever - which is very very exciting to someone who looked like a chipmunk/porcupine for the past month. The swelling is still in the same places as before - it just feels like there's slightly less pressure now.<br /><br />All the numbness is still there from before (left upper lip, middle bottom lip and chin)... nothing has really changed with that. Although I've had a fair amount of itching and tingling in my left upper life and chin... so that can only mean good things! However, the most annoying thing is when it's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">SOOO</span> itchy and you can't feel yourself scratching. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ARGHH</span>! I've heard A LOT about vitamin B12 supposedly being excellent in nerve regeneration... so I'm thinking of starting to take that this week. I'm going to talk to my oral surgeon on Tuesday and see what his thoughts are on it.<br /><br />I have to admit that week 5 has been my roughest week yet. I felt a bit down this week and my appetite REALLY <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">disappeared</span>. I think a lot of it had to do with all the hype of the jaw surgery transformation being over and starting to get back into my normal life. For many months before the operation I was doing tons of research, planning, talking, etc. about the surgery and then post-op, the daily transformations were my main focus for about a month. Then all of sudden everything goes back to normal and I guess I missed having something to look forward too/motivating. I'm a BIG goal-oriented person. With that lack of motivation came my loss of appetite. It's hard to get excited about eating when all your doing is putting liquids/mush in your mouth. I lost about 2 lbs this week from not eating properly... so my main focus THIS week is to put that weight back on because it is very important to make sure I'm getting enough nutrition. Has anyone else come across this issue during their post-op recovery?<br /><br />I did attempt to go to the gym this week! I did 20 minutes of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">cardio</span> on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">elliptical</span> and then walked home from there, which is another 20 minutes. Getting my heart rate up on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">elliptical</span> was very interesting feeling - it felt like I was starting to work out for the first time EVER!! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">haha</span>. As much as I'd love to go to the gym more often right now (helps to feel better), I know that I need to focus on maintaining calories instead of burning them for the next little while. When I feel healthy enough I will be back there 3-4 times a week!<br /><br />I really want to send a huge THANK YOU to all my friends, my family and my boyfriend, who have been so amazing and supportive of me during the surgery, during the post-op and especially this past week. I would not have been able to recover so well without all of you and know that I appreciate everything that you guys do. <3<br /><br />I'm thinking of making another video this week - so look out for that and the updates from my oral surgeon/orthodontist in the next few days!!<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-11155503226899120252010-09-19T22:10:00.003-04:002010-09-19T22:42:09.009-04:00Day 30: Almost 1 month!!Hello!!!<br /><br />It's been a week since I last posted - here are my pictures from Day 30:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijctlJo4S2EH_Tde3l3cLyWPo-rZscguNZ3YOUq2J-zP-k-ehO64XnMoQLZEZckMxc8drkQsqGgIai1zdXhhZFe5YeNO33UkODMN_kWccqYgfPFD5X25FYlflhugfZjbScUQOSnSAqq_97/s1600/Day+30+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518814879255357170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijctlJo4S2EH_Tde3l3cLyWPo-rZscguNZ3YOUq2J-zP-k-ehO64XnMoQLZEZckMxc8drkQsqGgIai1zdXhhZFe5YeNO33UkODMN_kWccqYgfPFD5X25FYlflhugfZjbScUQOSnSAqq_97/s200/Day+30+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioovA0i_fk93y1G3nFB9OGmf5RG9p738eKYz_u48BZi9JgoQT9tAw8fHZG-HUGEuqzP4BvMYUWHpjxkzW_2bLm5Jv-BM6lJmjLsX5Yg6cgSUv9o9J7lkPt4Cj7iuTh0nAnsfj-WcrPMzL1/s1600/Day+30+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518814865987906130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioovA0i_fk93y1G3nFB9OGmf5RG9p738eKYz_u48BZi9JgoQT9tAw8fHZG-HUGEuqzP4BvMYUWHpjxkzW_2bLm5Jv-BM6lJmjLsX5Yg6cgSUv9o9J7lkPt4Cj7iuTh0nAnsfj-WcrPMzL1/s200/Day+30+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XlW5qzLBCUkGsVBRdH1nLoFCaB52ATB0lX_xM_y81dPRWtmXdJ277BbARqG3EIPvFHc6Gye8xvqwy_V-rdpmzqREqQHW_JJAE62sKPfoMDba83yJrN3dAbQdNH0ALYvcmqJ8ocwsj2dy/s1600/Day+30+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518814863754102930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XlW5qzLBCUkGsVBRdH1nLoFCaB52ATB0lX_xM_y81dPRWtmXdJ277BbARqG3EIPvFHc6Gye8xvqwy_V-rdpmzqREqQHW_JJAE62sKPfoMDba83yJrN3dAbQdNH0ALYvcmqJ8ocwsj2dy/s200/Day+30+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwZNUlnB7jgKzUYvSQ_44gqZ15dsGljYl5GnHuX0UaGjvBTpQwZUz6ZALTa4_lKrK_aU5ya9k_AVuAnaa-a9M4dEgkg9yipyONk0K1kORcQrHmdiWapWqnX5584Wa5gm9L80bdXAj_LY0/s1600/Day+30+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518814859682491938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwZNUlnB7jgKzUYvSQ_44gqZ15dsGljYl5GnHuX0UaGjvBTpQwZUz6ZALTa4_lKrK_aU5ya9k_AVuAnaa-a9M4dEgkg9yipyONk0K1kORcQrHmdiWapWqnX5584Wa5gm9L80bdXAj_LY0/s200/Day+30+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br />It's been a week of back-to-normalcy! I had a full work week and it really does not feel like I was in recovery for 3 weeks. I feel great considering it was only a month ago that I had the surgery. I'd say I have about 5% of swelling left. Once month (on average) to go until all the swelling is supposed to be gone! It's mostly focused around my upper lip area below my nose and to the left and right of that area.<br /><br />All of the stitches have fallen out (I think)! It at least feels like they've all fallen out. I find it kind of cool to see the scars in my mouth from where the stitches were. they are just little whitish lines, nothing severe. For now they are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>... but I`m <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hoping</span> they go away in the long run.<br /><br />The numbness is prevailing. My chin and upper left lip are still numb... but I'm getting some little electric pulses (or what feels like that) in those areas. Before it felt like the skin above the left lip was also numb, but either I was mistaken or the feeling has come back!<br /><br />I saw a lot of people this week that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">have not</span> seen in a very long time, and who don`t know about my surgery (I think). I got a lot of odd stares from them trying to figure out what has changed about me... which also led to a lot of compliments. It's nice to know that people who don't know about my surgery can't tell that I'm still swollen - only those who've seen me post-surgery and who have been reading my blog can tell.<br /><br />In the mornings my face still feels more swollen and goes down within the first few hours of my day. The pattern is also the same for the stiffness (goes along with the swelling) that I feel in my mouth.<br /><br />I've been trying to get off <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ativan</span>... I only have a few pills left so I need to stop taking them to go to sleep ASAP! In the last week I've been trying to take 1/2 the dosage and it's been working <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>. Some nights I had to take the full dose. I'm also still taking Tylenol - this helps with the swelling throughout the day.<br /><br />I've gone to a few social outings since last week and apparently I'm not photogenic at the moment. It seems like I can only take an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span> picture when I'm doing the self shots (for the blog)... but when it comes to posing, I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">haven't</span> gotten my smile just right yet. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the numbness (AND THE DARN SURGICAL WIRES THAT MAKE MY TEETH LOOK GREY!!! I seriously cannot wait until next week when I get them off.)<br /><br />That's all for now!! Any questions for 1 month post-op!?!?!<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who is still reading my blog - I really appreciate your support :)<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-71622716353421433342010-09-13T22:33:00.004-04:002010-09-13T22:41:25.627-04:00Day 24:...and Day 23 & Day 22Hi! <div><div><br /><div>I have been M.I.A - I know! Life is just getting back to normal (which is good!)and my days seem more tiring at the end of it all... so it's been hard to be motivated to write (also since there isn't a lot of new improvements all the time!).</div><div> </div><div>Here are photos from today (Day 24):</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516592757041005186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA_d3ff4qEfdoYo3A3fesQpkXKniQ3lKBAXd9JG_jMGjKdz9hw5fb1nufb-sbfeknI3WTy5Z8ylo2jj0xnFWmRNK-S_fvObBJgiWnIN-GPHnZB-DWQVvdTZg-8z9PWnU5we7fThZNYsEQ/s400/Day+24+-+all.jpg" /></div><div> </div><div>Photos from Day 23 (Sunday):</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516592764236469666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63gkKx7_pr8Y7bVpgFgUy8Io80ITz2gL0Ddiy1keOwCHvajBYDijUK1VfBEalSvjVkPJPM5ISqBm-IidAxZFVxgDcmsslTpepcoAIaRjuIXKFMc7ywJravaejsL9IqHgAqZdltSsDKCMj/s400/Day+23+-+all.jpg" /> <div>Photos from Day 24 (Saturday):</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516592780494305906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eTKpmmKPNVfxwWZwAzbn7scXP0G-lPghZUogdflWLqkAdF1Cttefn1CfoxVPIIhvk23c6c3k-Qhy5ftTan8lVbc002kV2HQ20EANOARVdoNFPUyLLIVv_2SfKIx8DlF9jRs778q5OmEZ/s400/Day+22+-+all.jpg" /></div><div> </div><div>I will post a longer post tomorrow - I promise! </div><div><br />Sweet dreams all :)</div><div><br />Alexis<br /></div><div> </div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-85613906478910697552010-09-09T22:26:00.001-04:002010-09-09T22:28:00.321-04:00Post-Op Jaw Surgery Video #2 - Montage of 3 week Progression<object style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/ho04pbCVJhU/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ho04pbCVJhU?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ho04pbCVJhU?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-27331645313681000402010-09-09T20:24:00.005-04:002010-09-09T20:53:20.924-04:00Day 20: The Pressure is OnShana Tova to everyone celebrating the Jewish New Year!<br /><br />Here are Day 20's photos:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mCt0rMS-Y-mc7K7r9bP1G0rPuV8jp0xZS4Lea_QjEt_5WJUDuPhHKEOMTEtls11iCyV5HdIkqVRAgL60K7Fp459LyQXqVaIC6QUYxpIpfRbDot5rx_BJp281YuJ9AO76YWtjqqKAaqc3/s1600/Day+20+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515074784393810850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mCt0rMS-Y-mc7K7r9bP1G0rPuV8jp0xZS4Lea_QjEt_5WJUDuPhHKEOMTEtls11iCyV5HdIkqVRAgL60K7Fp459LyQXqVaIC6QUYxpIpfRbDot5rx_BJp281YuJ9AO76YWtjqqKAaqc3/s200/Day+20+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_TgsJs3nPeyNWvZiWjKKbnerD0RAsjJFFzWo-lllxAkUAK_rCFC085OV_84gw4yWIgY_3axwlpJScUuDcFZZ7_LZsRxk3dMA2lm-obqW7vjlazYlw9YOL8JshlcX8XLn7RmavJ6KggWq/s1600/Day+20+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515074778848771186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_TgsJs3nPeyNWvZiWjKKbnerD0RAsjJFFzWo-lllxAkUAK_rCFC085OV_84gw4yWIgY_3axwlpJScUuDcFZZ7_LZsRxk3dMA2lm-obqW7vjlazYlw9YOL8JshlcX8XLn7RmavJ6KggWq/s200/Day+20+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFJIahAH2wDF9uTGay-CMZxGTxXqG_Cz1017bvw7I2MSveH2Gylnq_Vn4lY0G9jQi96SPLDw9IzFOs_8vxXSrVq3er6Fva6gC1jO8uQqMoy2fFyx3HyW8JXl9V7EhocIk4g27wB7R69Fk/s1600/Day+20+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515074775833543554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFJIahAH2wDF9uTGay-CMZxGTxXqG_Cz1017bvw7I2MSveH2Gylnq_Vn4lY0G9jQi96SPLDw9IzFOs_8vxXSrVq3er6Fva6gC1jO8uQqMoy2fFyx3HyW8JXl9V7EhocIk4g27wB7R69Fk/s200/Day+20+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpeCfqeTKLW9rXMmdEobFLgxH4eZIqGP5cVBXW3gaM6y8izt9ik04H8An6KuO8BR1VX0D1sxR0l2ovUYI416sh9sWkRzY8NsPPBdtfvg6JL484nLJA8a0CFxcOMn5x6aEFnw0tJn_Ku9o/s1600/Day+20+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515074768776082210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpeCfqeTKLW9rXMmdEobFLgxH4eZIqGP5cVBXW3gaM6y8izt9ik04H8An6KuO8BR1VX0D1sxR0l2ovUYI416sh9sWkRzY8NsPPBdtfvg6JL484nLJA8a0CFxcOMn5x6aEFnw0tJn_Ku9o/s200/Day+20+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br />Yesterday I had a bit of a down day. The weather in Toronto was sh*<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ty</span> to say the least (and has continued today). I woke up with a severe case of pressure in my sinus area (where the screws are) and it lasted through out the day. I had to cancel my laser therapy session because I just was not feeling good.<br /><br />Today's been awesome - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">attitude</span> wise. I slept until 10 am and it made me feel so much better. A good rest always does that! I'm also back on Tylenol for the swelling. I think I'll keep taking a couple pills a day until the swelling really goes away. I don't want the pressure/swelling to come back like it did yesterday in full force.<br /><br />I went to work for 1/2 a day yesterday and got some constructive things done! I'm excited to get back into the "full-time" swing of things next week and to get my life back to normal. I already have a bunch of coffee dates and events to go to in the next few weeks, so I'm looking forward to being social again (besides having my lovely visitors while I was recovering in my apartment - love you guys!!).<br /><br />More food updates! Yesterday I had some sushi takeout that consisted of seaweed salad, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">udon</span> tofu vegetable soup with buckwheat noodles (I think that's what it is called) and salmon <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">sashimi</span>. All chopped up into little bits of course. Today I ate butternut ravioli in a cream sauce (cut up). I loved both of those meals and am very happy that I can at least eat some sort of normal food.<br /><br />WONDERFUL NEWS! A stitch fell out today! My first one!!!! It was from the upper left side of my mouth. I hope this means the rest will fall out soon. They <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> irritate my skin, I just want them out, its been almost 3 weeks now!<br /><br />I've made a video that consists of a montage of 3 weeks of post-op photos! I'll post it tonight. It's pretty fun/cool/nerdy to watch the transformation. I can't wait to see what I'll look like in another 3 weeks when all the swelling is supposedly gone and I get my surgical wires off!<br /><br />Happy almost TGIF :)<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-47614875711633261002010-09-07T21:25:00.004-04:002010-09-07T21:52:03.667-04:00Day 18: Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's Off to Work I GoHappy Tuesday!<br /><br />Here are Day 18 photos:<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514348654437081650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYYvdBqAdnbDyhGlpmMvIRNo_ANur1oatU_tWdlS7QIhAfkpOktFTQac2FsMUt8RCBXgFQ8K2OFbVmW6wl1uQOVeMXKzQUMN8_xFMKP9utBdtoLupwCLu0adgag-JZsYlr0xOY0ffsA1a/s200/Day+18+-+smile.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTywcqUsFIkwSjdBHPhm_2OQbhnhtkVqU4JagE5dRxWcj_fDNSMrAu8He8oHnQSllwt7jRaOuU1W7HF3QTTNSkcxTHsZuVAGrFNqDc5aoVXN8zSnBdjoGNb9Nr3axQ7wGvP7MsZQ_GGl1/s1600/Day+18+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514348647911015106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTywcqUsFIkwSjdBHPhm_2OQbhnhtkVqU4JagE5dRxWcj_fDNSMrAu8He8oHnQSllwt7jRaOuU1W7HF3QTTNSkcxTHsZuVAGrFNqDc5aoVXN8zSnBdjoGNb9Nr3axQ7wGvP7MsZQ_GGl1/s200/Day+18+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtDacKpofbDrczjsJWayyMtGIOnd4gEHCo_CmM5WA30gR9_2qr2wOAJM7sXzNFO0-slgwgBtPUA8JCIhSEGJMoIuOrEN8aDQLV1sV5SPI-DDKaAOa4RkwCNjYdzJpF8S1wMPl1X1brlyB/s1600/Day+18+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514348646332420322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtDacKpofbDrczjsJWayyMtGIOnd4gEHCo_CmM5WA30gR9_2qr2wOAJM7sXzNFO0-slgwgBtPUA8JCIhSEGJMoIuOrEN8aDQLV1sV5SPI-DDKaAOa4RkwCNjYdzJpF8S1wMPl1X1brlyB/s200/Day+18+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-ZR411N_X0_Ur2HKrD7QvN5TP7LZVVBmQRzv1dgDK5FKBEaoFTWWjf2n1lSezCDzf8tBAF0cuG8hD7CXvMz5d_AraOJg74DzUxZMsqOXCAqK3auLjO3GZU08vprWUgnL6k78uGPeQpeT/s1600/Day+18+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514348642894129378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-ZR411N_X0_Ur2HKrD7QvN5TP7LZVVBmQRzv1dgDK5FKBEaoFTWWjf2n1lSezCDzf8tBAF0cuG8hD7CXvMz5d_AraOJg74DzUxZMsqOXCAqK3auLjO3GZU08vprWUgnL6k78uGPeQpeT/s200/Day+18+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br />Today was my 1st day back at work (well 1/2 day)! It was really good :) I got to catch up on a lot of emails and see what was going on at the office. The National event that I work on, <strong><a href="http://shinerama.ca/">Shinerama</a></strong>, at the <a href="http://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/">Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation </a>is in full swing across Canada! University and College students across the nation are fundraising during Orientation Week to raise $1 million this year! Last year we hit $988K, so we're really working hard to hit that $1 million mark. If you feel like doing a good deed today and enjoy reading my blog, then please consider donating on my Fundraising page by clicking <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><a href="http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=923017&LangPref=en-CA">HERE</a></span></strong>! Every little bit counts even if it's $5!!<br /><br />So working for 1/2 a day was not bad at all! I felt a little tired by 5 pm (I worked 1 pm - 5 pm) I guess because I wasn't used to staring at a computer screen for 4 hours. Everyone at work was happy to see my back and full of energy. It's really great to be part of a team that supports me and my Tin Grin adventure (Thank you Tracey & Trevor and the rest of the CCFF crew!). I'll be back there tomorrow for another 1/2 day and then working from home on Thursday & Friday.<br /><br />I ditched my "bed rest" pillow last night. I am so sick of sleeping on that thing! I slept on my regular pillows on a slight angle and I didn't wake up anY puffier than I did with the bed rest pillow. So from now on it's regular sleeping for me! I'm hoping this will help with my dizziness that I've been experiencing from sleeping upright for almost 3 weeks.<br /><br />Besides the pillow thing, not much has changed since yesterday. I guess I'm getting to those blog posts where I talk about random things instead of my recovery because you guys have probably read everything that goes on through my mind all day long!<br /><br />I did want to point out that I made a mistake when I said I only had 4 screws in my upper jaw, I meant 4 appliances, that have 4 screws in each of them... therefore 16 screws in my upper jaw. Thanks Kevin for pointing that out!<br /><br />I hope you all have a great Tuesday eve!<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-77731617688017078812010-09-06T21:35:00.010-04:002010-09-06T22:32:46.519-04:00Day 17: Labour-Free WeekendHello hello!!!<br /><br />I hope everyone had a marvelous long weekend! I know I did... it was very relaxing and just what I needed before heading back to work (part time) this week.<br /><br />Here are the photos from the past few days:<br /><br />Day 17 (Today)<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513980500379925410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikILgp0Rl8NDCYn-ex6bDTcqoZiCZt2UWqyPgTGV73QgOgYaMMfUnsV-g_TtIT-yBER0RTKP4hYF9B7WhpzLL9q22D8ajB9e64WKJbzf2Z6hYqDoilHQ-QLL6ij3boEuJXtXo9qxBLt61f/s400/Day+17+-+FULL.jpg" /><br />Day 16 (Yesterday)<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513979483236710722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhEDXiVXHXGD9Zl5AUwG5eLWvSof6RQ1Pqyj-EGtRyqDkB1_HIGjrglzZ5wIpCzATB_GpKtA66hxsPddltVDOe9PTPXcFguO5fWuzrL5TqghzTrTzEYvuYpK-Yrxv-deWGMy5Ik6OW-Jv/s400/Day+16+-+FULL.jpg" /><br />I forgot to take pictures on Saturday (Day 15). <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Arggghh</span>! But from the way I'm healing now it would not have been much difference from Day 14.<br /><br />This weekend was filled with the game called "What can Alexis eat that isn't liquid!?" It turned out to be a great game and here is a list of items I ate that were not liquid/mush:<br /><ul><li>Piece of whole grain toast with butter, natural peanut butter and jam (also microwaved to make softer). I had to chop it up into tiny little pieces and swallow but it hit the spot!!! I Couldn't eat the crusts though, they were too hard. </li><li>HUGE freshly made waffle with chocolate sauce, bananas, maple syrup and vanilla frozen yogurt. I poured all of the toppings on top of the made waffle (I really should have taken a photo for you guys) and cut it up. It <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">literally</span> melted in my mouth it was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooooo</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">fricken</span> good. That waffle was probably all of the calories in one meal that I would eat in a whole day. Ha!</li><li>Whole grain <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">penne</span> pasta with a garlic, oil & <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Parmesan</span> sauce. I boiled the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">penne</span> as much as possible to make it very soft and then I cut it up. It was pretty tasty but took some effort to mash the pasta against the roof of my mouth once it was getting a little cold/hard.</li><li>Scrambled eggs (with one egg yolk and 3 egg whites). My boyfriend made them every morning this weekend and he added feta one day and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Parmesan</span> another. He makes the best scrambled eggs I've ever tasted. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">YUMYUMYUM</span>. Those were super easy to eat because you can chop them into tiny pieces and swallow without having to mash them up</li><li>Seaweed salad from a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sushi</span> takeout place. Cut it up! It made me realise how much I've been missing my fresh greens! I'm really thinking of getting a large take out container tomorrow and eating it every day to get some of those nutrients in me!</li></ul>Next subject...NUMBNESS - Here is a photo where I've circled all of the areas that are still numb:<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513982287299813298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9EED-rD0X864dNB-Izd4-y11DNO0hWeMEb0B0HiakiGY9VQJ_UgnxM6Dn4q8QkoXCpCinJXUNFFIL2PsVq0DkD9RWbl29-HOOR_HfTV7rTvNlOqRR7Ad_ZUJ-Yb9xxOjuHYaqpwNg-SE/s320/Day+17+-+numbness.jpg" />It still seems to be really focused on the left side (as before). Everyday seems a little less. For instance I can now feel some of the sides of my chin and it's mainly in the middle from the middle of my bottom lip to just before my chin curves under. This is basically where the screws are, so it makes sense. The numbness in my upper left lip causes my lips to look kind of weird when I'm talking or smiling. I have no control over it, so it just moves along with the other half of lip. People have told me it looks like it's numb too, so I'm really hoping this is one of the things that goes away quicker! The chin <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> bother me as much... it really has no purpose other than making my profile look good.<br /><br />Today was my first day I've tried to kick the Tylenol pain <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">meds</span>... and it's been a success! I haven't taken one all day and I have not felt any pain. This is very good news... I hate having to take any kind of medication for a long period of time.<br /><br />As I mentioned in the last blog post, I now have to wear tight elastics at night time. They have been pretty easy to put on and take off. However they are pretty darn tight. I'm glad I'm still taking the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ativan</span> at night or else I think I would have a hard time sleeping with them on. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ativan</span> is the last pain med I need to kick to the curb from the surgery, but I'm not ready for that yet. Maybe I'll try next weekend. I just need to ensure I won't grind my teeth!<br /><br />I haven't really <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span> any questions from you guys! Does anybody want to know anything that I haven't already covered?<br /><br />I hope you all have a great night and I'm excited to tell you all about my first day back at work tomorrow!<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-67060851065108883732010-09-03T23:24:00.006-04:002010-09-04T00:24:11.775-04:00Day 14: 2 Weeks Post-Op!!!!TWO WEEKS POST OP!!! Can you <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">believe</span> it? I certainly can't... it feels like yesterday I was having panic attacks about the surgery and now I'm sporting a brand new smile :)<br /><br />So today I had my 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> post-op appointment with my oral surgeon, Dr. R. It went amazingly! He said that I am recovering surprisingly fast and to continue doing whatever I'm doing because it's working wonders! It's great to hear confirmation from him that my mouth is looking as good as I thought it was. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">YEY</span> ME! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">haha</span>.<br /><br />Before I go any further, I wanted to show you my new bite without the elastics!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC435rEFlSvA2IE8rsrey8s5KlBHxlTSJ47ybwkWKA1a9Llgbr9Zt2_VJzpArurwlB5KX6pDIXlxOn8wkiCL_GdmemyNsRk3fflbUpQE57lBvvr5LtfTuJd34MZ4vkrOOvepOehK3XzAKj/s1600/Bite+-+Before+vs.+After.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 154px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512894862307106882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC435rEFlSvA2IE8rsrey8s5KlBHxlTSJ47ybwkWKA1a9Llgbr9Zt2_VJzpArurwlB5KX6pDIXlxOn8wkiCL_GdmemyNsRk3fflbUpQE57lBvvr5LtfTuJd34MZ4vkrOOvepOehK3XzAKj/s400/Bite+-+Before+vs.+After.jpg" /></a>How amazing is that!? 2 weeks ago my front teeth couldn't touch, and now they bite together so well! To anyone who is thinking about getting the surgery - DO IT!!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!<br /><br />Photos from Day 14:<br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZziHk_AM50ye3WnYzZRFGM1hWqb-866uZOi1v6XjaHIbWugfL2oiW99CJjhJIhahtoyaK5ymhah3FU6mLuHG5Jz36hMlJonONVkDEVfRUEYB3p1rdHD5FjKLe7B1JkpPqkxgrDsvYOPm/s1600/Day+14+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512894725445516050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZziHk_AM50ye3WnYzZRFGM1hWqb-866uZOi1v6XjaHIbWugfL2oiW99CJjhJIhahtoyaK5ymhah3FU6mLuHG5Jz36hMlJonONVkDEVfRUEYB3p1rdHD5FjKLe7B1JkpPqkxgrDsvYOPm/s200/Day+14+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVI_Obz2E3lgV1gVhjiW1w6ie3X5_ppATV4pM6498X0lxUCvHW-4Jn6Oxppbm0x04hZFgQwvnOEhE2iZo9q4c2YlgJu81nDiOjkdb5fcFLRXPb5IgJpfaE-4KmwxJK8G060nOfPkMJHfBI/s1600/Day+14+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512894722344826306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVI_Obz2E3lgV1gVhjiW1w6ie3X5_ppATV4pM6498X0lxUCvHW-4Jn6Oxppbm0x04hZFgQwvnOEhE2iZo9q4c2YlgJu81nDiOjkdb5fcFLRXPb5IgJpfaE-4KmwxJK8G060nOfPkMJHfBI/s200/Day+14+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ0xAGG4G8fYsJQY7DU4Xt-0lBKSoiMtSLyjfVioFjyNEhQjxx7uhwrr8n-XCGiSqTwOLkSB5LgvfbbMu_eNID-t2LuMLHf2Y0_V3ZRNwLTg_Ruid3O52UkwV0lv1ibyPnmeHL7eehT0B/s1600/Day+14+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512894719650386178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ0xAGG4G8fYsJQY7DU4Xt-0lBKSoiMtSLyjfVioFjyNEhQjxx7uhwrr8n-XCGiSqTwOLkSB5LgvfbbMu_eNID-t2LuMLHf2Y0_V3ZRNwLTg_Ruid3O52UkwV0lv1ibyPnmeHL7eehT0B/s200/Day+14+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep9ItNSp-xu-A6VndZa4LnELO53ntJX2uBl9Ho2l8vKr9ijJX5o0G5Db3wPHYXPiVnl3POywiXmHKkfGWkktFWQbOGye7VTvwWgmuDSVCMAC69Ha6B6ocft7GKFXHkZ-M_431poMLQ0sd/s1600/Day+14+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512894709829542306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep9ItNSp-xu-A6VndZa4LnELO53ntJX2uBl9Ho2l8vKr9ijJX5o0G5Db3wPHYXPiVnl3POywiXmHKkfGWkktFWQbOGye7VTvwWgmuDSVCMAC69Ha6B6ocft7GKFXHkZ-M_431poMLQ0sd/s200/Day+14+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br />To catch up on swelling and bruising... swelling feels down <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">slightly</span> and so is bruising. I can still see slight patches of yellowish bruising on my lower cheeks, but nothing really <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">noticeable</span>.</div><div></div><div>So now the update from Dr.R! He said that I don't have to wear elastics 24/7 any longer (which is convenient since my second elastic broke <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">immediately</span> before my appointment while I was having lunch with my Dad). This means that I can eat somewhat normally and can get a bigger spoon in my mouth! I will still be eating with the children's rubber spoons though because I don't want to hit my front teeth by accident with a metal one (seeing as I still cant feel my upper jaw/teeth). Now I only have to wear the elastics during the night time. They gave me elastics called "Chucks" (I'm sure my bf will like that because he has shoes named that) and a big <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">tweezer</span> looking contraption to help put them on (which I have to return once I'm done with the elastics). I have to put one on each side of my mouth in square designs. In my next post I'll show you a drawing they made me and what the elastics/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">tweezer</span> thing look like. Dr. R put them on me at the office to show me how to do it and they were pretty tight (which is probably why I only have to wear them at night). This is to ensure my bite stays in the correct position and to help guide it if its not. Dr. R also said now that I can brush my teeth (sans elastics) I don't have to use the medical rinse any longer (THANK GOODNESS!). The taste of the rinse was kind of overpowering and it seemed to stain my teeth. I'm still going to rinse with the salt water mix several times a day because the stitches are still healing up - may as well!</div><div></div><div>Dr. R said there is no reason to see him any time soon and that my next appointment can be in 3-4 weeks. So we booked an appointment for the end of September! The day after my 3rd post-op with Dr. R is an appointment with my Orthodontist to take off the surgical wires. It will be a great week!</div><div></div><div>On my way home from the post-op I decided to treat myself and buy a take home 500 ml container of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">gelato</span> from my favorite place. They let me get 4 flavours and the girl who works there remembered me and it was nice of her to ask how I was doing with the recovery! Flavours I got: coconut, espresso, caramel & cheesecake. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">OMFG</span>. I need to make it last a long time though, don't need to start being Ms. Piggy just <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">cuz</span> it's in my freezer.<br /><br />My teeth seem to be getting a little sore <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">everyday</span>. I think it may be because I'm getting more feeling back in my jaws and I tend to bite down a little more on them. My teeth have not been used in 2 weeks, so now that they are they seem to be a little <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">whiny</span>. It may get worse because of the lack of usage... but I'll keep you up to date! The Tylenol helps though.</div><div></div><div>I'm still sleeping as up right as feels <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">comfortable</span>. I intend to do this until all of the swelling is gone (hopefully <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> take more than the 2 months). I get a little dizzy sometimes when I get up too fast, so I have to be careful with that.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>As you all know, it's Labour day weekend starting tomorrow... which means I will be away from my computer for a few days. My apologies to all of my daily readers, but I hope you're doing something more fun on the long weekend than reading blogs :). I will post again on Monday evening with photos from day 15, 16 & 17!</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Have a great weekend everyone!!!</div><div></div><div></div><div>Alexis<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-91068775448078680472010-09-02T23:05:00.006-04:002010-09-02T23:13:46.146-04:00Day 13: Tin Grins are the new BlackHi!<br /><br />Here are photos from Day 13:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxU8mHbtbxlM3jyxJ0zYRbqWoTJ_z-V496zZkAb9lrjeyCuMeIckJgX9fmvQw73f-6LnBJ_Y8hZBsvKWtJJvJeuebqap3Az98ocjSVyUzvcFoMyg72PC6peciB08svWRoSVkYvJxoUMxa/s1600/Day+13+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512519286697066098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxU8mHbtbxlM3jyxJ0zYRbqWoTJ_z-V496zZkAb9lrjeyCuMeIckJgX9fmvQw73f-6LnBJ_Y8hZBsvKWtJJvJeuebqap3Az98ocjSVyUzvcFoMyg72PC6peciB08svWRoSVkYvJxoUMxa/s200/Day+13+-+smile.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5cUmeZEcpRfteOlhM9tKQB6aziR6GiVcSe6cuXzZ-G2dVzYG3kTaRMWrgmuDvNwRCQZJL4IDqWpskJPQlvgC3tbyZqe2j6BGGDPllEvySuA1H3Vt7pDOvTZKOXTCY_6anhUq53ptcBQA/s1600/Day+13+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512519280534037490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5cUmeZEcpRfteOlhM9tKQB6aziR6GiVcSe6cuXzZ-G2dVzYG3kTaRMWrgmuDvNwRCQZJL4IDqWpskJPQlvgC3tbyZqe2j6BGGDPllEvySuA1H3Vt7pDOvTZKOXTCY_6anhUq53ptcBQA/s200/Day+13+-+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l6abGrx3R643ZajSmumUVGpDPm-D7AhaUVoZLb1GVE8Tvd053Gas17aSnbtJaN_HWm_3uV8nomlP7IbLqF6sNqSUyoLVOygnAXTeJh4R9b0ccT2XBUWoMwy-UkiDm3ESh0CJBWNC2cR2/s1600/day+13+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512519275368072898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l6abGrx3R643ZajSmumUVGpDPm-D7AhaUVoZLb1GVE8Tvd053Gas17aSnbtJaN_HWm_3uV8nomlP7IbLqF6sNqSUyoLVOygnAXTeJh4R9b0ccT2XBUWoMwy-UkiDm3ESh0CJBWNC2cR2/s200/day+13+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEDl1DueLo5SmyE1Jc4qVcfF9Iib2h44QSzVeMYrZSgnMDHoDZcypM_rb7rBN9w-2pUFdNOBrhtS-1RX6iPTm4VmJgD1LK3xqo6uZ78Ln5nC4JnATw05oh5XjLVEzwVGTvYtsLy4iCU0I/s1600/Day+13+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512519269148544274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEDl1DueLo5SmyE1Jc4qVcfF9Iib2h44QSzVeMYrZSgnMDHoDZcypM_rb7rBN9w-2pUFdNOBrhtS-1RX6iPTm4VmJgD1LK3xqo6uZ78Ln5nC4JnATw05oh5XjLVEzwVGTvYtsLy4iCU0I/s200/Day+13+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br />I'm actually quite exhausted today - visited my office and saw my friend Mariya... and in turn tired myself out. So this post will be short and sweet :)<br /><br />Tomorrow is my 2nd post-op so I'll have lots of new updates for you guys then!<br /><br />Have a great Thursday eve,<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-65471709725012397002010-09-02T01:31:00.000-04:002010-09-02T01:31:45.925-04:00Post-Op Jaw Surgery Video #1 - Upper Jaw (Lefort One Osteotomy) & Geniop...<object style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/NGAD7wQzeSg/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGAD7wQzeSg?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGAD7wQzeSg?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-50642587206269617822010-09-02T00:56:00.009-04:002010-09-02T01:23:10.138-04:00Day 12: The Better To Bite You With My Dear...I'm almost at 2 weeks! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">INSANE</span>!!<br /><br />Here are the photos of the day (I got my hair did - feels awesome!):<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 158px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512176563433924386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UuQMnho2B42bCl3heQKiJjM81uQCOGX9I1caV7UjBhOk5T4XKnnqV6RexHndvaKOiOx71yW_OJxSe95tb9NhEbXvlBNE8D8y98zzkkJI6MvixcoqQR2zQrRSRvyAaWM5Wef1yT8c3cKG/s200/Day+12+-+smile.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512176556992130418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9pgzvo4tykKEnJxXDiufLUJBso4cEBpSyOo85_wkk70NrBAZuOshJXs1jSQHwTmPRV-qYyGtxBA5yrBYEM6sDoIVOPVI_sOTsHsSLstyvN4sAI1bDS1vNrEd76bsUSj-y2mCGsv0KiWh/s200/day+12+-+front.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1pFPo5ef-nlvTV4YOog9LxV7v834O5We3hS_-x7gTIk9PxzsaO8Z2uMmW9e3c7Wu0dSc1XLYvFiyuOmaKgQMVZHvD50MsaMlVYHldx6_rmfLI-s-H_8AZjWPSb9MF7ockHs3oJYmp4sM/s1600/Day+12+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512177026878329634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1pFPo5ef-nlvTV4YOog9LxV7v834O5We3hS_-x7gTIk9PxzsaO8Z2uMmW9e3c7Wu0dSc1XLYvFiyuOmaKgQMVZHvD50MsaMlVYHldx6_rmfLI-s-H_8AZjWPSb9MF7ockHs3oJYmp4sM/s200/Day+12+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdo5fhqv0B-AUgKz_zfSLDkNv8mX3iuN9dN4UPSZYqp1jpmbIzS9wgoDJKlSYlnGbzgu6z1dgM1rH_khCeKDGUAmJcFshuRRMLHyjDb9gp_2FdVqnXMXMggf7roR18ALItcvynYBVxXuW/s1600/Day+12+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512176548387896818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdo5fhqv0B-AUgKz_zfSLDkNv8mX3iuN9dN4UPSZYqp1jpmbIzS9wgoDJKlSYlnGbzgu6z1dgM1rH_khCeKDGUAmJcFshuRRMLHyjDb9gp_2FdVqnXMXMggf7roR18ALItcvynYBVxXuW/s200/Day+12+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br />I decided to start putting the smiling photos first because I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> look like a goober anymore when I smile (well at least I don't think I do). I also made a video today! I'll post it as a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">separate</span> post so it's easier to find later on.<br /><br />So today was a great day in my little world! I got my hair done (cut and colour) and it made me feel <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">sooooo</span> much better. I am feeling like myself more and more each day.<br /><br />I started using a tooth brush (a children's one of course) last night! It's been a great success so far. I am staying FAR away from the stitches though and really trying to focus around the brackets and my tongue. My mouth feels so fresh and clean! I'm still using the medical rinse too since I can't funny brush my teeth (can't really get inside of my mouth, so it's just the outer fronts and sides). The toothbrush I have is pretty cute, I got it from my dentist and it's got some Crayola game on it. Toothbrush makers should really use this idea for adult brushes - I'd MUCH rather buy a brush that has a fun game on it than some boring one.<br /><br />I had another laser therapy session on the stitches - they are healing up quite well apparently! I won't have another one until Sunday or Monday, so it will be interesting to see whether my oral surgeon notices that it's healing faster than normal. Stitches are still there by the way... the have not fallen out yet. I also noticed that the inner part of my upper lip has stitches in it. I guess when they cut my upper jaw they must have cut the inside of my lip too (to provide more room?). This is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">for sure</span> the cause of the puffiness still in the skin between my nose and my upper lip. I'm going to try to take some photos of the stitches for you guys (if my Blackberry allows it - I'll try to post it within the next few days).<br /><br />I made a delicious soup/mush today! Ingredients include: beef broth, sauteed onions, mushrooms, extra lean sirloin beef, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">lima</span> beans and an assortment of peas/lentils/grains. I sauteed/boiled everything and then let it all cool down. Then I blended it to a pulp! I tasted it and it's pretty delicious. It made about 8 containers (put most in the freezer) - so I hope I don't get bored of it before it runs out.<br /><br />Swelling down a little bit. I'm still finding that the swelling is the worst in the morning and then goes down throughout the day.<br /><br />I was reading some fashion/beauty magazine today and I came across an article on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Beyonce's</span> beauty routine and she said that she uses <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Aquaphor</span> (medicated lip balm) for her lips to ensure they stay soft and smooth. I loved to read that because I've been using since Day 1 post-op and my lips seem to be in amazing condition! I'm thinking that I will continue to use it everyday for the rest of my life now. I probably have to anyways because the only size they had at the pharmacy was 400 g... which is pretty much 5 years worth of lip balm - ha!<br /><br />I'm looking forward to tomorrow! I'm heading into my office to see everyone! If any of you are reading this from my office - I'll see you soon!!!<br /><br /><div align="left">Also, I wanted to give a big shout out to SAGAL at my office! It's her birthday tommorow - <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAGAL!!!!!!</strong></span><br /></div><br /><br />That's all for now... WATCH THE VIDEO :)<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-30866843671161988062010-08-31T22:26:00.010-04:002010-08-31T23:13:40.125-04:00Day 11: One-Fanged VampireDay 11 is here!<br /><br />Photos (I made them smaller to try something new):<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511767045369020706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM_2xFQ_nf2buR2rBDNMP57jazYNwz3vHeTUObwyFbfmFIE4yo-mmiFNX2NF4PpO2B1-WxPwM25EK2HGPycFCIYdkXT62BH4UDPb5Pfinqv_SgAPzUb4HWSAwSTIqvQcqhSqWPiGIsTnG/s200/Day+11+-+front.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511767039630427346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28NZrql8ZFHv2j6nsOTesYAjjk7W3vfj-usPVRGSe_SVE29VkDNGUvyTSnPhDSmjM2kAOP-ioJhn19wvW2FTWmrL9RhWICW5jdypvVjpM5lCvCmuV8QmK5ZrK07kFx4fFc8305smL1ev7/s200/Day+11+-+profile+left.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511767033809566786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQL0aYYlSli1YKq7I4s_uX-BIbHQtLzBIlsiV1ayjXV7uVn02O2M8BoWckWO-8bB2xU5l3HOQHIAOcE2llwIYwg6fWTLh3dA41mRPH4lXQgSUTh6MrcYDVsOGoz3RYWmMW3pX5zxJtzlsi/s200/Day+11+-+profile+right.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511768357405365314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwht1Hh3G2LVRazMgDQdIm3naj5zo8m65T7CEwOUwKTZUXvh9Zu42qF1GoY-Uk1O0ID1dRlfJzAWSNVYmBt3FxMQt_MGzumsloByblQgcbsREqc7K3riU3JqBN5ybr7jCKEyT0gjb-7y02/s200/Day+11+-+smile.jpg" /> Something else new - my profile smiling!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2QhrFV2O4iQzbmI0swEXjUocDXfdMyxigamLRCo2kk3LyyawUdyh9wiebm5liF3MZiExyUU-5i-2tvd_qRPnC5jJ7AENMtJgTj0o4Qjgu_LwRNRNGoQhD_McgzOmEz_OfNP64xowe4wH/s1600/Day+11+-+smile+profile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511767020756214370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2QhrFV2O4iQzbmI0swEXjUocDXfdMyxigamLRCo2kk3LyyawUdyh9wiebm5liF3MZiExyUU-5i-2tvd_qRPnC5jJ7AENMtJgTj0o4Qjgu_LwRNRNGoQhD_McgzOmEz_OfNP64xowe4wH/s200/Day+11+-+smile+profile.jpg" /></a><br />Everyday I am loving my new face more and more! It looks like the swelling has gone down a lot, but I'd say I am still 30% swollen... so every day my face is still changing. I really hope it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> take the full 2 months for all the swelling to go down. I really hated my profile before (as most of you have read in my prior posts) and now I'm so happy with it! The one thing I'm concerned about is that my lips are still apart when I'm at rest, but I'm hoping that this is just because of the swelling. I think it is, because my top left lip is still numb and all the stitches are still in... so I assume it my lips will still change (become less swollen) as the time goes.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I don't really know if it can really be seen from the photos, but all of my good friends and my boyfriend say that my whole face has changed (except for my eyes). I guess because I'm seeing myself everyday I can't tell the changes that much. But it's exciting that it's not just in my head and that other people are noticing it. I had an open bite, not a large over bite or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">under bite</span>, so the transformation <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> seem as drastic and some other people's post-surgery photos I've seen.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>So as I mentioned yesterday, my left elastic seemed like it was going to burst - and it did. So now I look like I only have one fang (as per my title for the day). I called my Dr.'s office this morning and they said I can wait until Friday (my 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> post-op) to have it replaced.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Earlier today I did another session of the cold-laser therapy on my face/mouth. I seem to be healing really well/fast so I'm unsure if it's because of my natural healing powers or because of this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">lasering</span>! The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">lasering</span> session basically consists of me holding these square pads to my face for 7-9 minutes and they shoot lasers into my skin. Sounds fun eh? I don't actually feel anything! I'm doing another session <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tomorrow</span> as well.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>My mouth muscles are slowly coming back. I can talk pretty well now, but it's still an effort with some words (since the numbness is still prevalent). I'm still making the funny faces and stretching out my mouth as much as possible to get it moving!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I went out to dinner for the first time since the operation today! My friend Mariya and I went to a restaurant that literally has 100+ options to choose from (The Pickle Barrel for any of you <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Torontonians</span>)... so we thought they would <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">for sure</span> have something for me to eat! I had their soup of the day (Sweet <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Potato</span> soup that tasted somewhat <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">citrusy</span>...it was interesting) and a side of hummus! Yum! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">haha</span>. It took me twice as long to eat as Mariya took to eat her food... so I'm warning any of my friends who want to dine with me in the near future that it will be a long adventure.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Bruising is almost all gone!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Otherwise, no big changes really for today. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tomorrow</span> I have a hair appointment! I love the feeling of freshly cut hair :) I'll take a photo with new do and post it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tomorrow</span>.<br /><br />Hope everyone had a great Wednesday!</div><div></div><div>Alexis<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-13274615023117982142010-08-30T23:39:00.011-04:002010-08-31T00:13:46.807-04:00Day 9 & 10:Good evening!<br /><br /><br />I've missed you all! I was away from my laptop for the past few days, so I wasn't able to update yesterday...but today you get 2 days worth!<br /><br />Day 10 (DOUBLE DIGITS!!) Photos:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511415061682785602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBDKQ0Nr_SIn-RvsqFt5Ue5XfVDTUK655HgCR1fJb8iS1iX2oY9uVmuiKOH2Ae15jTj7bLH1Okgo4NasqE3qc6BIa4zI3Wj8h2EkjSMYYmOGid4a7TxRf7TAFVd9D07p4axSi3kcXa8tB/s320/Day+10+-+front.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511415466837074578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXmRjIs9Pwa3J1PBG9a-yO1CRx6i8a3w649Sht3eaYy_6ehMlZB_N0HbnL-3sZVOmVGz-6jRqBKfEhb7wt41sW-VNdcG0UtLzNU5f2hpwx0BVHuNfKW31y4nnE2tPOf2w0Qi9ZaQR_WeG/s320/Day+10+-+profile+right.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511414632572156482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEMyeN2W-zTR3Q3jr77XZ7la_nrzgCQfS-w4Qa-TgM_t8EI3Tm4Rn4YezKZ8wr7w6zGHPyLGE8SX3q4yPgTfErtd-ncoI6JQkuJmKlFH7jvq_0lWrnwK7mRGeCgAso0DodGlbv5pt4y_N/s320/Day+10+-+profile+left.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 238px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511414617732108322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0ox0njKWDZhQZPdS1OfCDk-Y2FysaQ2wNL06hQYMW2QpY_JNCFo7tbbaB2NWddc-mSi3DKufft8-hiqYdCrqZuG8F-XmOmHG2bcz5attr6keoKI877RiDZfEJq-BPYUc75qjDF7qyVUc/s320/Day+10+-+smile.jpg" /><br /><div><div><div><div><div>Day 9 Photos:<br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 234px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511414205440516306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnelVcd7zmo7U6KT__DlaT-EQiV3EOIGoP7IfAlsos0pNreSSfAf680Uj5mD-B35trJ_wi-OD6UTfgLz8ZA-T_sVBRxWFPIzF1L_R5HqzmPLuPpDoIPc5AitJBv7KBGLKow9IlwiGVnmLB/s320/Day+9+-+front.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 252px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511417274133783922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZH0uGhsFnclm0iwX2N0-Bhmf1CAzPaWHt8-EjB-TRs9WkAujBNExqTRSRSxDbcqPbjAsuPMvuTX4RdZDQ9kzlKCUloa_ULp6qvgpBJtZUgLrtKZCjPvEY6PzBE73_bCwHSt0cSBmybUr/s320/Day+9+-+profile+left.jpg" /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDMAO03_m1z5vhjv94aQvSKJzbvGCVHW_aYwc3Z5ude2sjxRJo6UDi_TATo-a0NkDpvZ69p__WSBGOFA-ZgRyZAOa20sTbfjjnST7yUBiHPAZg0Lm5BZwMHXrdazXFyT2ffNbjnHPIVm9/s1600/Day+9+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511414177288006498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDMAO03_m1z5vhjv94aQvSKJzbvGCVHW_aYwc3Z5ude2sjxRJo6UDi_TATo-a0NkDpvZ69p__WSBGOFA-ZgRyZAOa20sTbfjjnST7yUBiHPAZg0Lm5BZwMHXrdazXFyT2ffNbjnHPIVm9/s320/Day+9+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnMYmB6jnFI7u_Gg3lqBNAdulvySbG5I5YpXvzAJFfawUu4jVhh7YCv89MjsSt2O7Wcq8Xs3RZl7QpFTJPvHy55RnZYJnaceDt-za8c6cMFKiETwxz5Cz8OI2NaO6ZkcrEEY4DyaE-bpc/s1600/Day+9+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 233px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511414170637160706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnMYmB6jnFI7u_Gg3lqBNAdulvySbG5I5YpXvzAJFfawUu4jVhh7YCv89MjsSt2O7Wcq8Xs3RZl7QpFTJPvHy55RnZYJnaceDt-za8c6cMFKiETwxz5Cz8OI2NaO6ZkcrEEY4DyaE-bpc/s320/Day+9+-+smile.jpg" /></a><br /><br />These past two days have been great with recovery. I've been eating lots of mushy food (instead of just smoothies & liquid!)... I've also been eating lots of ice cream and gelato (I'm sure you could have guessed that already though). My appetite is pretty back to normal, but now it just takes a lot of time to eat anything of substance. 2 cups of soup or "mush" takes me about a half an hour to eat... so for someone who is super impatient, this is treating me how to eat properly I guess. It also takes a lot of energy to eat, so it keeps me from stuffing my face.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>My speech has improved tremendously and most people can now understand me when I'm talking. I find that the quieter I talk, the more I can pronounce words properly. Unsure why, I assume it's just how the muscles work in my mouth and the hold the elastics have on how far I can open my mouth. I will try to make a video for you guys in the next few days so you can see how I'm coming along with speech!</div><div><br />Speaking of elastics... the one on my left side seems to be shredding a bit. I really hope that it doesn't break before my 2nd pre-op appointment (on Friday). </div><div></div><div>My energy level is still pretty good. I do have to take breaks/naps/rests a few times a day because I just get tired easier than normal. I havent gone for a walk in a few days, so I'm hoping to get out tomorrow for about an hour! I think it really helps with the healing and it makes me feel good (since I can't be a gym rat for another few weeks). Weight is still the same, down 8 lbs.</div><div></div><div>I've been doing a lot more mouth muscle/facial massages and "work outs"... I just move my mouth in crazy ways to see how far I can get the muscles to go. This has improved immensly over and now it doesnt hurt when I smile anymore! I think it's also because the stitches are healing up nicely and they arent being stretched when I talk/smile.</div><div><br />Swelling is down more! I still have a fair amount of pressure around my nose, mouth and chin and this is where the swelling is as well. It feels like a sinus infection x 10, except I can sneeze. My nose is pretty clear, so I can breath out of it... but there's still the pressure.</div><div></div><div>Bruising is very slight now! Almost all gone :)</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Do you guys have any questions for me? It's so hard for me to remember the little details of my recovery, so please feel free to ask anything you may have on your mind!</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Sweet dreams :)</div><div></div><div>Alexis<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-50386482699022789002010-08-28T21:56:00.007-04:002010-08-28T22:25:20.494-04:00Day 8: a.k.a. ChipmunchkinWow! I cannot <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">believe</span> it's my second Saturday post-op! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Insano</span>!<br /><br />This post may not be as long as usual, I posted a good one this morning (for day 7) and not much has changed!<br /><br />Photos:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcUukoGJaKrzZBCKg4HZC4N9UcaI0O7zamZFGgEFgOOpe7bzhpsTbjrGBINQMZJNIqyYBy1xcSpXiI_PY2Ct7_Y1rsiSwyYklaNnpo4Lam8U8WprPCY2qvTD4aQ253LkZi7B8MYSIyDf-/s1600/Day+8+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510645739419350402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcUukoGJaKrzZBCKg4HZC4N9UcaI0O7zamZFGgEFgOOpe7bzhpsTbjrGBINQMZJNIqyYBy1xcSpXiI_PY2Ct7_Y1rsiSwyYklaNnpo4Lam8U8WprPCY2qvTD4aQ253LkZi7B8MYSIyDf-/s320/Day+8+-+front.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbfOM1hSKl8n4ur4yDFIGXVbWNL1k7TGgJ1_qg4V-XswnCamCJGmm-upYhNhVyKIpHeu4Ec5oEX3n1bAZS-qrKCGcEdUYiYNni_efZLy7PgP0OXpjj_TtpEOcrxWGjxe1L45x3MXWF6TP/s1600/Day+8+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510645731235259490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbfOM1hSKl8n4ur4yDFIGXVbWNL1k7TGgJ1_qg4V-XswnCamCJGmm-upYhNhVyKIpHeu4Ec5oEX3n1bAZS-qrKCGcEdUYiYNni_efZLy7PgP0OXpjj_TtpEOcrxWGjxe1L45x3MXWF6TP/s320/Day+8+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAykOnw4Op6nK5jwvEdO8C6LKDFnbWzFhOCMxuty8H19CGyj0FGjGsC8Zt5ODs4YpvDbrFT3PF1d07ka9F-6VS5575Yiuu7cdwxRmbZ_jUw9iCnyDRqXKK1aq8RYxEX4jIaciZWpFCshbW/s1600/Day+8+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510645726250486642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAykOnw4Op6nK5jwvEdO8C6LKDFnbWzFhOCMxuty8H19CGyj0FGjGsC8Zt5ODs4YpvDbrFT3PF1d07ka9F-6VS5575Yiuu7cdwxRmbZ_jUw9iCnyDRqXKK1aq8RYxEX4jIaciZWpFCshbW/s320/Day+8+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqvcj_ab_TlyFDgd52z0YQGfRExksjDpLq3BCQOzPdz91vetgLTEMTk_QETqwOOdSlX_AZ8gF2Te9H1ZpVnE6_ZGe_6FRYGn_2t4IkdeHs9jsgOxOxLQ-chcfBfFFPzFdkfinIvS1fyxV/s1600/Day+8+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510645717006892658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqvcj_ab_TlyFDgd52z0YQGfRExksjDpLq3BCQOzPdz91vetgLTEMTk_QETqwOOdSlX_AZ8gF2Te9H1ZpVnE6_ZGe_6FRYGn_2t4IkdeHs9jsgOxOxLQ-chcfBfFFPzFdkfinIvS1fyxV/s320/Day+8+-+smile.jpg" /></a><br />Swellings down more!<br /><br />Bruising is less neon like!<br /><br />My appetite is back in full swing! This morning I had a Boost for breakfast, some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">gelato</span> (coconut & hazelnut chocolate) for an afternoon snack, a bowl of that delicious hearty soup I mentioned in my last post and then a Strawberry/Cranberry/Milk/Vega smoothie for dinner.<br /><br />My friend Amanda came to visit me today! She kind of freaked out when she saw me and told me how different I was already looking (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">yey</span>!!!). The other day she made up a nickname for me, which is the name of my post today - Chipmunchkin (Chipmunk & Munchkin)... I thought it was cute. We had a great time eating that scrumptious <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">gelato</span> I just mentioned. We also then went for a long walk (probably 1.5 hours). It was so beautiful outside, we <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">couldn't</span> stay in! I was pretty tired when we got back to my place, so I've just been relaxing since.<br /><br />I've been trying to exercise my mouth muscles a lot to get them moving. Making really strange facing to stretch out everything and try to get full function back... it's taking A LOT of time, especially since I'm still about 50% swollen in my cheeks/mouth area. If you look at my smiling photo though I can smile a bit bigger now!<br /><br />That's all for today :)<br /><br />I hope everyone is having a fabulous Saturday night!<br /><br />AlexisLexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-70209039017587731592010-08-28T11:09:00.010-04:002010-08-28T11:59:05.226-04:00Day 7: 1 Week Milestone & 1st Post-Op Appointment!1 Week!!!
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<br />My apologies for not posting this blog yesterday, I had a super long day and was totally out of it when I got home.
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<br />Here are the 1-week post-op pics:
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX3RO9vlVPXj13hi1vlvJgFWHqQXW2VAf1QzCevq_zRSTc_DeIgYGGJPXnemEflmf3nkf4rhftXmTfGybDRykZjzJhV-KTsJsN9u_Nxfyw1q_KoiPVxy6ScGBJuZNyzImwn1nwyGbDWsW/s1600/Day+7+-+Front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479695810574786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX3RO9vlVPXj13hi1vlvJgFWHqQXW2VAf1QzCevq_zRSTc_DeIgYGGJPXnemEflmf3nkf4rhftXmTfGybDRykZjzJhV-KTsJsN9u_Nxfyw1q_KoiPVxy6ScGBJuZNyzImwn1nwyGbDWsW/s320/Day+7+-+Front.jpg" /></a>
<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEi9_k0zFQ4x4oMqme2rQnSq6YdgLK2lVOUsVtzQuoxjjiRwhJ2wBS5p1LkQ3hVVJ5OglTBDPFyBapkUw3_5hPWigDNWUADr_436uxndNr5paoVC3N5x2CnRc8P8y5uIuwLqfXqDvq2nk8/s1600/Day+7+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479687507872242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEi9_k0zFQ4x4oMqme2rQnSq6YdgLK2lVOUsVtzQuoxjjiRwhJ2wBS5p1LkQ3hVVJ5OglTBDPFyBapkUw3_5hPWigDNWUADr_436uxndNr5paoVC3N5x2CnRc8P8y5uIuwLqfXqDvq2nk8/s320/Day+7+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrqd_gT1Ud4eUhdF_XBRsLSwSD5wqmI-GNOtZycW1q2U9dMSaDOoca_yoAMprs2G0n_hS9i1aa3Q7Isde9I9QO1-LgUCrzkB2S-WRKDZpR59We_OqpkPYV1Gz9sVJ8VgOMuk2MUabLHcs/s1600/Day+7+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479684959851778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrqd_gT1Ud4eUhdF_XBRsLSwSD5wqmI-GNOtZycW1q2U9dMSaDOoca_yoAMprs2G0n_hS9i1aa3Q7Isde9I9QO1-LgUCrzkB2S-WRKDZpR59We_OqpkPYV1Gz9sVJ8VgOMuk2MUabLHcs/s320/Day+7+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a>
<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxtLb5xEIfBgrJHNgw8oKZgkqpIyclsUGDAu7WyBadYIJiF6q1qYOubxNX5QXwgJ6QGzmPN_0dZzorPJRfYQdvKvGMq6hV9gk34Hq4a2dZqssUjrvUD9DiHq4kG0CIaEZJkynPR9V06TR/s1600/Day+7+-+smile.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479676304329314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxtLb5xEIfBgrJHNgw8oKZgkqpIyclsUGDAu7WyBadYIJiF6q1qYOubxNX5QXwgJ6QGzmPN_0dZzorPJRfYQdvKvGMq6hV9gk34Hq4a2dZqssUjrvUD9DiHq4kG0CIaEZJkynPR9V06TR/s320/Day+7+-+smile.jpg" /></a>It looks like my swelling is still going down slightly everyday! Yesterday was the first day that I blow dried my hair and put on some mascara - what a difference it makes to feeling good after a week of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">schlumpiness</span>. I can really start seeing the way my profile is going to turn out - AND I'm LOVING IT!!!!!!!! Bruising is more prominent everyday. Thats ok though - I'm thinking of getting a nail polish to match it.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>As I mentioned in my last post, I also had my Post-Op appointment with Dr. R (my Oral Surgeon) yesterday. He said everything looks PERFECT and that I am healing up super well. When the OS assistants were cleaning my teeth before Dr. R came in to see me, they said that my teeth are very clean and that I'm doing a great job at it (hard to know if you're doing a good job when you can only rinse your mouth with the medicated oral rinse they give you). I am supposed to keep the same elastics on that I have right now (since the surgery) and he'll change them when I come in next week for my 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span> Post-Op (on Friday). Dr. R also said that I can start drinking any liquids I want including soups and such (anything that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> require chewing) as long as I make sure I clean my mouth really well after (oral rinse and light brushing on the brackets only - have to make sure I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> hit the stitches still). The stitches are still in there - does anyone know how long they take to fall out?</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>During the appointment I also had my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">x-rays</span> done! See here (now vs. before):
<br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 158px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479116906546786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBts3Qu8Fk21oA0oUuYP5PT4wo6WEWvD2lDbMfttVctTScszYZIcl1wyhGXhB9kwwq6Za-XNnz7BlVVRnVAs6KfuEfRLJrmR12zjg51TlcriLFxnqpSfVRF4LpXpMkJkhYnYDv4DnW4GW/s320/Xrays+-+After.jpg" />
<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ05UMI9QYwnBYCLq5ziHWIIn5ae0eTTal9xWpfNRC3Ucjd8h4XHgGfpxIJfzTpX_IVFvQu19DxIHs2RkQdRS7l2AsoXaUYnfAudfT8Sa2oTFqFB_I1EMaa8T6hrshrsG7zxCuOdAi5Exq/s1600/Xrays+-+Before.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 158px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510479103729464786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ05UMI9QYwnBYCLq5ziHWIIn5ae0eTTal9xWpfNRC3Ucjd8h4XHgGfpxIJfzTpX_IVFvQu19DxIHs2RkQdRS7l2AsoXaUYnfAudfT8Sa2oTFqFB_I1EMaa8T6hrshrsG7zxCuOdAi5Exq/s320/Xrays+-+Before.jpg" /></a> I personally think that all the metal screws are cool. Maybe X-Men will come and find me and let me join their <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">troop</span>. I don't know what super powers I'd want right now, but I'll think about that one. As you can see from the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">x-ray</span> above, I have a total of 6 screws in my face now, 2 in my chin and 4 in my upper jaw. I can't feel them. Maybe I'll be able to when the swell goes away? Comparing the 2 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">x-rays</span> has been kind of fun. It's amazing to see how perfectly my teeth fit together now. Some of you may be wondering why I have less teeth on my top opposed to my bottom... this is because I had teeth removed from my upper jaw when I was 13(<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">ish</span>). So Dr. R did the best that he could without those. Usually the top teeth will go father back than the bottom teeth, but this really wont affect my chewing. Dr. R wished that they hadn't taken out those teeth because then they would have been able to perform double jaw (ouch) surgery and make my bite perfect... but they did an excellent job at what they had to work with!
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<br />Daily improvements section: I can now drink out of a regular glass cup!!!! AMAZING!!!! I did this a few times without spilling anything on me. The only weird part is that I cant feel the cup when it presses against my left side (still super numb). I had an entire bowl of blended hearty home made soup (made by my boyfriends aunt who is an incredible cook). It literally took me an hour to eat it with a child's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">spoon</span> while my boyfriend sat with me patiently. Ativan</span> at night (I got an extra prescription of this because sometimes having only one per night <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">doesn't</span> work as well).</div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Most annoying part: YAWNING! It does NOT feel good to yawn. I can't open my jaw fully and it gets really sore when I try to. I guess this is my body's way of telling me GO TO SLEEP NOW OR WE WILL MAKE SURE YOUR PUNISHED!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>After my Post-Op appointment I went to visit my boyfriend's father who is a chiropractor. Before the surgery he asked if I wanted to try some cold laser therapy to help with the healing and I was up for it. So he did the first laser therapy session on my face. I'm going to do it a few more times next week and hopefully this will help even more with the swelling and healing (especially with the stitches - I want those suckers out!)</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>Weight - I'm down 8 lbs - eek! I'm hoping I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> lose anymore now that I get to eat somewhat real foods. </div><div> </div><div>
<br /> </div><div>I'll post Day 8 later tonight (arent you guys lucky with two posts in one day!!) </div><div></div><div>Alexis</div><div></div></div></div></div>
<br />LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-50744017349761924242010-08-27T00:04:00.009-04:002010-08-27T01:01:43.045-04:00Day 6 - Ice Cream is the new CodeineDay 6! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">OMGosh</span>!<br /><br />I can't <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">believe</span> it will be a week tomorrow. It's incredible how fast time goes when your hopped up on all sorts of drugs :) I have lots of good news from today, but let's start with the photos:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhyphenhyphenax2RTaSIffI3eCUUl7ptMcY5LZnzQSaK2f07vgfVxIuvbwfmFsSm2HrnLRydhT_EB5xf5zt3dBZfNN2k0GGw6ix70eeu6sXhjC-SZ2fwqg8D0Fx7xUrOhsUC3vtkGpuOwZurW0kzPD/s1600/Day+6+-+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 229px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509936192544464530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhyphenhyphenax2RTaSIffI3eCUUl7ptMcY5LZnzQSaK2f07vgfVxIuvbwfmFsSm2HrnLRydhT_EB5xf5zt3dBZfNN2k0GGw6ix70eeu6sXhjC-SZ2fwqg8D0Fx7xUrOhsUC3vtkGpuOwZurW0kzPD/s320/Day+6+-+front.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBGra8Mja0WAtAkocUySOKj4d9wbhvHLmsXqkNIdSfCSjHbMdvpgOKiWBjj71JRWm7bRlGb6XAD-1q42mxbArT08reaVYRYdzaSYbQqU3NI9oH-2E8LPc-5zRhkQYgdEveQcRuMifAsO7/s1600/Day+6+-+profile+left.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509936178452971170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBGra8Mja0WAtAkocUySOKj4d9wbhvHLmsXqkNIdSfCSjHbMdvpgOKiWBjj71JRWm7bRlGb6XAD-1q42mxbArT08reaVYRYdzaSYbQqU3NI9oH-2E8LPc-5zRhkQYgdEveQcRuMifAsO7/s320/Day+6+-+profile+left.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjVhdHAyumYsuZwygog6se_f2JpraM5nHuvPc9Lt2GcSRHXG2czVOVFkTFv9wzwq6iYqtm_UMNVWfHpWTSNecSyFsmSxB4JKPTAy_-Pxy8yAhVJ1WIdbvLJva5yxgwB5Jo2fi_baPFYro/s1600/Day+6+-+profile+right.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509936172473562178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjVhdHAyumYsuZwygog6se_f2JpraM5nHuvPc9Lt2GcSRHXG2czVOVFkTFv9wzwq6iYqtm_UMNVWfHpWTSNecSyFsmSxB4JKPTAy_-Pxy8yAhVJ1WIdbvLJva5yxgwB5Jo2fi_baPFYro/s320/Day+6+-+profile+right.jpg" /></a><br />This smiling photo kind of scares me. I've been watching True Blood all week long and I kind of think I look like a vampire with the elastics showing. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">MUUUWAHAHAHA</span>.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQq0JFMgvAR8orPxOBS_wCYDxmmy5Eq5gsZDlmw0Q_kY1aTJiBPKGxa8uiDvEi_I_6NLXkCSva1diRpJ29AtcFdRjD3vLABJRhqTdmcyWLChOKhyphenhyphenngsmEjigBUngJMSUon8mpC4ekJDDt/s1600/Day+6+-+smiling.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 232px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509936162684890194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQq0JFMgvAR8orPxOBS_wCYDxmmy5Eq5gsZDlmw0Q_kY1aTJiBPKGxa8uiDvEi_I_6NLXkCSva1diRpJ29AtcFdRjD3vLABJRhqTdmcyWLChOKhyphenhyphenngsmEjigBUngJMSUon8mpC4ekJDDt/s320/Day+6+-+smiling.jpg" /></a><br />So today was very relaxing! I think it helped a lot with the swelling because my face is looking a lot less swollen! I took these photos on my Blackberry, so their quality <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">isn't</span> the greatest. I have a LOT of yellowish bruising on my lower cheeks and down my neck which you can't really tell from here.<br /></div><div> </div><div>Today I was also allowed to start drinking things other than clear liquids! AMAZING!!! I started this morning off with a Chocolate Boost with extra Protein. I'm not a huge fan of these meal replacement drinks, I think they have a lot of chemicals, sugar and processed foods in them that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> think my body really likes right now... so I'm going to try to drink them as a last resort. For lunch I made a delicious smoothie (very watered down) with 1% milk, frozen <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">mangos</span>, cranberry juice and <a href="http://myvega.com/products/whole-food-health-optimizer/features-benefits">Vega </a>(whole food health optimizer). Vega is a complete meal replacement that is high in fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids. It's also free from animal products, dairy, gluten, soy, sugar, wheat, yeast, artificial sweeteners, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">GMOs</span> and pesticides. I'm going to try to use Vega everyday and it should be able to give me a lot of the vitamins and minerals I am missing from eating normal foods. I cannot claim that it tastes very good though... For dinner, I had more of the shake I made for lunch and some d<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">elicious</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Haagen-</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dazs</span> vanilla ice cream for dessert! YUM.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>This afternoon I decided to stop taking the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">codeine</span> (I took one portion in the morning when I woke up). So I'm just on Extra Strength Tylenol now! I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">haven't</span> felt any pain all day, so it must mean that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> need to codeine any longer.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>As I mentioned before, today was relaxing - the only visitor I had was my brother this morning who came and brought me a marvelous squishy neck pillow. I tried it out when I napped this afternoon and it was SUPERB at keeping my head up! Having only one visitor helped for my resting (not for fun though) and I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">lay</span> around and napped all day. It felt so good to not talk and let my mouth rest! To get some goodness back into my stressed out skin I made a blueberry/yogurt/honey face mask and sat in the sun for a while with it on. Now my skin feels so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">moisturized</span> and very smooth! Later in the evening I took a 30 minute walk to get some fresh air. My energy level has been awesome and that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> tire me out at all.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>To help with the swelling and get the blood flow moving around (to bring down bruising) I was applying warm compresses all day again and massaging my face in circles. Seems to be working from what I can tell and it felt good.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I also started moving my mouth around in weird ways to try to get the muscles moving again. I think my doctor is going to show me some range of motion <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">exercises</span> that I will be started at my appointment tomorrow. I can now open my mouth a little more than a finger breadth (not much from yesterday.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I took a long look in my mouth today and I can see all of the stitches - its kind of cool! I had to put wax on my upper front teeth because the surgical wire prong thing has been jabbing into the inside of my upper lip. When I did that I also noticed that my upper jaw/gum area is totally numb - SO WEIRD and crazy that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">didn't</span> realise this before. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>My nose has been drippy - I'm not sure that I've mentioned that yet. Sometimes it still has a slight blood residue when I wipe it, but otherwise its clear. I've been using the saline nasal spray, so it could be from that - extra <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">moisturized</span>!</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Weight - I'm down 5 lbs now. I think that since I'm on the smoothie train as of today, I will probably not lose any more weight.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>As you already may know, tomorrow is my ONE WEEK POST-OP ANNIVERSARY! Such a great milestone! I have my Dr appointment at 1:30 and I'm hoping he says everything is healing superbly. I'm also hoping that he can send me the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">x-rays</span> from before and after and I'll for sure post them if he does. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Have a great night everyone!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Alexis</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>P.s. Yesterday I had approx. 100 people view my blog in one day! Thank you so much for everyone who has been following me and supporting my adventure. It feels great to have so much support.</div><div></div><div></div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-17168877551624602292010-08-25T22:37:00.009-04:002010-08-25T23:26:58.687-04:00Day 5: Cruisin' for a BruisinDay 5!<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Apparently</span> day 5 is the end of the first phase! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wahoo</span></span>!! Tomorrow starts a brand new milestone (phase 2 of course).<br /><br />Today was not that different from Day 4, I'll start off with photos:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 246px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509542657608684050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDVTHCaFT83mPuNsfqUpkRrKL-moJczpzsn6iaIXyepi2pwSFx5KcBeZxK5_vgkdgZhuGfbP5q7stjMK4l-MhMAKZZvQl40foSJet626ojkFxYum8ZOtKB7X2-UIaM9LCK7mYkG9ixdFd/s320/Day+5+-+front.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509542661324571938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivj5OX_WyThCkMbk9yZphtl4z5j8LKHFYa40mnmS4ByhNKROh1naOOZY7rQwnpitzzrZyHD5HNoiK-vLNnbudiP8zbq8U0XNIrGpTF5F3qvB9zHAFQeiMKLOCw5yR9x81uNL3CdokAkG-H/s320/Day+5+-+profile+right.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509542672178964610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqdcrs8WWme_sfFpc8aTnpH3jkLXZzEaoBew_4z2XHl0u0QnU1ptepalskm8IzEF84s0fV1smI6XMQsbM2ivaAs_ABoaA9ksJm3bWWDKZx_eCi3XCWufPqmTnA8D-jvBZRukNpiEdR1ob/s320/Day+5+-+profile+left.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiDX-bQ-LZrHBlYfrHxNOxdpP73fuz5_0GMAMefX3diRm2-tysqTJGWwGzqUsXLVGCK4sPqkcsAb1g0DTmm8cx26zEhvMKvYyL4DAj4Ct9HSvSV-7egYNy97gMQ-dg0AiorjVRXwqiRoU/s1600/Day+5+-+smile.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 243px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509542677908810546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiDX-bQ-LZrHBlYfrHxNOxdpP73fuz5_0GMAMefX3diRm2-tysqTJGWwGzqUsXLVGCK4sPqkcsAb1g0DTmm8cx26zEhvMKvYyL4DAj4Ct9HSvSV-7egYNy97gMQ-dg0AiorjVRXwqiRoU/s320/Day+5+-+smile.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><div>The swelling has gone down a little bit, but not much. Still progress! The major difference is the bruising that is starting to appear. I've missed out on the dark bruising and just cruised into the greenish/yellowish bruising. If you look closely you can see that it's on both sides of my lower cheeks and down my neck. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today was pretty fun! I had lots of visitors again. It's so nice to feel all the love and kindness from my friends/family. My living room is like a flower shop! I saw one of my old <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">roomies</span>, Ashley. Claire, Ashley and I went out for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">gelato</span> (soon to be a daily <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occurrence</span>) and I got the most delicious coconut and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">espresso</span> (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ohhhh</span> how I miss the smell & taste of coffee). Then we picked up some milk and yogurt for when I can start drinking SMOOTHIES tomorrow! Also had my step-mother visit me and my friend Holly! Having visitors really help to make the days go by fast and to feel positive energy to keep my spirits high. Holly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">practiced</span> a little <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Reiki</span> healing on my face. She said it takes a few days to work properly, so if all my bruising goes away in two days it's all because of her!!!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My private doctor/best friend (Claire) had to go home today. She lives all the way in Rochester, so it was a long drive home. I'm so happy that she was able to stay with me. She claimed I was the best recovery patient ever and that the only requirement I really had was for her to chop up Tylenol during the first two days. Then it was just like being old <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">roomies</span> again! Claire, if you're reading this, THANK YOU <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">SOSOOSOSOSOSO</span> MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!<br /><br />I've gotten a little bit more feeling back today. I can now feel 80% of my bottom lip (all except a small part in the middle). My top lip is still 1/2 numb (numb on the left side). I have more feeling in my nose and the area around it. I can feel my jaw bone up until the chin area (which will probably take the most time to get feeling back in).</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I haven't iced at all today, I'm done with that for now. I've been applying warm compresses to the swollen areas to get the blood moving around. I've also been massaging the skin in circles whenever I remember to. This hopefully helps with making the bruising go away faster. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I can open my mouth about one fingers breadth. I'm unsure if this is because of the elastics that are on my teeth or just because of the healing itself. When I the doctor changes the elastics on Friday (my 1st post-op appointment) we'll see if I can move it any more. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Weight - I weighed myself this morning and I've lost about 4 lbs thus far. I think once I start drinking the smoothies I'll gain some of it back... or at least not lose any more weight.</div><div></div><div></div><div>Until tomorrow!</div><div></div><div></div><div>Sweet dreams everyone :)</div><div></div><div>Alexis</div><br /><div></div></div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341322298712497821.post-1067334518649602992010-08-24T21:55:00.006-04:002010-08-24T22:31:45.016-04:00Day 4: Strolling & SmilingDay 4 has come and gone!<br /><br />I'm really happy with my progress thus far. In all of the reading and info my docs gave me, they said the swelling and bruising would be the most <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">prominent</span> thing...but I've hardly seen much!<br />The only bruising I have is slight bruising on my left side (you can see a small dark spot on my left cheek and some yellowing down the side of my mouth as well). Claire says the bruising may come a bit later once the swelling goes down, so we shall see!<br /><br />Here are the photos!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509160703099521842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2W9NU7eUeNFrte7PxeIlhNmYYRrtp3ZhHw6ZGD3wHu8JhYvDWK19AkHcEajOO40nDpX__NBqKYJ4ckfhP2eZR9IKm-7-8YmoxpIHJ_ROXpepAGLtgI1cr1041jtox1f7eCx6igsOWf5F/s320/Day+4+-+front.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509160734121714594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcv9FrKb4gWAps487J_b3M6jALNmhTdGINXrjMyMCg5Nx5dSQfBXy_TkMiSscEuEm-p9mUkVFNiH-NOPBBUQiG0SgiCk0LVKyB7I6yDFDrbHX6hcQxR1d9w41-c8JfFKk6GwMa7balit7/s320/Day+4+-+profile+right.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509160712042558194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z8Ce2D_M4w5KM94bq9y_iz9WasmFBjJnU21A7xfOyAureg4oHdo525afCITzPSiLkF_M8SLEnVJZjAToTDVWnCuhPFohT5kE8lTpTAzR1ryCU2P1pt5JzNornIm3Vz6UNdGtTpWWu9Kn/s320/Day+4+-+profile+left.jpg" /><br /><br />Here is my attempt at a smile (I seriously cannot move my mouth any farther)! ha! It's way better than its been. It means that I am gaining muscle strength back in that area. Soon enough I'll be showing off my shiny tin-grin again!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509160744289715058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPnqhMXSEMLZXQwlpRnd9rhLM2M1jHh72a6F6-CdjSRsU7USCeZUecDwyx0dJJx3ASJfcoesiry9s4LmKhXHdsXSpl4tlS_0Nng7NM8WG-20DroICQV1j6Wl_0XwqEojgHINsxfG7_qdL/s320/Day+4+-+smile.jpg" /><br />I woke up today around 7:30 am... so pretty much slept through the night since midnight! I've been pretty lucky in the sleeping scenario...those <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Adivan</span> are really doing their jobs. Took my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">codeine</span>/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tylenol</span> and antibiotics at that point and then went back to sleep with an ice pack on my face until 9:30<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ish</span>.<br /><br />My friend Brooks (a braces friend) came by to visit me before his orthodontist adjustment around 10:30<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ish</span>! It was great to see him. He's VERY glad he does not have to get jaw surgery but said I was less scary in person than he thought I'd be.<br /><br />I was feeling like I had my energy back around noon, so Claire and I decided to take a stroll. We were strolling around for about 45 min! It was so great! We ended up walking over to a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">mani</span>/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">pedi</span> salon and Claire treated me to get my toe nails did! I got "Jade is the New Black" for any of your nail polish <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">obsessors</span> like myself. By the time my feet were all done I was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">SOOOOO</span> tired. We went straight home after that and I took a much needed nap. Apparently I really need to not expend my energy when I'm only <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">in taking</span> approx 500 calories a day.<br /><br />Had some more visitors in the eve including my Dad and Mariya. I love visitors, but by the time they leave I am so tired that I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">don't</span> feel like talking for another day (even though I do 1% of the talking when they are here).<br /><div><br /><div>I've been getting more feeling back in my jaw area - a lot of tingling and some slight shooting pains (but not actually painful if you know what I mean). I'm still pretty numb under my eyes, but I'm getting more feeling on the right side. Chin is completely numb for the first 2 inches and then it just feels sore and bruised. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>I've stopped icing and now have moved on to applying warm compresses to the skin. The doctor said this helps get the blood moving again and is better than icing after about the 4<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> day.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>I really feel like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tomorrow</span> the swelling will come down a lot more because today was supposed to be the worst, so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hooray</span>! We'll see what happens then.</div><div> </div><div></div><div><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Toodles</span>!</div><div></div><div>Alexis</div></div>LexsBraceBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02928932622044297769noreply@blogger.com6