Jawscapades: Day 1

7:45 AM. I meet my Anesthesiologist. He briefs me as they put an IV into me, pumping my blood with NaCl, along with giving me shots of some chemical meant to relax me. They then give me a shot to put me to sleep and I am adminstered high doses of Morphine. They also put a breathing tube up my nose and way down my throat which has now caused me to have quite a sore throat.

Sometime around 10:00 AM. The surgery is complete. I remember NONE of this as I had just been awoken from the General Anesthetic but THIS is what I was told by the nurses. I had blood covering my face (this I figured out for myself because when I woke up, fully conscious the second time, there was blood on my face, covering my hospital gown and on the sheets and pillow case. Wonderful.) The nurse told me she cleaned my face quite a few times. Apparently when I woke, I was thrashing about extremely hard. I was disoriented and in a panic. I thrashed and hit, kicked, etc, in a panic for a few minutes before I dropped back into a near-unconscious state. This apparently happens to most people as they come out of the anesthetic.

Sometime around 1:00 PM. I wake up for the first time fully conscious. I remember everything that has happened from this point on. My mouth is tied together but surprisingly I CAN talk. I just have to move my lips and tongue but not my teeth and I can mumble enough that people understand what I'm saying. I joke with the nurses and they help me get dressed, stand up without collapsing, etc. They take my IV out and give me a HUGE shot of morphine. They then wheel me out to the roof of the building where my mom is waiting. I have blood stuck in a big clump in my hair.

I've slept off and on since then and I've managed to eat a cup of soup as well. Eating is difficult as I cannot open my teeth so the liquid has to, somehow remarkably, go through the teeth. I am quite awake and have taken my antibiotics and morphine again since coming home. I feel relatively good. My orthodontist personally sent me a huge thing of beautiful flowers. I have four stitches on the outside of my mouth and up to, my guess, a hundred inside of my mouth but we are waiting to hear that from the surgeon when he calls. I'm icing my mouth constantly and I am quite bruised. I also have quite a few sores over and around my lips which remind me of when my grandma was in the hospital and had them. I am able to take pictures and will post some daily on here for everyone (or close to daily). Please remember though. This blog is not for social purposes. It is for those who care about me to see my progress. That does not mean that these pictures and meant for been laughed at and spread about the web and Facebook. This is a very painful difficult time and respect in that would be appreciated.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

7 am. morning of. lower jaw in "natural" position almost an inch back from the front teeth.

smiling with my jaw back in its natural position

jaw back. thank God that's gone forever.

6 hours after surgery. pretty drugged. swelling not too bad.

the bruising has started. the dots you see on my cheek are sets of 2 stitches. of course there are WAY more stitches than this that are on this inside of my mouth.