Day 34: Work it out

Today is another milestone, my first day back to the gym! When at 100% capacity I normal go for a 75 min spin class, today I made it through 50 mins of that class. I could not push as hard or do everything the class did but made a good first effort. Getting that kind of exercise actually relieved the pressure around my sinuses…im chalking it up to getting the blood pumping a little bit. It also made me super tired. Worth it!

Swelling:
My face is getting back to "normal"…I guess whatever the new normal is. I still have swelling under my nose and a bit along the jawline. I am actually getting a jawline now! The swelling is a bit more on the left side, the side that had the largest plate installed.

Movement:
I am starting to get more movement in my face. The top lip is still rather stiff but my left side has a mean Elvis. The muscles are very stiff. I need to look into some face exercises to prompt more healing. I can open my mouth further tho! If I take the guide elastics out I can now get the baby brush in between the top and bottom jaw, enough to brush the biting surfaces.

Yawning is still annoying. I still have to hold my face when a yawn comes on as the muscles really tense up. I have since sneezed as well. That was terrifying. It didnt hurt but my face was a little sore afterwards. You have to sneeze out of your mouth and not your nose. Prepping for a sneeze is somewhat comical, leaning forward, holding the jaw with an open mouth. By the time the body is prepped for the sneeze it has since decided to abort the mission.

Teeth:
My teeth are tender in spots. They are also getting stained from the prescription mouth wash. When I was sent home from the hospital I was to use the mouth wash 3 times a day. Now im down to just once a day but you really have to scrub with a proxabrush to get the color off. Problem is, applying pressure to scrub is sort of unpleasant…I have been doing this when I go out since you can sort of see my fangs now. Basically it just looks like I had a lot of coffee.

Stitches still are coming out in clumps. It's gross. Especially gross when a knot comes out, passing a little stitch spider. :P

Food:
Happily I am eating more creatively. I have not been blending my food but have opted for softer or smaller foods. I do however, really need to blend more green smoothies so I can get more leafy greens in my diet. I make most of what I eat but i do still enjoy the soup at the Wholefoods hot bar. Tonight Jarrett and I did order our first delivery meal since surgery, Thai food! I got a rice tofu soup and Pad See Ew with tofu. I cant eat the broccoli but the noodles can be chopped up. It was so good. I did manage to scrape out some crab rangoon filling as well.  Mostly I am just excited to eat tiny pasta and spinach.

Day by day:
I am slowly getting into a groove. I have been cleaning and organizing the house. I will finish this process in the studio, that will be the day I am ready to start hanging out in there again. Until then I clean a little, do some basic errands, play some video games and take it easy.

Octo-love from my sister. 

I am able to go out for about 3-4 hours before I get super drained but I am able to buzz around the house most of the day. Tomorrow I will attempt to drive! I have been super nervous to drive around because my focus was not as good and my head could not turn completely. Im only going to go a few miles at a time….or Ill just stay home forever.