Nine Months: The Nerve

Oh, month 9. This is the month I should start seeing improvement in my nerve department. Hrmph. Hrmph I say. I will keep this entry rather brief because not much has changed, I am beginning to worry, more.

I got my teeth shaved a bit more but with my haphazard feelings it wasn't working very well, I cant tell when certain teeth are touching.

The outside sensation map is exactly as I left it last month…So lets see a color chart of my teeth:

Green:
These are teeth that still have a dull wobbly feeling. The aren't quite numb but if I bite into something they feel like they aren't quite there. It makes it hard to judge if I have taken a bite out of something or not. I feel if I attempt larger or thicker food my teeth will fall out…im assured this is in my head.

Not shown is my palette which would also be green: right behind the front teeth it is still numb-ish. If I run my tongue across the back of my teeth it tickles and feels maybe even a little sore.

Blue (dark): 
These are areas of hyper sensitivity! Wheeeee! Brushing these teeth feel awful, like my tooth brush is made of small pins. The gum line along the bottom teeth is so sensitive. Time to lower the pressure on the water pik. If the top and bottom teeth hit each other in just the wrong way my head may explode…im assured this will not happen.

Blue (light):
That pesky screw along my sinus is a feeling of odd pressure. If I blow my nose the teeth below this area feel like they are vibrating. This is also the section where I am able to sense changes in weather. 

Sinuses
…are jerks. I gave the surgeon's office a call this week because I am concerned about the fact there is still often dried blood in my right nostril. Not a lot of it, no active running nose bleeds, but it was something that should have gone away months ago. This was the entrance point for the intubation and there have been no signs of infection, so we shall see. I also have congestion in my sinuses in general. I do get seasonal allergies but this feels more internal. I must remember to ask about a netti pot.

Six Months: Hello Invisalign

This past month (and the start of the new year) has been eventful to say the least. As I posted Monday I got my braces off, it was glorious.

But since Monday I have had two more tooth related appointments: Picking up my invisalign from Dr. Huang and getting my last face scan from Dr. Olsson!

Invisalign:
Behold my new tooth prison for 20+ hours a day for the next 3 months (and then at night, forever)…

I have had them for roughly 36 hrs and its an interesting new experience thus far.

Pros:
After having so much trauma to this part of my face over the last year it is actually kind of comforting. They do not hurt because they are not made to progressively shift my teeth, but to keep them exactly where they are now. Since I'm mildly scared about getting bumped in the face, hit with a door or slipping on an icy sidewalk it assures me my teeth aren't falling out… or something. Anyway, they are kind of like a hug for each tooth.

The Inaugural Wear

You have to get pretty up close and personal to see them on my teeth. Two things give it away: 1. When my teeth are closed there is a slight gap (shown above), 2. When wearing, I currently have a tiny lisp when saying things that end in S.  I have also already forgotten I was wearing them a couple times (may be due to still having tooth numbness).

Cons:
You need to take them out anytime you want to eat or drink anything (other than water). Because I forgot I was wearing them last night I tried to eat some bread and couldn't figure out why it felt so odd. This means I have to plan my coffee drinking into short bursts instead of my all day routine.

After I eat or drink something and before putting them back in I need to brush my teeth. So where ever I go I need to bring my case and my tiny vial of tooth powder.

Case (they gave me blue to match my hair), Appliance bath,
tooth powder (need to get a tiny portable brush too)

Care:
I really didn't want to have an open glass of water sitting around with my teeth in it so I bought a little sealing bath at the pharmacy. It has a little draining basket in it so i don't have to fish my teeth out with my paws.

Figuring out how to clean them was a little more challenging. Can not clean them with toothpaste or mouthwash and after reading the ingredients on the denture / retainer cleaners I was determined to not have artificial colors, flavors, chemicals and whatever metal shavings they put in that crap. Turns out really watered down distilled white vinegar does the same job. I'm not a fan of vinegar (unless its salt and vinegar chips) but some running water gets ride of residue.

My teeth in a basket

Then today I visited Dr. Olsson for my last visit (as long as nothing odd happens). All is healing as it should and will continue to for up to two years. I can still feel where there is a break in the bone even tho Dr. Olsson believes I think too much about these things ;)

 …And then I got a brand new face scan!

I KNEW IT, Ive gone full Terminator!!

2013 vs 2016

Post op (wired shut) vs Today

Illuminated chompers

As you can see, where my bottom jaw is broken, the left side has a larger break and plate. This is also the side that still is visible on the outside as well… totally not making that up.

Here is this month's numbness progression. The changes are slight, almost too slight for me to really account in any helpful way…but here it is anyway:

Maybe by the time my invisalign goes into retainer mode I will have more or less feeling and less of a visible crater. Onward!

Post Op: The first week

I have made it one week! My face is still super swollen and puffy in awkward places. I still can not emote.

I actually am happy?

I went to the surgeon for my 1st check-up. Dr. Olsson was surprised by how much feeling has come back. He said "I split your face in half, you shouldnt have feeling yet"! They removed the bands, it was painful…because I have had a rapid reassembly of my nerves. I was asked to open my mouth and close it a number of times…that actually didnt hurt at all. I am worried that if I continue getting feeling back at a quick rate I will have a very hard time when they remove the splint from the roof of my mouth.

Here is what I look like now…under the skin (jarrett said I look like im mostly made of bike chains):

They replaced some of the bands, much lighter so now my jaw can move around a bit….which they dont want actually happening, haha. So now I have fear spasms in my jaw. They release the jaw a bit so that it has a chance to relax after being bound tight for a week. I just have to retrain my muscles and start getting my lips to move. I was also given enough wax to make a candle…

 Anyway, everything is looking to be in a good place, my teeth do not look like they will have any root damage. I expressed the sadness at not being able to blow my nose and I was gifted a very expensive antibiotic. My right sinuses are swollen and I am at risk of getting a sinus infection which could turn worse / prevent the bone from filling back in. Another disgusting flavor med…It also made me super nauseous. So the latter part of the day was less pleasant but Im on an upswing.

After an outing to Wholefoods to get more liquid food supplies (two more weeks before operation: chew) I knocked out. Just too much partying for one day.

I also got a new delivery from my friends Andrew and Jaime!

hmmm…very mysterious given they live in Texas

Another highlight, my favorite food today is Maple yogurt by Wallaby…liquid pancakes! Okay, time to cuddle up with the littlest nurse and take a nap.