Day 12: Becoming human

I am able to make it a full day without a nap…im almost like an adult again! Yesterday I was able to stay out for about 3 hours, got to sit in the car. Driving is still not an option for me but having my mom around has made everything much easier. Went to an antique store, my favorite kind of outing.

My face still feels alien, a little like a puppet still. My chin and nose do not feel real. Teeth, chin and nose all have moments of a burning sensation, tingling and a odd throbbing. I was told it could take up to a year to get full feeling back but I wasnt supposed to have much feelings for 2 more weeks. I have 50% of what was lost back already. I wont be surprised if I see this on my next head scan:

My swelling is still lingering, I dont know how long it will take to go back to normal. When I walk around my nose starts to sound odd (since i cant blow my nose). I have my own built in kazoo!

I am still sleeping in the living room. Have to stay semi upright, can not lay on my side because I can not apply pressure to my jaw. I dont want anything to shift and the bone has to get to work. Im a side sleeper so its been interesting, so glad I bought a upright contour pillow…lifesaver.

This morning I was craving an egg and cheese sandwich…soooo I made a blended version. Stay with me, it was actually really good. I took a little bit of milk, cut some cheddar, put both in a mug and microwaved for a min. Poured into the blender and added a hard boiled egg. Everything with this liquid diet is about smell and taste. You have to give in and accept everything will have a similar texture. Im totally on the experimental part of this food adventure.

Okay time to try and do some home organization. I am assuming i will get worn out quick but would like to take some of this down time to do a summer clean out of the house (no heavy lifting). In between cleaning attempts I have plenty to do…

Games and books for days (or months)

Day 10: First "Smile"

My face has started moving again! Both corners of my mouth have regained sensation! My right side is a little less so, still tingling but I can feel it. My whole bottom lip is still void / relatively motionless and while I have complete feeling in my upper lip it does not have much movement. All of this leads to a pretty creepy little dead eyed gnome smile…

I am a muppet 

 My chin, nose, cheeks, sinuses and "jowls" are still swollen but its all working its way out.

When I make this face you can still see the lopsided puffy parts…nose is only half swollen today. I have also discovered that since my muscles are damaged that can not rotate my head around very far. If I have to look up I basically have to bend at the waist. If I need to look at something over my shoulder I have to turn my whole body. When I try to just move my head there is pressure put on the jaw…I do not want any of that to shift so I am careful.

Yesterday was my first day free of meds (except antibiotics). It may seem stupid to ween off of pain meds this early but I prefer my body try to adjust to things on its own as soon as I can. My stomach doesnt appreciate harsh meds and it really affects my sleep. Last night was my first solid 8hrs. I didnt wake up to eat but felt okay…a bit hungry but not as woozy.

This morning I was able to walk to the grocery store, soup replenishment (in this time I got a bit too much sun, forgot antibiotics can sometimes have this affect). I am still only good for 30 - 60 mins out of the house at a time. I only consume about 600-800 calories a day so I get taxed easily. Last night my Mom and Jarrett ordered a pizza….I love pizza…so I blended a tiny square. It was a thin crust veggie pizza that I added a little bit of veggie stock to, it looked like pasta sauce, smelled like pizza, tasted like delicious pizza!

When I ate a blended 1/4 cupcake and then a square of pizza I was so full. I do not plan on going to crazy with this type of eating. I want my body to get used to fewer sugars, more fruit and veggies. I will, however, experiment a bit. Another strange thing, after my first iced latte I went back and got another the following day…It was totally gross to me. How is that possible???!! I got another today from a different cafe…still meh, it leaves an oily feeling in my mouth. Not cool, body.

Anyway, between the leftover cupcakes and the pizza I probably took in actual calories today!

Day 9: Operation: Cupcake

I am still puffy, my sinuses are settling down a bit but my face looks pretty much the same since Thursday. Kind of like this…

Last night was the first time I have slept through the night, about 7 hours! I still am sleeping on a mattress in the living room. It is way easier for me to be near the kitchen and tv for how much I need to get up. It also makes sleeping upright easier.

Today is also my Mom's Bday! I have been very lucky to have her come in for 2 weeks to help Jarrett and I. Only problem is I cant do anything fun like go out for a big meal or even leave the house for more than an hour. Jarrett went out early to get some bday surprise cupcakes from a local bakery, and SURPRISE, you can blend a cupcake and eat it thru a tube!!!!

My mom was stoked…I was stoked too

Let them eat CAKE! Liquid cake…

Went out with her for an hour to a couple shops. I think an hour is my max in the wild right now. I get really tired and can become woozy. Tonight my mom requested a pizza…lets see if that blends. The rest of the night is dedicated puzzle time. Its actually very hard to focus on this before getting calories. Im not on my usual puzzle-game but Tanuki is "helping"…