Even though I don't feel as though much has changed from the 2nd month to the 3rd month, it has. The muscles and nerves in my face are regenerating. The sharp pains associated with this regrowth have mostly subsided. My smile is slightly lopsided, but it gets stronger every week. My left eye is also closing tighter.
I no longer have first bite syndrome, which is a relief. I still crave sweets if I see a commercial, but still can't stand the taste. I no longer enjoy chocolate, candy, or...Moscato wine. I can now tolerate a soda every once-in-awhile, but mostly drink water or orange juice. I rarely drink anything with caffeine, even before surgery.
Last week I went out twice with friends and drank a bit too much wine, and woke up the next day with my jaw in a lot of pain. This is strange as I don't know if it has to do with the wine or the way I was holding my face.
Much to my discontent, the muscles in my forehead are also coming back. I can lift my eyebrows a bit, so I do have more facial expressions than last month. I am enjoying the benefits of this as long as possible, as it looks as though I had Botox.
My face is still asymmetrical, but it is less noticeable. Of course, I haven't let this stop me from going out or anything like that. My left cheek occasionally has a weird sensation, it gets tight and then feels like a snap. I believe it's muscle spasms. In fact, I went out to lunch the other day with my mom and she could see my cheek having spasms.
The small patch of hair that was shaved during surgery is growing back and it looks like I have side burns. Also, near my incision sites are still numb. My incision area looks the same. My amazing surgeon is very talented with stitches.
I recently was brave enough to get my hair dyed, so I could stop wearing boxer braids every day. Luckily, my friend (thanks Danielle) and hairdresser knows about my jaw and was extra careful when working with me.
As far as opening, I am at a 40. This is absolutely amazing and I can't believe it. My side to side range is still at a 3 and 4. I still go to physical therapy once a week, but that could end shortly if my insurance doesn't approve it for longer. In addition, I do physical therapy exercises 5X a day. I even do jaw exercises when I'm driving my car or walking. My range of motion is being maintained, so I am thrilled about that. I still get a tightness in my face if I go to long without doing PT exercises.
I am still on a limited, mushy diet. I sometimes cheat and eat grilled chicken, but for the most part I stick with it. Recently I learned I will probably be on a TMJ diet forever. Titanium joints do not last as long as Nickel joints, which is something I didn't know prior to surgery. It is imperative that I take care of these joints so they last as long as possible. As of August first, my physical therapist changed my diet, so I can now eat baked chicken, salad (must be chopped and mushy-lots of salad dressing), and small sandwiches.
Most days my pain level is at a 0. When the pressure outside changes and it begins to rain, my head hurts. It starts off with my jaw feeling tight and then my entire head begins to ache. It hurts to walk, to touch my head, or lean forward to read or pick something up. One Excederin takes care of the pain within ten minutes.
Also, I get achey if I spend more than four hours doing something. For instance, hanging out with friends or going to a concert.
Work begins next week-August 7th for me. It's only preplanning, so I am not concerned. Even though I feel amazing compared to the daily pain I was in, I am distressed about the amount of talking I will be doing once the school year actually commences. I intend to do my PT and ice during planning and lunch. I purchased a microwave for my classroom, so I can easily eat in there and no one will see me doing my exercises.
Update: Pre-planning week for teachers has not been as easy as I thought. I naively assumed that my jaw would be fine at least until the students came back, and this is not the case. I have been talking to many colleagues, collaborating with fellow teachers, and setting up my room. At the beginning of the day, I am typically fine. By 11am (3 hours into the day), my pain is at an increased level. I made the mistake of wearing a pony tail Wednesday, and my pain was through the roof (when I realized what had caused the increase pain, I promptly took it down). By the end of the day, it hurts to walk (vibrations in my face), breath, and my face is sensitive to touch. It's not fun. I keep attempting to calm myself down and stay positive by reminding myself to appreciate the fact I didn't have to give up my career, that the pain is manageable and to ignore it, and to try to find joy and celebrate small successes every single day. Thursday and Friday were not as bad.
My concern: How will I get through the first day of school? How am I going to talk for 6 hours straight? Is it possible? Will this get easier with time? I just don't know. I'm an English teacher, and truly enjoy what I do. I will modify my class as much as I can, but there is a great deal of direct instruction and reading.
