Yesterday Ken took me to the hospital around 12:00. We sat around, I got changed into a hospital gown, we sat around, I had an EKG, we sat around, I had an I.V. put in, we sat around and then about 3:30 my surgeon came in to see us. He looked a little harried and slightly confused. Not exactly what you want to see just before allowing someone to cut your face open and rearrange the bones. He asked me if I would permit the surgery to be filmed for instructional purposes. So if any of you are thinking of taking up maxillofacial surgery and you think that overbite in the training video looks familiar, it might just be me! I was in surgery just before 4:00 pm. It was really frightening to walk in the operating room and lay down on the bed. The anesthesiologist tried very hard to put me at ease, but when he gave me an oxygen mask I started to feel claustrophobic and luckily he had already started the drugs to knock me out because I think I was pretty close to a full scale panic attack at that point. When I next opened my eyes I was very groggy but I figured I was in the recovery room. I was whisked away to my room at that point. My very kind orthodontist was in my room with flowers when I got there. I was only partially conscious and my teeth were rubber banded together plus my throat was really sore from being intubated so I could hardly say thank you. I sort of passed out then and the next thing I was aware of was the little pitter patter of my kids as then came toward my room. I still was really sleepy and the pain was really kicking in so my family didn't stay too long. Ken says that the kids weren't too distraught at seeing me swollen and out of it. I was very well cared for at the hospital but they never let you sleep. I was poked and prodded all night but eventually the morphine and Demerol kicked in and I was able to get a little rest. My surgeon came back this morning just after 7:00 am and removed the rubber bands. I was discharged around 11:00 am and I have been feeling relatively good. 
I do look like Jiminy Glick, but there's not much to be done about that. The pain has pretty well subsided into a general acheyness and feeling of heaviness in my lower face. I haven't needed anything more than regular Tylenol for pain today- that and my crazy looking ice pack does the trick. I managed to drink Ensure, SlimFast and eat a yogurt. The hard part of the yogurt was fitting a spoon (I used a baby spoon) between my teeth. Tricky.
I do look like Jiminy Glick, but there's not much to be done about that. The pain has pretty well subsided into a general acheyness and feeling of heaviness in my lower face. I haven't needed anything more than regular Tylenol for pain today- that and my crazy looking ice pack does the trick. I managed to drink Ensure, SlimFast and eat a yogurt. The hard part of the yogurt was fitting a spoon (I used a baby spoon) between my teeth. Tricky.
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