Day don't-know-what: It's getting along fine

Hey there friends!

I know, it's been eons since I last did any virtual engraving on this site. Since starting work this month, most of my energy has been stored and channeled to my pencil & paper, leaving almost none left for this page, sadly.

But I'm here today anyway! And I'm just going to write whatever comes to mind. So continue to read on, if you are not ill from my blabbering already :)

I'm just about 3 months/12 weeks post-op I think? I'm so tired to count. Well more like, I think how I'm getting on with my daily routine is more important than the numbers, honestly. The most satisfying accomplishment for me is to be able to zip around on my two feet in my usual, brisk style. And I can't remember if I mentioned before or not, but since work started, I've been eating lots (and lots) of delicious food around my work place. It's been a month and I've yet to try allllllllll the foodie places. I'm just waiting for my colleagues to bring me to some place new every other day, just because my directional skills are rather appalling.. Hurhur. Thanks to them, I've tested these pair of choppers to the limit at almost every meal, be it in terms of chewability or eating duration. I can eat almost anything now! Except maybe beef and the super tough meats alike. And food that might cause plaque.

Oh yes, can I just say that the 2 plus months of compulsory liquid-bland-blend-meatless diet has gotten me on a savoury-curry-meat food high now. I could probably eat laksa or curry chicken noodle at every meal, if not for Sanity who holds me back. Like that, who wouldn't feel afraid of the day I might be stuffed with triglycerides! D;

Also to mention, that I had drunk Ensure a couple days ago because I missed a meal and had to get my nutrients somehow. Sadly, the taste was slightly disappointing. It was less sweet than I had remembered. Must be the curry on the tip of my buds! Or the mooncake, maybe. Hmm..

This morning, popped by Dr Cheng's for tightening. My teeth have been slightly rebellious in the past one month and had two gaps on my upper jaw. So, I now have a power chain wrapped around the entire length of my upper jaw. Half a day later, to my surprise, the teeth had already shifted to close up the 1mm gap about halfway. Already! And I didn't feel a thing. No pain. Amazing huh! Plus plus, he said I could be rid of that Cherry rubberband in my mouth for now. For now. Well, I'm still happy! Means one less worry of a short-tongued-unintelligible-speech at work!

My swelling is steadily improving. The asymmetry is not as apparent as before (thank God!). Although, I hope that it's not just me thinking this way hahaha. Whatever it is, I'm happy :) I do have to mention that I've been having some pain between the left cheekbone and jaw, usually half the time while I'm eating. Weird huh. I'll have to ensure that there's nothing wrong the next time I visit Dr Wee couple weeks from now.

But anyway, hoorah! For being able to part my jaws two and a half fingers now! And for finally reaching the end of this post. Wish I had more things to write about, but there isn't much to say really. Life goes on pretty normal from 1 month after. So... Till next time friends! Stay strong and joyful!

Day 25: Food again

Hello hello!

Yesterday, I had my first appointment with my orthodontist since the surgery. Nothing much really happened there, except that the tightened my braces and took out the surgical hooks. Oh, and he gave me a pack of 'cherry' rubberbands to change everyday, to ensure that my bite doesn't move. Dr Cheng was kind of rough with my mouth though. He pulled my lips out, pressed on my stitches (super ouch), and my teeth really hurt when he was putting on the coloured bands on the brackets, especially on my bottom teeth for some reason. But thank God the wire that was pulling on my inner left cheeks at the back of my mouth is gone! Now I can do my jaw exercises without restraint. Which reminds me, why does it seem like the dental doctors keep telling me to open my mouth wider (when I'm already opening my widest; have compassion!) and that I can chew cut up noodles...? Okay, I get it - just need to work even harder at it. :'/

(Author's note: Just to clarify, I might make Dr Cheng to be a scary orthodontist but really, he's just being efficient about his consultations. He's really professional and experienced, and things get done really fast. If the pain is unbearable, you just need to say ou..ou..ouchhh and he'll very graciously apologise... and then do it quicker so the (inevitable) pain will pass faster. Hahaha I likey my ortho.)

I just weighed myself today and happy to announce that I've gained about 1kg more since my 1.5 weeks post-op all-time low! Which means that I've lost about 2.5kg nett since pre-surgery. I actually hope that I don't put on to my original weight, but I also know that I'm not supposed to use this recovery period as an opportunity to lose weight. Hehehe shhh.

Whatever it is, I'm craving for sweet stuff all the time. If you would like to know, below is a list of what I consume everyday:

• 1 bowl per meal of blended vegetable soup, or rice porridge with fish fillet bits and carrots
• 2-3 packets of Ensure Plus
• 1 big cup of smoothie (either Avo-Nana or Berry-Nana-Oat)

On top of that, I sometimes also include some random drinks that I can't stop thinking about and must. drink. now. kind of stuff, like the recent Milo+milk ice blend. Sometimes, where rare fruit resources are available, I get to try some fruit drinks, like blending cempedak. If you consider what I've been eating drinking thus far, you'd understand when I say that IT WAS GLORIOUS SWEETNESS TO THE TONGUE (Ensure doesn't count because it's not like, naturally sweet). The cempedak fruit my dad bought from Malaysia was so thick and sweet that even adding 40ml of water per 5 seeds (of the flesh only, of course), it still tasted like the real thing! I could actually afford to add more water, but I was just spoilt by taste. :)) I actually took a picture of my 15 seeds + 120ml water + ice blend from the other night. It made 500ml of solid cempedak juice.

I know, it looks like just a yellow blob of.. thing. But that's because it was so thick! It was just awesome, for serious lack of a better word!

To fellow jaw surgery mates, I think this drink is a really good one to try if you're in Malaysia or Singapore or wherever you can get a good cempedak fruit. I imagine that it will really boost your appetite, especially in the early weeks of recovery. And it's not that difficult to make!

Day 23: Certified to return

Hello there!

Just came back from another review with Dr Wee. I'm given the green light to return to my orthodontist Dr Cheng! I'm rather excited and in anticipation of any comments about my new jaw :))

I'm apparently 'better and better everyday', according to Dr Wee. Uhh, I don't know about that because I see myself everyday, but okay, if you say so :)

Either my braces wire or bracket has some serious grudges with my inner cheeks because its been annoyingly hooking and pulling on the flesh whenever I try practising stretching my jaws. I want to recover quickly so I can eat normally by the time I start work (soon), but this pain I feel is not helping AT ALL. Good thing I'm seeing Dr Cheng, my ortho, tomorrow. Phew!

Let's hope I can start chewing on noodles soon!

Pre-Op Visit to Orthodontist & Surgeons

Hello, it's been a really long while since I last posted. Sorry I didn't keep to my monthly postings :(

As I write this, my bones are trying to heal... yup, I've been for the surgery and am back home already. So these posts are going to be in retrospect.

While my surgery was initially projected to be in August, the orthodontist, Dr Cheng, gave the green light for the surgery to proceed during my visit in end May, since my teeth were ready already. What he meant by 'ready' was that my incisors were straight enough for the surgeons to know how to position my jaws together during the surgery. Yay! I was so happy that it could be done earlier because I had to much wanted to start working as early as possible (instead of bumming around at home - human nature). 

So after that visit in May, I was to return to his clinic for the last pre-op visit in early June, where he would collect two sets of mould for the surgeons and take some x-rays. If you would look at the picture below, the braces look really unorthodox haha. Thin metal wires replaced the coloured bands and those 'T' hooks between every tooth was installed (with much force). 

Everything silver!

With my two sets of moulds in hand, I gladly marched into the surgeon's clinic, where Dr Tan had a last look at me while Dr Wee (the assisting surgeon) took down the measurements for my face. Only then did I realise that my face was really longer on one side than the other. I'm not being nit picky on facial asymmetries (for that is what humanizes us) but mine seemed quite serious (to me at least haha). If you'd look closely at the picture on above, the right side of my face shows more gum on the upper when i smile. I don't know the term for it, but I will find out. So that's my maxillofacial problem, so to speak, in addition to my crossbite.

I had one last consultation with Dr Tan and Dr Wee on the day of surgery (only because I was overseas the week before). They ran me through the  things I would be experiencing in no less than 24 hours - post surgery depression, difficulty breathing and swallowing, weakness, uncomfortableness factor x10 (as per Dr Wee's lingo haha). Many more.

As with any surgery, I had to fast 8 hours before the surgery. I felt it so difficult, especially when I saw my dad buy some of my favourite teh from the hawker centre. Sigh. It really worried me because if I couldn't handle this, how would I handle the initial days of recovery? Thank God it's been well so far.