Submitted for Your Observation

Hello, All!

It's the moment I'm sure you've all (not) been waiting for!  The first post op pics!  *Kermit flail*

So here goes!

There's the new profile.  I have lot more chin and my jaw is forward and not falling back nearly as much.  They lowered my jaw and moved it forward to a more natural and functional position, removed and cleaned up the bad joint areas and attached the prosthetic jaw joints.  Then they detached my upper jaw from my skull moved it down and froward so my jaws would align better.  Once the jaw is settled in, they'll work on moving my teeth so that everything functions properly.

There was a lot less swelling then I had imagined and when these were taken (11/30) I was already starting to get some definition in my cheeks and my lips were lip-shaped (they were slab-shaped before).  In this pic you can also see the incision line on my throat.  There is also one that runs in front of my ear hole (pretty much the whole length of the ear)  and a matching set on the other side.  And also, you can tell from the color on my throat that my transition to frog is well underway.  (Yes, that whole area is green from bruising.  Weird!)

Oh my god, there's been a horrible Botox accident!  OK, maybe not.  But emoting if not high on my list of things to do right now.  My most expressive facial feature is my eyebrows.  I can do disapproval, disbelief (including sarcasm), anger and surprise.  Not yet figured out how to smile with my eyebrows.  I just tend to say, "I'm smiling."  You can also see the frog transition in this photo.  Wonder if they make vegetarian flies?

Yesterday, I started changing from numbness and general achy-ness to more feeling and more specific, sharp pains.  I'm becoming distinctly aware of the stitches inside my upper lip and where my braces and wires are poking me.  And this morning I noticed my face was cold for the first time.  So progress is being made there.

Another challenge has been food and meds.  They want me intaking 60+ grams of protein a day. Ha!  That's not easy for a normal person, let alone a vegetarian with a whey allergy who is eating mostly via syringe.  And all my meds are crushed pills and those taste like total shite!  There is no substance I've found yet that can hide the flavor so I'm doing meds shots (mix it with water and knock it back ASAP).

I have an appointment with Dr Keller (jaw doctor) today and then probably will see Dr Movahed (the surgeon) again on Wednesday.  I don't really have a plan outside of those right now, though I'm sure it'll become more clear as we go.

Thanks to everybody for their comments and support.  It's nice to be reminded there's a world out there.