The course of this article will be containing vivid images of Maxillofacial post-operation surgery. Details containing what I ate and health status will be in the next article.
Right after the surgery, I awoke in what I believe to be the same room where my underbite/ my "old face" bid my parents farewell.
I spent my first night at the hospital - which was perhaps the worst part of the recovery.
It was a restless torture, between the trumpet that latched from my nose down my throat, to the lymphatic compression pump attached from my knee to the ankle that pulsed every 4 seconds. Not to forget the IV that sent cold water to my veins as well as made me pee every hour. So, I was forced to push down my dignity and pee in a bedpan that the hospital so kindly rested beside my bed.
I am forever grateful that my mother stayed with me throughout the night as well as throughout the recovery. She slept on a couch that rested near my bed. Whenever I needed her, I just grunted (loud-ish) and she was able to give me my desired bedpan.
I was able to get some pain killers with just a push of a button, though I didn't see the need to use it. Whenever I did take the medication, I would get stomach aches and I would become extremely uncomfortable. At one point of the night, I regurgitated the blood that had leaked into my stomach during the surgery. Though it sounds painful (and gross), it felt as if I was in an action flick or some kind of MARVEL movie.
The most important thing to note is: when/if you feel nauseous, is to clench the teeth
The likelihood that you will spew blood is high, however it isn't something to fear. What is to fear is trying to open the mouth when it needs to be bolted tight as it is. Or else, should you try to open your mouth, the bolts might unscrew and so the operation may have to be re-done again. So, another 6 hours of operation. Fun.
So how do you regurgitate blood safely?
A sentence I never thought I'd type..
Obviously, you need to get the contents out, so when the time comes, as much as you may want to open the mouth, DON'T. Have the blood arrive in the mouth and then spit it out through the cracks of the metal.
Before Post OP
Putting my hair back in braids and wearing a onesie was the best idea that I ever did. You should invest in a couple of onesies.
POST OP DAY 1
These couple of pictures in my hospital gown was right after my surgery. You can see the trumpet in my nose.
On the picture to the right, was the morning after when Dr. Defalco so graciously pulled out the trumpet in my nose after I spent the night in the hospital.
POST OP DAY 2
Since I spent the night at the hospital, I guess you could say this was day 2 of recovery.
I was in my PJ's for basically the whole recovery which was a romper. I suggest wearing some kind of clothing that won't go over the head, and just wear something that you can step into. So perhaps a onesie.
I was fed the necessary medication through syringe and I also drank protein drinks through syringe as well.
I was lucky I had a zoo near my doctors, so whenever I had a check-up, I'd get a handkerchief ( to hide my face) and look at the animals. I dont recommend wearing a mask as it attaches very closely to the jaw and the face. At least with a handkerchief , I tied it once around my head and left the bottom part airy and open.
Post Op Day 3:
Post Op Day 4:
For the first couple of days, I was quite out of it- I mostly sat and laid around all day, which was horribly boring. I found out later that I should not do that and the most important thing for my body was to walk a little more everyday.
POST OP DAY 5
As you can see, around the lips, there is some kind of white liquid, don't fret, that was my chapstick working its magic.
I strongly recommend Aquaphor Lip Repair. It's applicator is basically touch-less , so you wouldn't have to drag the product across the lips.
Another reason for the damage around the lips was because of the size of my mouth. Since my mouth is small, the surgeons had to stretch my mouth a lot thus, the bruises.
For a while, there was some dried blood in my nose, and I believe it to be because of the trumpet that was in my nose. I was able to clear it by steaming my head above boiling water.
To do this, it seems very simple, however I'll list what I did:
Boil hot water in a pot
Put my head over the pot
Put a towel over my head to keep the steam inside so the steaming works at its full potential
I breathed in
I breathed out
Dried blood fell out, or my nasal cavities felt loose
I blew my nose on a tissue
POST OP DAY 6
- Side profile
POST OP DAY 7
On day 7, the blood from the surgery still stained my lips. however the puss and looks noticeably healed. This was due to my trusty lip balm Aquaphor.
I was spending time with my family and my lake house, so the next couple of pictures was when I was at my lake house. It was nice having a place to go, but hard being with my family members when all I could do was grunt.
This is why having a white board would be very helpful.
POST OP DAY 8
An important thing to note: drinking shouldn't be sucked up with a straw. I learned that the hard way when it sent pain soaring throughout my mouth. Especially during the newer stages of recovery.
For a while I drank things thorough syringe. That way, you can push it in instead of putting yourself through unnecessary pain.
POST OP DAY 9
It was not recommended for my head to go underwater for obvious reasons. So, I just stayed afloat going with the currents on my tube.
POST OP DAY 10
As you can see, in just 10 days of recovery, my lips looked healed and very swollen.
Ice packs helped the swelling a lot.
The recovery will most likely be different for you, however as I experienced it, 2 weeks of care and nurture helped my face recover to the point where I didn't feel the need to wear the handkerchief around.
During these two weeks, I found it hard to smile as everything was very sore. Though, my family is very funny, so the more I smiled the less the pain became, and my mouth became more used to the smiles.
POST OP DAY 11
POST OP DAY 12
POST OP DAY 13
A collection of my beautiful progress -
POST OP DAY 14
POST OP DAY 15
- Slow, but there is noticeable change with my lips and the face swelling. Note: Keep doing ice bags around the face, it helps swelling so much!
POST OP DAY 17
POST OP DAY 18
POST OP DAY 19
POST OP DAY 20
POST OP DAY 21
POST OP DAY 22
This day I tried to eat ice cream for some weird reason even though I had the bars on? Not sure where my brain cells were, but it was the effort that counts
POST OP DAY 23
POST OP DAY 24
This is a prime photo as it I believe is the only photo of me showing my teeth.
It took around a couple weeks to finally have smiles not hurting.
POST OP DAY 25
POST OP DAY 26
POST OP DAY 27
POST OP DAY 28
What to do?
It's important to have fun while being in this state, so for me, I was able to play video games, and when I wasn't I was at the beach at my lake house or at the zoo.
Having communication will be restricted as you can't use your mouth and grunting can only get you so far, so having a white board is very beneficial.
Things recommended:
clothing that you can step into or button up ( anything but T-shirts to avoid the head )
Syringes for medication and food (details on my diet will be in a later post)
Aquaphor Lip repair
Lots of good recipes for protein shakes
A computer to keep you busy, games, books, TV
Caretaker if you live alone, because you may need someone. You cannot lie around all day, and having someone may be helpful.
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