After two years of chatting, talking by phone and doing some business together, Amy and I finally got a chance to meet. I spent two days with Amy in Milwaukee before she was so incredibly nice to drive me to Chicago for a web design conference I attended on Monday and Tuesday. She's become a great friend being able to spend two days with her has made that friendship even better.
More to come...
Now that you all have turned blue holding your breath and hopefully I haven't killed any of you, this is indeed a blog post. How egotistical is it that I'm guessing some of you are holding your breath? Or perhaps just stupid on my part and I've been known to be stupid before (eg. The night on the town with Nick, Glenn and Jennifer).
What do you think of the pictures? I have to say I'm pretty darn happy. I actually have an overlapping bite now. So this is how most of the world eats! I can chew through pizza. I can chew through sandwiches. It's an incredible feeling to be somewhat normal. (I know there are a lot of people who will never equate me being anywhere near normal) Being able to eat normal is truly the best part of this whole process. There are other things I'm really happy with too. Such as my mouth staying closed now and not walking around with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. I also have a profile I'm not ashamed of any more. It really does look like I have a mid-face instead of some concave area between my nose and lower lip.
So, as of a few days ago I'm three months post surgery. All the feeling is back in my upper lip, cheek areas and nose. Although, I have absolutely no feeling in my upper gums. I can take my finger nail and tap my gums and I can't feel a thing. It is kind of strange and I wonder if it will ever come back. Although, there is one big advantage: No pain in the upper teeth after big ortho adjustments! I had this massive adjustment four weeks ago when Dr. T. removed a bunch of brackets, repositioned them and put a powerchain on top. Dr. T along with the assistant said I was going to hurt for a few days. Not a chance. There wasn't a bit of pain felt there. I hurt on the bottom of course but not at all on top.
I have no idea how much longer I'll have the braces for and I don't really mind. I've come this far so I may as well get everything as perfect as possible. I even agreed to get build-ups and veneers for my upper bilaterals (the teeth beside my two top front teeth) in order to make them the same size as the rest of my teeth. They are quite small and don't match up very well. I have small gaps on the canine side of my bilaterals in order to have space to build-up the teeth right. This should completely eliminate the Draculitis (vampire looking teeth) that I've had for so long.
Here's a question for all you survivors: Have you had the fear that everything will relapse on you? I've had the dreams where it has only to wakeup feeling the elastics I have to wear every night. Now I know there won't be a relapse but the mind does trippy things.
(Amy doing a Barbara Walter's voice) I was invited to intewview Cawy Blackbuwn wegawding the absence of him posting on his bwog fow quite some time. I had the pweasure of asking Mr. Blackbuwn what he's been up to.
Cary: OK
I'm ready
------------------------------------ cut here with a big knife ---------------------------------
That way you know where to edit from.
me: lol
So why do you think there is this curiosity about you not blogging?
Cary: I'm flattered and kind of embarrassed that there are that many people who care that I blog.
Everything I've wanted to blog I've ended up sharing with you.
Then was too lazy to type it all again into my blog.
pretty bad, huh?
me: Nah! You are far from lazy [smile]
Cary: I have had a couple of websites I've been working on.
I get my head wrapped up in design and I tend to lose focus on everything else.
me: What is probably on most people's minds, is what are your results?
I mean...
they are probably wondering if something went bad because you stopped posting.
Cary: Nothing has gone bad in regards to the results. Everything has turned out really well. My upper teeth now overlap my lower ones. After 36 years of not having that it is really strange.
It's so nice to eat through things completely now.
me: I think your results are fabulous by the way...
Cary: Thank you.
[grin]
me: so, Mr. Blackburn, would you say this has been a positive experience for you?
Cary: Yes I do. Of course, there are some things that happen that you just don't expect. Such as being stuck like a pin cushion in recovery and having a lot of pain before the pain killers were given to me.
Six weeks with a splint in your mouth and not eating solid foods is very difficult.
me: Yes, I recall you had some really frustrating moments.
Cary: You do, huh? [wink]
The splint can be very annoying.
It's an amazing feeling when it comes off. I'm still learning how to eat with my teeth in new positions.
me: So you'd go through the surgery all over again?
Cary: I wouldn't tomorrow. So far the results are worth it so I would say yes.
My profile is so much better. I actually have a midface area now.
The best part, which wasn't expected, is my mouth staying closed without any effort when I'm resting. I used to have to such in my lower lip to keep my mouth closed before.
That's "suck" in my lower lip, not "such".
me: (we can fix that in editing)
Cary: The only thing I don't like are the gaps between my upper canines and bi-lateral incisors.
I have small bi-laterals and I will have build-ups along with veneers added to those teeth to match the size of the rest of my teeth.
Sent at 9:35 PM on Tuesday
Cary: I'm hoping to have a smile I like for once.
me: Now, I have to ask the tough questions here, but really, couldn't you just have blogged this before...
What have you been doing with your time?
Cary: Let me see...
Chatting with you.
Working on websites.
Chatting with you.
Playing softball.
Chatting with you.
Enjoying the spring.
me: You were hanging with a pretty rough crowd before.
Cary: Did I mention chatting with you?
rough crowd?
me: Many arrested and in rehab
Cary: Oh yes. I came to my senses when the drugs wore off.
I saw Jennifer the other day and she still looked at me that way.
That's one freaky chick.
Ol' Glen tried to recommend his hair stylist to me. I passed on that one.
Nick Nolte is working on a new film called "Cape Beer".
me: I'm really glad you're not hanging with that crowd anymore. I don't think I could do another intervention.
Cary: Coming off the codeine and anti-biotics was hard.
I'm just glad I didn't end up on Dr. Phil.
me: Yes that's a really good thing. Because you doing Dr. Phil with Dr. Phil would've been too much [wink]
Cary: Way too much.
me: Now that your clean, off the codeine and splint free, what are your plans. Rumor has it you're thinking of doing a different blog, possibly a joint adventure?
Cary: I have way too much hair for Dr. Phil too.
Once I'm done with this ortho stuff, I was playing on doing a joint blog with you.
One we both contribute to about anything and everything.
Then people can really see my whacked out mind in full action.
About topics beyond this oral fixation.
planning, not playing.
------------ edit 5 lines above -------------
Then of course, your sense of humour (note Canadian spelling) can come out too.
Especially those weird sewing humour sites you send me to that you love.
me: As long as I can post all my dad's jokes
Cary: Of course.
me: And start a line of Timmy T-shirts and Biscuit merchandise
Cary: Absolutely! With album covers and movie posters.
Speaking of bad jokes. Jack Bauer is one tough dude in 24. That guy can go 24 hours without using the bathroom.
Maybe he can be rewarded for saving the world in the next season by being allowed to use the bathroom.
Sent at 9:48 PM on Tuesday
me: (lol) - remember the video I sent you of 24 by Nobody's Watching..
Cary: yes.
I think Urban Survivor Man was better.
me: http://www.nobodyswatching.tv/
Cary: good plug
me: (you forgot to plug hurricaneweb)
Cary: For great web design see http://www.hurricaneweb.net
Jinx!
me: you owe me dinner now
Cary: Yes I do.
me: We've digressed from your interview
Cary: Yes we have. Maybe we should end it right here for now?
I promise I'll post a picture or two.
me: I can post one for you
[grin]
Cary: True. But I need to take it.
A profile shot would be good.
me: Next to Timmy [smile]
Cary: Sure!
Thank you for this riveting interview Ms. Acherman.
me: Thank you Mr. Blackburn...now we should discuss work
Cary: --------------------cut here with a big knife ----------------------------
It's now two weeks after surgery and I feel great, except for the morning headaches, the numbness, getting tired early at night and always hungry. For the first week I didn't think I would ever feel really good but once day 8 came it was like I really felt better. It was almost like night and day in regards to the difference. To everyone who is going to have surgery, things turn around about day 7 to 10.
On Saturday, I even felt well enough to go to the mall and buy a new printer and a few clothes. There's a great new chain of juice places now called Booster Juice and I had one of those there. It's fantastic because you get a whole bunch of fruit in the smoothie along with a protein supplement which is exactly what I need.
This week I've been at home and sleeping a little late most mornings. The mornings seem to be the hardest until you get up for a little while. My face and neck hurt for a bit until it dies down after about 30 to 60 minutes. It's pretty much soup for lunch everyday that's been blended up. I've been looking for variety so I don't get sick of the same old soups.
On March 28 I had my two week check-up at the surgeons. He said everything looks awesome and the splint can be removed after the full 6 weeks. I was hoping for earlier but I knew my surgeon would never take it out sooner. I even have to keep it in longer due to my surgeon being away the week it was supposed to come out meaning that the splint will be in 5 days longer than expected. The splint is the most annoying thing about this. It's terrible to talk with as nobody understands what I'm saying. I've managed to figure out how to brush with it in my mouth and it's not too bad to keep clean. It's important to brush right after eating because everything I just ate gets stuck in there. Especially in the top front teeth.
Personally, I think the swelling has gone down some but there is still a bit more to go. My cheeks and upper lip are the most swollen. The numbness in my upper lip is really weird. It will fell like it's really itchy but when I go to scratch it I don't even feel it. Sometimes my upper lip feels like it's really cold but it isn't. I'll touch it and it feels warm but my brain tells me it's cold.
The bruising on my arms and hands from the IV attempts a week ago were really showing today. I thought I'd show everyone how they made me a human pin cushion. They tried many times in some areas, such as my hands. My right hand has one big bruise with three spots on it where they attempted to get into veins.
I really have started to feel a little bit better today. I'm nowhere near 100% but I made the decision to avoid laying in bed all day. I can't exactly over do it, but I can try to do some things - such as lay on the couch instead of bed. I even made the bed today!
I took everyone's advice from my last post and began throwing everything I could into a blender. Lunch was a can of Chunky Chicken and Rice soup that wasn't so chunky after going through the blender. (mmmmm...SALT!) I had puréed pasta for dinner tonight. Steph, I stopped using the syringe a day after surgery. The thing was driving me nuts so I started drinking from a cup as soon as I could. I have been using a very small spoon for eating anything puréed. It seems to work the best when it's turned upside down and I can lick the spoon with my tongue. It takes a long time, but it works. I look at everything now and wonder if I can stick it in the blender and chop it all up.
One week down. Thanks everyone!
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