4 Week Post-Op

Another big milestone!  Dr Bast had already outlined his plan for the appointment so I knew what to expect, which was fortunate because he wasn't there.  Apparently double booked with a  departmental funding presentation.  His chief attending replaced him and it went well so I didn't mind.  Big changes were:

Soft food diet!  At last I am able to eat solid foods, just no chewing.  The only limitation is my range of movement, I can still only open my mouth about a finger's width.  This is enough to get in small foods like raspberries and a spoon or chopsticks.  I celebrated with a poke bowl for lunch.  Oh, so flavorful and yummy.  I had a big energy boost that day and felt great.

Jaw Stretches!  When the bands came out it felt strange to just be me and my jaw, unrestricted or supported.  Opening was smooth and felt fine, just takes some getting used to.  Dr walked me through a simple exercise to open and use slight pressure to stretch open further.  10 reps at 10 seconds each, every 2 hours.  I, always overoptimistic, suggested increasing to a full four fingers by 6 weeks.  He cautioned not to expect too much progress, that I might be back to normal range after 8 weeks.

Best part, he removed the sutures!  Both sides had been loose from the start and at this point were getting stuck inside my mouth when I ate, caught when brushing and generally bothersome.  It hurt a little and he said to expect a little bleeding when brushing and to continue salt water rinses.  I can feel the incisions when I stretch my jaw open, otherwise it I don't notice.

We talked through healing status in more detail.  At first a blood clot forms between the jaw segments, that is replaced gradually with scar tissue which is then flushed out or calcified.  At the four week mark my jaw is relatively stable.  I feel no pain and it doesn't seem to want to regress, the bands remain in place to make sure alignment is held.  The joint and muscles are a different story. Gradual stretches, practice and time will continue to recover.

All but a small amount of swelling is gone now, down to scar tissue pockets along the break, and I continue to enjoy my new profile.  Numbness hasn't changed in my lower lip and chin.  I try to remind myself that people can't tell, but it feels strange talking and eating.  I still have to be very careful for food & drink temperature, drips or biting my cheeks.

Speaking has gotten much easier being able to open my mouth a little.  I have spent some time practicing in front of the mirror as there is much to re-learn.  I expected it would simply happen and the improvement would be noticeable, but that hasn't been my experience.   Whether from the muscle atrophy, numbness, bands, or new jaw position it is different and I can feel myself making weird faces or sounding slurred.  Once again, I am finding it will take effort and patience to get the results.  Slow down and focus on enunciating and using normal movement.

With the hardest part behind - more opening and more eating.  Day by day.