Day 71...SOFT CHEW & SURPRISES!!

The view from our hotel balcony....

Wow, so I'm having a hard time starting this blog because- a) I am very excited and; b) there is just so much to share!

Let's start with the basics. Mom and I returned from Santa Barbara late last night after a long day of travel. We left the 70 deg. weather to come home to the 20 deg. weather...It really was a whirlwind for travel. Leaving on Monday and coming home on Wednesday was really something. We only had Tuesday as our one full day in Santa Barbara. Mom and I took advantage of the day and walked from our hotel to downtown, and then up to my appointment. One way, that was nearly 3.5 miles! We took our time and enjoyed a lot of window shopping up State Street :)

For this appointment I was expecting Dr. Gunson to check my bite and clear me for my soft food diet. I was so excited to go in and get the clearance to chew!! However, I had no expectation of much more than that.

My appointment started off with getting an iCAT scan to make sure my bones and joints are healing well. Then it was time to see Dr. Gunson. He seemed very impresses with my bite and how everything has come along! I believe his first word was "wow!" which is always a good thing! He had to do a bite test. For this I bit down on a stick and I guess it left an impression and by that he could tell the strength of my jaw. He cleared me for my soft chew diet, and then he suggested that maybe I could get my screw and hook out right then and there! SURPRISE! I was ecstatic. I thought I'd have to come back in March for this! He told me that the bone in my upper jaw is growing back awesomely, ahead of "normal." Yay! Soooooo....

The devil hook and screw that had been causing me some discomfort would finally be removed. After talking with his assistant they decided to do it. They put topical on my upper screw and lower hook areas. They instructed me that they would be using a screwdriver to take out the screw, and to take out the hook they would need to cut the wire and then pull it out. I then rinsed my mouth with some mouthwash and took my place in the chair, leaned allllll the way back. I was told it would feel like "getting my eyebrows waxed." Well, it felt much worse than that. (WARNING: The following is graphic...it felt like my flesh was being ripped and torn I don't think it is that bad for everyone. The sound really was the worst part...) Dr. Gunson told me that I have been his only patient who has had so much trouble with my hook. So for anyone else out there who is preparing for surgery, don't' think the hook is horrible....I am just the lucky one! I don't mind. I can handle it! I am on amoxicillin for three days then back onto my normal doxycycline.

Check out the size of those things!!!

Dr. Gunson said that I can get my braces off at the 6mo. mark, so May 4th is my goal! For now I will have a new archwire put on next week to start prepping my teeth for no braces! YESSSS! I still need to wear my bands at night, in fact I have to double up on them. Instead of one on each side I need to use two. This actually feels better and I am able to sleep better because my jaw isn't dropping open when I sleep.

I can also now FLOSS, use my waterpic, use a straw, and blow my nose!!! WHOOHOO!! Seriously I had no idea so much was going to happen at this appointment.

I asked Dr. G about my taste buds being off, and he said this was normal and would take time to come back. I think I'll know I'm back to my normal taste buds when corn chowder tastes good again.
My soft chew diet....here I will quote my instructions, "Eat only things that can be easily chewed - this means scrambled egg consistency. (NOTHING HARDER) .....A list of soft chew ideas: cheese omelets, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked potato with butter/sour cream, creamed corn, corn flakes softened by milk, oatmeal, cream of rice cereal, pasta with Romano cheese on top, noodle soups, dunking French bread (without crust) into soup, ice cream, frozen yogurt, puddings baked apples, apple sauce, flaky fish, very well cooked vegetables." I am so excited to be able to anything at all!!!

My first meal was the inside of a burrito (no tortilla's on this soft chew diet) and it was incredible.

I mean life changing incredible. Ok, so maybe it was just so incredible because it was my first real taste of flavor in 10 weeks, but I loved every bite! It had refried beans, cheese, chicken (shredded and cut up really tiny), guacamole, pico de gallo, and amazing red spicy sauce on top! Chewing was really awkward though. I have to cut up everything very small before I even put it in my mouth. Chewing is more like practice. Although my second chew meal was spaghetti for dinner yesterday at the airport and that was like chewing rocks...I guess it's just going to take a lot of practice...which I'll have a lot of. I am on this diet for 8-10 weeks before I can progress to anything harder than what I listed above.

I think I am going to have to slowly progress into this chew diet. I had scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast (really amazing) and some V8. But for lunch I was so tired I had an Ensure. I think I either have to chew or talk. And today I chose talking to catch up with some great people :)

I think that's all I can think of for now, my swelling is getting better, my pain is at a 2-3 (although I do get so tired easily still...), the clicking in my jaw is better now that I am more mobile, and I am sleeping better.

So I am still smiling on, and making my way back to "normal" one bite at a time :)