Posted by zzzs on November 02, 2008 at 10:04:23:Hello everyone-
I had the MMA this past Tuesday the 28th with Dr KL. In short, everything seems to be going pretty well so far, and I'm glad to be "on the other side".
The night in ICU was pretty uncool, but a great nurse (Lois) helped me through it along with Mr. Morphine, then I transferred to a regular room for night #2. Despite a nasty second night with pain control, my airway was clear and I was otherwise doing OK, so KL cleared me to go home on Thursday late morning. My wife gave Lois a little thank you gift for her super ICU care, and Lois cried! Certainly not intended, but that made me tear up, too. Nurses are people, too! Anyway, going home on day 2 was pretty quick, but in hindsight it was the best thing. I was better able to manage pain at home, and it was of course, much more restful.
The 5 days post-op have been fairly routine, I think, based on reading the blogs and talking with you all. The pain is definitely right there like a grizzly bear, but with two visits to KL for nose clean-outs, my breathing seems pretty good, and the drainage issues have subsided. Plus, I’ve actually taken afternoon naps, which I haven’t been able to do in about 5 years without waking up feeling like I ran a 10K in scuba gear. And, last night I had my first dream. Cool. Overall, my worst complaint so far is a pretty aggressive pain in my left jaw line and near the joint, that seems like it wants to stay for a while. We’ll see. I’m still using icebags intermittently -- they are my friends. My kids think my bruising on my face and especially neck are equally “gross” and “cool”. They also are clear in saying that I look better with my beard, so it must grow back. After 30 years or so, I do feel naked without it. KL moved me 8 mm upper and 18 mm lower (with rotation), so the movement was substantial. He seems to think my bite will be "perfect", so we'll find out! Of anything, my nose has been spread out, and the chin is definitely stronger, but not overly so. The swelling has gone down considerably already. My wife and I are making progress on the blenderization of most things edible, and I am trying to stay hydrated. Mid-late afternoons get a bit challenging as I feel tired and loopy and sometimes get kind of sweaty, but usually a nap helps with all that. I’m due for another visit to KL tomorrow for another clean out, then we’ll probably be on a regular weekly schedule. KL said the procedure was “routine”, which is great to hear, although he did install an extra plate on one side because my lower jaw was “wimpy”. Ha, ha. Oh well, the bone may have been a little thin, but we all know this procedure is not for the wimpy at heart!
I’ll blog in periodically to let you know progress and probably ask some questions, but for now, I think it is going about as well as it can. Again, special thanks to all of you I met at the MMA meeting in September. Speaking with you all before was a big info help and blast of confidence that is helping me through all of this. Double special thanks to the Godfather and Pinski for our lunch right before my procedure, and Godfather's pre-procedure phone call. You guys are way cool.
Zzzs (Tom)
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