- Dr. M is still happy with the alignment and the bite. (yay! nothing has shifted!)
- He is concerned about the muscle spasms I am still having along both my masseters. He wants me to give it a few more days and if I am still having those sharp 9/10 pains he wants to prescribe a topical compound analgesic vs. the muscle relaxers (that I can't take because I am working). He also left the 3oz rubber bands on for now, although he said he would really like to get me back on the 6ozs once the muscle spasms stop!
- All the pain around my upper lip and nose is normal. I didn't realize it before, but he actually cut my nasal spine during the surgery. (see the purple area in the picture)
- Good News: I can start taking off the bands and passively stretching my mouth open vertically a few times through the day. The goal is to be able to fit 2 fingers-width between my teeth by 8 weeks.
- Better News: I can take off the bands to eat!!! (Now this is not an immediate food gratification moment as I still can't really open my mouth wide and I have no jaw strength to chew, but it does mean that I am on the path toward semi-solid food!)
- Even Better News: If everything keeps progressing, he will take the splint out in 2 weeks!!!
Below you can see my 4-week post-op selfies. I feel like my jawline is stronger than it was pre-op and my cheekbones have definitely re-emerged. I do still have some swelling under my eyes, around my nose and upper lip. As you can tell my smile is still awkward, that's partially from the swelling, partially from the current nerve paralysis (similar to Botox), and partly because I am just awkward ;)
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