8 Weeks Post Double Jaw Surgery

Wow, 8 weeks post surgery! I remember when surgery was a little flicker in my mind, the first proper consideration, the panic, the initial research and then off I went on this long old journey!

These last 8 weeks have flown by really, I've been incredibly busy with work and my MBA but I think like throughout all of this you need something else to focus on or you just get consumed by all things teeth and jaw related.

Food
My eating has come on leaps and bounds since my orthodontist gave me the go ahead to start eating. At 2 weeks post op I was  given the green light to eat mush, so things like scrambled egg, mash potato and rice pudding. Things that I could move around my mouth but not chew.

By 4 weeks I could start to try and chew these things and by 4 I was ok to move on to things like soft pasta, ravioli, minced meat etc. From 5 weeks I've just been gradually building up my eating, cutting things up really small and just trying to chew. If its too difficult i just swallow it, but why not have a go is what i thought.

Eating
Right now I'm pretty much eating normal food, again any meat I'm cutting up small and trying to chew it, not forcing anything, but eventually my muscles will figure it out and I will get there. I have noticed all ready the vast improvement just on how i chew with my teeth at the back, they actually work properly, I chew efficiently now, which is so nice!

Biting into things is a whole other story, it is so weird! I'm still getting to grips with that. This will sound weird to people that haven't experienced mis aligned jaws and teeth, but I don't know how to bite through something with my teeth. I don't know what the movement is, or how much force to use or if you pull the food away as you bite or do you just bite down and it cuts through? I don't know, I guess it's just practice and really I have to stop a habit of a lifetime and stop cutting things up, I need to start biting into things to get my muscles going and learning how to do it. I've cut things up instead of biting through for so long it's second nature, but that could be my news years resolution, no cutting food! Just biting food!

Swelling & Numbness
My swelling is so very minimal right now, I still think i'm slightly puffier on my right side than my left, but that will go down with time, I notice it but i guess others probably don't. I'm still numb on my left hand side of my chin and bottom lip. I am getting tingle and pain and a very annoying sensation every time i eat something liquid like yoghurt or ice cream or even have a drink, where it feels like running water or that i've just dribbled it all out my mouth and down that left hand side of my chin.

My ortho tells me its a good sign, so i'm sure I can put up with it for as long as it takes so long as i get my feeling in my lip back. Not too fussed about my chin, just want my lip back. its not nice kissing and not feeling it! Plus putting lipstick or lipbalm on feels strange!

Orthodontist & Teeth
Every time i go back to see my orthodontist he was very pleased with the way my teeth are lining up and how I'm doing. At 4 weeks I had my power chain adjusted on my bottom teeth to help close some gaps up. At 6 weeks I had my lower wire changed, an extra long 8 chain power chain fitted on the bottom and a chain on the top to close a gap that had formed over the last 2 weeks. This was painful and I can honestly say, hand on my heart that the pain from the orthodontics both before and after surgery was far worse than any "pain" i felt after my surgery and during recovery. Surprisingly enough moving teeth hurt me more than moving bone did.

On my last appointment at 6 weeks out, my orthodontist said that I can expect to have my braces removed in 6-8 weeks! wahooooooo! There was no way i saw that coming! my next appointment is in 7 weeks, so I guess we will have a look and see where i am. I'm so surprised by how quickly after surgery my braces will be coming off, I think it just highlights the importance of having a good orthodontic treatment before your surgery, and that it pays to be patient and get your teeth right (the wrong way round) before surgery, because it just makes it all a whole lot smoother after.

How I feel about my face

To be honest I've been a bit naughty and i haven't really looked at my face a lot, like really scrutinised it. Obviously when i did the before and after pictures in my last post I saw what a big change there was, but i think i'm scared to look closely at myself in case i don't like it. But I do like it, maybe I'm scared that I will change back to how i used to look? I'm not sure on this one. I am really happy and pleased with how I look and I think the team have done such a good job and I don't think i will hear any nasty comments again.

Maybe my problem is that I'm not ready to embrace my new appearance and let go of the past and how I felt about my face before. Yes i came to love my face the way it was but I was never 100% happy with my appearance because of the problems I had with eating and with being called names. I still wait/brace myself for someone to say something about my face when I'm out and about. Nobody has made a comment since my operation, so I'm hoping that this is something that will fade over time, and I wont think about it any more.


Any Advice for before and after?

1. Be patient - it takes ages, all of it, the braces, the wisdom teeth removal, the surgery, the recovery, but at each stage there are lots of little moments of joy that make it all worth while, like when my underbite was fully developed or when I first noticed how straight my teeth were getting.
2. Get a waterpik/oral irrigator - I hate flossing, i did before my braces and I did with them and I probably will still hate doing it after my braces are off. My waterpik has been amazing in helping me keep my teeth clean and my gums healthy. It's not a substitute for flossing but it sure as hell makes my life so much easier! 
3. Take pictures! - Take so many pictures of your teeth and your face, especially before you even get your braces on. I wish I had taken more before pictures because it is so bloody wonderful to be able to go back and see how much improvement has been made. It keeps you happy when it gets tough, to see how far you have come.
4. Keep family and friends close - It is tough, it is hard, expect to be sad, frustrated, worried, scared but expect to be happy and excited too. It's so helpful to have family and friends with you to support you through all of this. They may not get you 100% but they will be there and so will this wonderful community of bloggers!
5. Smile!!!! - Keep on smiling, you are doing the right thing and you will get through it. You smile and the world smiles with you! Show off your bracey teeth, be proud and be bracey! 

Double Jaw Surgery Results - Underbite is gone!

Hey all!

So I've been really busy with work and uni work and all the other stuff I do, so apologies for not blogging much. But here is a good old picture upload! Because pictures is what we all love best!

I will find some time this weekend to write up my journey  so far, but in the mean time here are some pictures. Now I do have to say they are pretty amazing. as i was putting them together i was just laughing because i still cant believe that that change has happened and i look how i look now, and that I used to function pretty well how i used to look and how my teeth were. It really is just incredible what my orthodontist and my surgeon has done. so big massive thank you them both.

I am a very happy lady! Much bracey love to all xxxxx

P.S the after pics below were taken at me 6 weeks out. I just did my hair different one day. xxxx

Before & After Double Jaw Surgery

Before & After Double Jaw Surgery

Before & After Double Jaw Surgery

Before Surgery - Underbite

After Surgery to correct underbite

Before Surgery - Class 3 malocclusion

After Orthognathic Surgery

Recovery day 1 - 14

Recovery day 1 - 14

Before & After Teeth

I have proper teeth!!!!!!

2 & 3 Weeks Post Double Jaw Surgery

Just a quick update on my recovery so far...

At 2 weeks i was granted the most wonderful freedom of being able to remove my bands and eat mushy food such as scrambled egg, mash potato, yoghurt etc. No chewing, just pressing food against  the roof of my mouth, which is still kind of numb as are bits of my tongue.

This was wonderful and such a relief as I was well and truly sick of the liquid diet. It did feel strange at first and took me a while to figure out how to use my tongue and to move my lips round a form or spoon, but practice makes perfect.

My numbness hadn't really changed much at 2 weeks. I was sleeping on my front/side and propping my head up a bit. Taking my bands off also gave me the opportunity to have a really good clean of my mouth. It wasn't pretty at all! But over the course of the rest of the week i was able to remove all sort of disgusting debris!

My biggest concern was my speech, i was really struggling to pronounce words and sounds with my new mouth shape. I kept getting stuck on the sound and a few others. I also started working from home at 2 weeks, hence my lack of blog updates!


At 3 weeks I am able to start to chew soft foods, like really over cooked pasta, ravioli, minced meat etc. This has been lovely and I have found that most soft food is manageable as is anything cut up small enough. The actually process of chewing was again really hard to start with, i didn't know what to do, or how to move my mouth or tongue but it has gotten easier the more i try.

I dont chew everything i eat, again its all rather soft or small so i can jut swallow it if i like. My nerves are coming back to life in my mouth and teeth and they have been a bit sore. I can feel my braces pulling on my teeth again, that pressure you feel after an adjustment.

My dead lip/chin has been tingling so that is a good sign, although i do have quite a large lump developing under that side of my chin, so when i go to my ortho appointment next week I will mention it. Probably nothing, but best get it checked.

I have started back at work, it has been good to get back into the office but I really must be more organised and prepared with my meals, I think I'm loosing weight again. I lost 6 pounds in the first 7 days after surgery, nothing more over the following 7 but I think i have lost weight since. I don't own a set of scales so im not 100% sure but i can see it in my clothes, my mum bought hers round so I will have to go over an weigh myself this week.

I think the best thing to do is to

a) Get up earlier and eat breakfast
b) Be more prepared and take meals to eat at work
c) Have fortisip/complan in between a meal to boost my calorie intake.
d) Eat a birthday cake every evening for dinner!

Here are some updated pictures!

My man's way of keeping my weight up! yum yum!

Double Jaw Surgery Recovery - Days 10-12

Day 10 Post Op Recovery - Saturday 26th

I had a lovely lie in with my man this morning, I am getting better at sleeping on my side and position my pillows to hold up my head whilst not putting pressure on my face. It's a fine art i'm getting good at. So this means that i can kind of snuggle in and have a proper cuddle, which is lovely because I do like a cuddle and i really miss being able to be close to friends and family. I always feel tense when someone goes to hug me or kiss me or are just generally near my face. I'm in fear of being bashed and my jaws getting hurt.

This afternoon my wonderful friend Stacey and her daughter came round to carve pumpkins! It was so lovely to see them and my friends daughter (she's 5) said that i looked different, but good different and that I was talking funny, like i was growling. Which she found hilarious. So we explained to her again why Aunty Tasha was talking funny and using straws to eat etc (which she insisted on doing too) and she got it in the end, wasn't phased at all. I was worried I would scare her, but thankfully I have had virtually no bruising and my swelling hasn't been too bad either.

After pumpkin carving, we went for a little walk down to a local park to play on the swings, it was nice to get some fresh air and be out and about. Here is my friends amazing pumpkin creation, she has a real talent for this!

As i am getting so bored of my shake and soup diet I decided to mix it up a little and throw some custard in to the mix. It went down really well, i had to thin it out with some milk to get it up the straw but it was lovely, I had 2 bowls!


Day 11 Post Op Recovery - Sunday 27th

Today was a bit of a cleaning and washing day, i feel really good that I have enough energy to be doing the hoovering and sorting washing etc. Glad to get some normality back in my life, even if it is doing chores! I am fine bending over to picks things up, I don't feel any pressure building in my jaw or nose area at all.

In terms of numbness and tingles, not much has changed. I think I'm getting less tingles than i was a few days ago on my numb left side, but they come and go. I have had a few weird itches where my chin or lip feels like it needs itching but then when i go to i cant quite feel that bit of my face so i cant scratch it properly. Its strange! My bottom lip on my right hand side still feels sore when i touch it or when i kiss, i think its nerves coming back to life so it's a good thing and it's not an unbearable pain.

Pain wise, I dont have a lot. I sometimes take the equivalent to 2 tablets of ibuprofen in the evening if i feel a bit ache and sore but that's it. I've started to notice some sensitivity in my teeth and a bit more feeling occasionally in my gums and roof of my mouth so that's a good sign

Tonight i sat like a drooling dog and watched Lee eat his dinner. I'm so bored of liquid and it hasn't even been 2 weeks. Thursday cant come quick enough! I made some jelly because i thought i might be able to suck it through my teeth, i was wrong. It did however provide Lee some entertainment, watching me trying to poke jelly down the side of my mouth towards my back teeth and just getting jelly everywhere instead.

We then played eat like i eat and he had a go at drinking/eating things through a straw which was good fun. I feel very lucky to have him, he is so understanding and patient and brilliant. My mum and dad have been brilliant too, taking me places, keeping me fed and helping with dishes etc.

Some advice for any readers who are pre surgery, during recovery I really feel that you really need someone there to call on to help build you back up and cheer you up when you get fed up of soup or fed up of not being able to sleep properly or speak properly. Now whether that's a friend, family, partner, dog, cat whatever it doesn't matter, so long as you have someone you can contact when it gets tough. It's pretty easy to slip into negativity during this recovery process.

You build up to this surgery for so long, with the promise of everything being fixed and brilliant. And it will be, it's just that the recovery is a lot like the bit before surgery, it takes time. It's like before surgery you have your braces, extractions etc to get your teeth ready for your jaws to be moved. Then after surgery you have your mouth banded, liquid food etc to get your mouth and teeth ready for its new position, its new role as a fully functioning set of teeth and jaws. It takes time but I know it will be worth it in the end.


Day 12 Post Op Recovery - Monday 28th

I need an Internet shopping block! Recovery is costing me money!!! Particularly because it's almost Christmas! sort of. I'm really excited for Christmas, it's my shining light at the end of a jaw surgery recovery tunnel. I think by Christmas i should be able to enjoy my Christmas dinner, maybe not the obligatory bar of toblerone just yet, but most of the other Christmas goodies I'm sure ill be able to manage somehow! I'm also looking forward to my first Christmas in my house, getting all the decorations and tree up, it will be lovely!

My mum and dad took me out to a home ware shop today to get some bits for my sister as she is moving into her house in a couple weeks! It's funny talking to people outside of the family like shop assistants or the post man because obviously something is different about the way i talk and the way i look, they know it, i know it. I don't feel embarrassed, maybe a bit self conscious but i guess i feel like i should explain why I'm talking like this. I don't know why.

I also bought some new nail polish, i do have a bit of an obsession with my nails, and did this Halloween inspired look. There are some seriously amazing Halloween nails out there, like spiders and pumpkins, my free hand skills aren't that good yet, but practise makes perfect!

Halloween Nails

Another bowl of soup for dinner, and another shake for desert. Only 3 days till Thursday, till i hopefully will be allowed to eat mush. Yay!

This song has been my surgery jam and reminds me of my brilliant brother who although he hasn't been able to be here I know he has been cheering me on from Paris, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvb-1wjAtk4  cant wait to see you soon Bif! xxxxx

Day 9 Post Double Jaw Surgery Pics

Here are some pictures of me 9 days post op!

And I also have the energy and concentration to play with my nails now and make pretty nail art patterns! What a good sign! 

Double Jaw Surgery Recovery - Days 7-9

Day 7 Post Op Recovery - Wednesday 23rd

So 1 week ago I was very scared and apprehensive because it was the day of my operation! And a week on I have absolutely no regrets. Yes the recovery is hard, and it's long, frustrating and boring but so was the bit before it. All the adjustments and cut up lips and cheeks, sore teeth, sore and achey jaws. The whole damn thing is long! But, the reward at the end of all this is fabulous, and I can see one massive reward all ready. I have teeth that are the right way round. I can get a good look in my mouth now, and my teeth look brilliant, I'm so pleased.

Food wise, still on the liquid. My meals generally consist of a fortisip or a complan shake for breakfast, soup for lunch and dinner and a shake of some sort for snacks. I'm sort of drinking coffee, but it's not the same through a syringe.

My Liquid Diet

The syringes are driving me mad! I cant manage a straw yet, just haven't got enough suction/ mobility in my lips and mouth yet. Roll on Friday for my visit with Mr O to get my wafer out.

My dad took me to the doctors today to hand in my discharge note, and just over the road from the doctors is  a nice little boating lake, so we went for a walk round there. It was nice to be out and getting some fresh air, even if we were lapped by a yummy mummy and some OAP's power walking!

My mouth is still getting really dry, it happens about 7/8pm and then talking becomes really difficult and hard work because i cant move my lips, they feel stuck almost. It feels like a mixture of having too much peanut butter in your mouth and being really parched, desperate for water after a hard workout. Horrible is the word to describe it. Will speak to Mr O about it on Friday.


Day 8 Post Op Recovery - Thursday 24th

Another lazy day today really. Just mooched about the house with my dad most of the morning. I was having another good look in my mouth this morning and I found my stitches. They aren't that bad really. I thought it would look really gross all bloody and crusty and bits of mouth up in there and that I would feel sick and feint when I saw them. But surprise surprise it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! They are just nice neat little stitches, they look like little bits of cotton in my mouth. I can see the one at the top under my top lip and the one they used to do my chin in my bottom lip. I think they are dissolve ones because Mr O hasn't mentioned taking them out.

In the Afternoon I went to my mum and dads for a change of scenery, and I had to pack myself up a little bag of things i would need. I felt like i was about to leave the house with a baby. I put wet wipes in for those inevitable spills and drools, 4 syringes, 2 bottles of food aka fortisip drinks, some liquid ibuprofen, vaseline, and tissues.

It was nice being out of my house and to see my parents dogs again, they were good with me and didn't knock me, which was a miracle, they are so clumsy and stupid, must be in the St Bernard breed. I wouldn't want either of them coming to rescue me up a mountain, they'd get distracted and forget!

In the evening My mum and dad took me to a group that I volunteer at called PHAB, they had sent me a get well card while i was in hospital so I wanted to say thank you. I didn't go for a month before my operation, I had so much on at work, it was just too much to do. so it was amazing to see them all again. I felt so lucky to be part of such an amazing group of people, so kind and caring and I really realised just how much i missed them all. I got all emotional when I left. I was only there for half an hour but it tired me out quite a bit.

I am going to try and sleep on my side tonight, I cant sleep on my back any more, I've had enough. I'm going to create some sort of head and neck support with pillows but leave my face. I'll try anyway!

Day 9 Post Op Recovery - Friday 25th 

I managed to sleep on my side! It took me ages but i got it right in the end. Lots of tossing and moving around various shapes and sizes of pillows but I got there. I didn't sleep right through the night but much better than before.

I went so see my Ortho today to have my wafer removed! Yay! It was a brilliant appointment.

Mr O was pleased with how my teeth were looking, he wanted to take some pictures of my wafer in as it was a special kind of one that had been created for me and he wanted to use it and my mouth as an example for his students. I'm always happy to help others learn so agreed for the pictures to be taken. It was a bit more painful than i had first anticipated. He had to use the cheek retractor things but it is very difficult to get them in when you cat open your mouth and your cheek/mouth movement is limited. The plastic was pushing against an incision point on my top gums and that hurt, but it was only for a minute or two so it was bearable.

Once the pictures were done Mr O took my stitches out on the side of my face. they were tiny little things. I was really scared about that, thought it would hurt, but i didn't feel a thing, came out so easy. the first one i didn't even no he had done it!

Then came to wafer removal! first he un banded me, then un banded my wafer and asked me to relax my jaw and let it drop a bit. Now what a strange and exciting feeling that was. I opened a bit, then a bit more, and a bit more. It didn't hurt, it was a tint bit achey but to be honest the excitement of opening my mouth was all I could focus on.

Then we took some more sore pictures with the wafer in but not attached, then the big removal was ready! He asked me to open my mouth and I did, bit by bit. Not bit by bit because I was stiff or anything but more because I didn't know how wide I was opening my mouth. It felt like a lot but it wasn't. Anyway then Mr O just pulled the wafer out and there we go. No wafer! He let me sit up and rinse my mouth out. Then he said I was free for 5 mins.

So I just kept opening and closing my mouth. It was the most strangest and brilliant feeling in the world. My teeth touched, all of them, my back teeth I really noticed. Then I went to say " Oh my god Dad this is so weird" but got to "Oh my go..." when I realised that my mouth was different, the way i move my mouth was different and the words didn't sound right, the syllables and the way i annunciated was different, all wrong. It was so odd. I tried again and it came out, but it still felt strange. I just kept talking and saying my teeth touch, my teeth touch, then i started crying, my dad started welling up, the dental nurse too. It was honestly such an amazing experience and feeling. Something that so many take for granted, but that I and many others have waited to experience for so long.

Then I had to relinquish my freedom and be banded up again. Mr O said to come back next Thursday, where he will change my bands again and this time I will be able to take them off to eat mushy food! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!! I am so excited to be able to eat mush! He also said I should find it easier to use a straw now, so hopefully I can say bye to syringes soon enough.

Oh and I told him about my dry mouth and he said it was strange, never had anyone complain of  a dry mouth before. My mouth looked healthy and clean, so just keep an eye on it and let him know how i get on and my next appointment.

Day 9 Post Op

Double Jaw Surgery Recovery - Days 4-6

Day 4 Post Op - Sunday 20th

Sunday was a new day. I'd felt so awful and miserable on Saturday and spent most of it crying and feeling sorry for myself, but something changed on Sunday. I was new women! I started my day with an apricot flavour fortisip smoothie (was rather nice actually) and had my usual antibiotics. Then my friend Stacey came round and it was great to see her and to catch up. I was talking much better and feeling much better. I felt normal, like I did before my operation.

I think it's the small things that I could do before surgery, that i didn't even consider, that i miss the most and that frustrate me and had made me feel so un normal and miserable in the days previously. Things like this;

• licking my lips
• hugging someone (a proper bury your face in their shoulder or neck hug)
• kissing my man (i cant feel my bottom lip)
• laughing
• smiling
• sleeping on my stomach
• having a hot cup of coffee (i'm only able to syringe it in, warm and its not the same!)

But having Stacey round and talking about her holiday and what's been going on with our friends, just made me feel normal again, made me realise that all this struggle and annoyance and difference is only temporary and I can still do some things that I did before.

That evening while I was getting another fortisip smoothie down me I asked my man why i needed to eat during my recovery. (I know it sounds like a strange question but stay with me here!) My man is a scientist you see, so I wasn't asking him that question for the boyfriend "so you get better baby" response, I needed the science, the facts as to why, even though I was sick of syringing in liquid 5ml at a time over and over and over again, many times a day i had to keep it up, do it more even.

It really helped me to get over my reluctance to persevere through the boredom and frustration and to actually fill myself up! And the one thing he said that i didn't know was that your body needs fuel in order for you have a good nights sleep. Although you are resting and recharging, your body is still working to do that, so it needs fuel/food to do that. He explained it much better than i just did.


Day 5 Post Op Recovery - Monday 21st

I had a bit of a better nights sleep, I was still finding it hard to sleep on my back and parts of my face and my tongue have started to tingle more, which is a good thing but it catches me by surprise! Sometimes i think i have a spider on me or something!

In the morning i decided to take my chin bandage thing off, it was starting to look and smell a bit gross with all my food dribbles down it. It didn't hurt very much, i did it after having a hot shower so i got it quite wet. It did feel really weird when i was taking it off of the numb parts of my face and I had to ask my dad if i was touching skin or bandage but I got there in the end. In hindsight it would of been easier had i of removed it in front of a mirror rather than in front of the tv.

I saw my Ortho on Monday, he was really pleased with how I look. All he did was just pull my lips apart to have  a look at my teeth, that's it. It didn't hurt at all. I asked him if he knew what Mr Harrop had done with my chin, he was going to do something but he hadn't decided exactly what prior to my surgery. So we had a look at my xrays and i got to see all my new metal work! I love looking at xrays, they are so interesting.

It turns out that he had to re position one of my screws on my right hand lower jaw, I don't know why but that explains the extra swelling on that side of my face. You could also see a plate in my chin, but unfortunately Mr O'Neil didn't have my notes so he couldn't tell me exactly what he had done but he will look into it for me. Lastly he also asked me about numbness, so here is my numbness description.

On my Right Side;
Numb - From my under my eye, down to my nose, across the apple of my cheek.
Partially Numb - From my bottom lip, down my chin and under it.
Normal - My top lip. From my ear across to the apple of my cheek and along my jaw bone until my chin.

On my Left Side;
Numb - Bottom lip, chin and under it.
Partially Numb - Under my eye and towards my nose
Normal - Cheeks/face until chin and top lip

Mr O'Neil said that Mr Harrop had informed him that unfortunately on my left hand lower jaw, by my lip/chin there was a nerve that was attached to bone so he had to cut it to free it/move it. So there might be permanent damage there or it might heal. it's just something that I will have to keep and eye on and wait and see. I'm not too fussed about it, it was risk that i was informed about and one that I was willing to take. Nerves heal and it is way to early to tell yet, I get little flickers and tingles so time will tell on that one.

We arranged for him to see me on Friday 25th for my wafer to be removed, yipee! To celebrate Lee made me a chocolate meal replacement shake with nutella and peanut butter blended in it. It was beautiful!


Day 6 Post Op Recovery - Tuesday 22nd

I didn't sleep very well again and i am getting cranky and irritable. I have been powering through my tiredness and not napping during the day in an attempt for me to sleep better at night. No such luck yet though.

I did very little today, sorted some washing with my mum in the morning then we looked at some wall paper samples I'd got before my operation and was looking at colour schemes and ideas for decorating my house. My sister came over to see me which was nice, she said i looked good, much more swollen than when she last saw me in hospital. We decided that I look like the Nutty Proffesor. I had some lunch of potato and leek soup, strained of all the yummy bits though so it's just liquid. Then I slobbed about the house with my dad and watched some old films until Lee came home from work. My mouth seemed to be getting quite dry during the afternoon, like no amount of liquid could make it moist.

I had some tomato and roasted veg soup, again strained, but there was lots of tiny bits of tomato pulp in the soup that got stuck in the gaps in my teeth that i use to suck liquid through. It created quite a vacuum actually and took me ages to clear it by syringing in water then trying to swill it round and dribble/spit it out. I got there in the end, but by then i couldn't be bothered to finish my soup. I went to go to bed all annoyed and disheartened without eating much but Lee made me another chocolate and peanut butter shake and it made it all better!

Pain is still fairly minimal, i had quote bad sinus pain so i took some sudafed before bed, but that was it all day. Antibiotics are almost over thankfully, that stuff tastes horrible!

Here are some Day 6 pics, I'm much more swollen now I've taken my chin bandage off.