Real Food and a good Christmas!

So the last posting I was telling you about how I was carefully chopping up a burrito and shoving it in, well I moved up from there! It started with a chicken casserole, and a breakfast casserole Christmas morn, and culminated with a prime rib and twice baked potato Christmas Dinner!!!! I even went out to Mexican and Chick-Fil-A over the last couple of days!

I am almost talking normal...only sound slurry and drunk about half the time! The food I eat is chopped really small and has to be soft, it goes straight down the pipe how it goes in! Chips and salsa, crispy fries and toast are all out right now; rice, chicken and just about ANY other soft food. The more flavor the better...only prob is that it is just SOOOO slow going!

I still have some bands on, but they are loose enough to talk and shove food in. I can only open my mouth about 1/3 or maybe halfway, slowly trying to get it bigger. I can also feel a little more through my mouth and nose, but not my chin yet! I have another appointment the week after New Years so we'll see what they say!

I had an awesome Christmas, stayed with the Flynn's. Its a family I met through running of all things, and they were nothing but fun and more than welcoming! So even though I was in CA, I still had a family for Christmas! I'm going to see them all on New Years Day too! I also went snow shoeing on Saturday, figure its not much different than walking, except for I actually got to play in the snow! I go back to work in the morning (Monday), so had to shave tonight, thankfully I still cant feel my chin so I couldn't feel the skin ripping under my razor!

Ok, here are some recent pictures! The one that is REALLY cool I'm NOT going to post. I have a SURGERY PICTURE if anybody would like to see it, as a warning though, its not for the faint of heart!!! Send me an email or leave me a comment and I'll send it to you!The Flynn Family plus one on Christmas Eve! Only one missing from this picture is Dixon, hes taking it!Here is another one of my infamous self portraits, from snow shoeing on Saturday. Notice the beard (scraggly as can be!), well no more! I guess I have to be in the military sometime!

Real food!!! (from a spoon)

So yesterday the food was just blenderized....well tonight I had an epiphany...why not more!? So on the way home, I stopped by Chipolte "Real" Mexican which is just a glorified (but pretty good) burrito shop! Some carnitas, beans, rice, pico, salsa and cheese chopped up EXTREMELY fine and it just slides right to the belly, no chew style! Have my next appointment tomorrow, they'll prob just tell me you're looking good, and to keep scrubbing my teeth, and eat what you can! Here's the smile so far...slightly crooked, one side is working better than the other as of right now...we'll see how it all turns out!

Food from a spoon!

So just got done with my first meal from a spoon...it was not easy, it was not pretty, but my mouth made it just big enough to fit a spoon full of blenderized Nepalese food...over and over and over...I think it took me 30 min! But it was a start! Now time to polish dinner off with a milkshake made with Dryers and whole milk mmmmm. The first two pics are from last night...Notice the Panthers gear! At least it was a good game!

And its not that I'm trying not to smile...Its just that things aren't working quite right yet...on a lighter note, I do have a really annoying tingly sensation on my chin, that means my nerves are repairing itself, maybe I'll be able to feel my lips before long! And I love the beard and longer hair, I don't think anybody would believe I'm in the military anymore! (If they did before haha)

GO Panthers! (Oh and I'm doing pretty well too!)

So its Sunday Morning, day 10. I am doing pretty well these days. I had my first follow up with the surgeons on Friday. They said that I looked very good. After talking with people and following a forum of a group that all had their surgery within the same week I did, I am doing pretty well! The Docs gave me tight rubber bands to bring my lower jaw into the final position, which was a little farther forward than where it was sitting. I have to head back up to see them again on Wednesday, yes Christmas Eve! I will prob be in the tighter rubber bands for several weeks, their goal is to get my jaw used to being in the new position.

I have been out running errands, stopped by work for a couple hours, cleaned my house, done some Christmas Shopping, watched alot of TV and movies and last night I even headed over to the city for a party a couple friends were having! I was only there for about 2 hours and then I headed out, but I did end up talking way too much! Although I was in more pain when I got home and was looking at ski and weather reports! There is snow EVERYWHERE!!! I even had a friend that went to Tahoe yesterday...

So here are some pics, I will post a couple later today after I get cleaned up to show the "profile" shots, you will see the swelling is almost gone, I really think they just Botoxed me while I was out! If I could talk normal people wouldnt even know that I had surgery, they would just think I had chubby cheeks! Speaking of that, yes, I am eating alot, my shake this morning for breakfast was at least 1000 calories...but I've def lost some weight! If anybody has any suggestions on something super flavorful to eat "blenderized" that also has tons of calories than let me know! And dont recommend a McD's hamburger...I've tried blending one of those...less than desirable!

So this is what the plates actually look like on my upper jaw...this was a pic they took during surgery, I promise!

Look Ma, I can open my mouth really wide!

Day 6 Down...Home Again

So this morning when I woke up, I realized it was time to head home. I have been at Ken and El's house since I got out of the hospital last Friday, and they have been more than gracious hosts! We even watched an entire season of the tv show House! I wasnt as much of a pain as they expected, but it was comforting for me to know there was somebody if I needed anything, especially the first couple days. THANKS KEN AND EL!!!! I"m glad things are working out for you guys also...see what happens, you get rid of me and things get better! haha

So, I got home this morning, what else do I have to do beside plop down on the couch and watch TV, made a trip to blockbuster and got a coffee, quarters for my piles of a laundry (which havent been started yet)...then I managed to sit on my already soft rear until dinner time! A mug of blenderized thinned up Campbells CHUNKY clam chowder and i'm just going to sit here for another...well too many hours! Hope everybody had a good day.....

On a side note, I just want to let everybody know how ridiculous people in CA are...the lows tonight are supposed to be right around freezing and there is a whole segment on the "Cold Snap" including how to properly insulate pipes, care for dogs and not back over the curb and onto plants (obviously caused by black ice...duh). I just wish i was at even 60%...There is SNOW everywhere out west, from the North all the way down to the Malibu hills! None for me though!! Soon enough!

Ok, Day 6 pics, from this morning...see right after my shower, all cleaned up, no drool stains on my lip or chin yet! I'm going for the Sylvester Stallone/Rocky tough guy look today....

the Pics

Ok, Day 5 pics, better post them before I get hate email in the morning! My whole face is drooping slightly...hopefully they put my face back together straight...only time will tell!
PS: This is me smiling! I still cant feel the outside of my lips, or anything south of my "mustache" basically my chin! haha

So still here, nothing super exciting going on...I ended up not taking anymore "good" pain killers after my 0330 dose...but I may take one tonight after dinner, my mouth has started to swell up after a day of talking to the wall! I went out this morning for a jamba juice type smoothie but they weren't open so ended up at the local coffee company having a mocha frap with peppermint! Never has tasted so good! I made a smoothie for lunch, have not done much all afternoon, but getting excited about a PB and fruit shake for dinner! Thats going to be my new expieriment! (why did I not learn how to make good smoothies BEFORE having to eat them forever!?!?) I did hear through the gimpy guy grapevine that blenderized pizza was NOT worth it! Noted, so now I dont have to find out the hardway myself!

Ok, well going to pick El up from the BART station again this evening, but this time i'm driving! Take it nice and easy, then come back for the good stuff! I'll prob head home tomorrow now that I know how i'll feel after a day off the pills. But we shall see, i've said that for the last couple days! I'll put up new pics here in a little bit!

Bobby

PS: I cant spell and dont spell check this, sorry for the horribly misspelled words, I blame my Dad for it!

Out for a walk

So after sleeping all morning...sitting on the couch all afternoon...and really doing nothing productive besides making a blederized bannana....I went out for a walk. If yall didnt know, its actaully cold around here, and I am going out in Oakland, so had to dress the part...I'll put it this way, NOBODY messed with me, not sure if its the look or just cause people are nice around here...you can decide!

Just another day...

So yesterday I had mashed taters, and it gave me some hope...the thing that was the hardest for me was taking pills. I'm taking 4-6 meds at a time, everything from pain killers (the good stuff), motrin, sudafed and of course my antibiotic. Well from the start, they had been crushing it and mixing it with some sort of liquid. Even when I was still in the hospital, the nurses were appoligizing (I think they really just felt sorry for how horrible I looked...) becasue they tasted so bad. Once home, I started mixing it with better and better tasting things, but still you couldnt drown out that horrible flavor. So last night, I gave it a shot...started with a little sudafed, popped it in as a whole pill and used my syringe to push it back in my mouth and wash it down! Now I'm even up to full 800mg Motrin! You can ask Ken and El, I HATED taking those pills, but now, hey, I'm fixin to go take another motrin!

The other thing is that I got a humidfier last night. We needed new movies (already finished 10 episodes of House) and I was tired of sitting in the house, so Ken volunteered to drive my busted face around and we went to blockbuster and walgreens! A humidifier makes the difference, I was able to breath all night! Ok, here are todays pics...not much different looking than yesterday!

Notice the little black spec on my cheek? That is the ONLY outside mark that they had to do!

Real Food!! (Kinda!)

So after 3 days of nothing but sweet liquids...I moved on up! Some Garlic Mashed Taters! As you can see by the pic below, it wasnt really wasnt that solid, but it tasted good! My belly is full!! The swelling has gone down some more, especially in the lips, and drinking and eating is easier, not as much spillage action...so much fun! haha, hope everybody is having a good weekend and Go Panthers!

I would like to throw a shout out to my support team, first Shelly who drove me up to the hospital....although she hasn't had to deal with the aftermath, she did have to have me up there at 0600! Jayna, who almost ran out cause she thought she was in the wrong room when she first saw me (yeah, not the David Haselhoff i'd been promising!), and then of course Ken and El. Although I havent been too needy yet, I know I look awesome and have added lots to the conversation....and they keep asking what I need, Thanks guys!!

So what is all this for?!?!

Well as I've always said, I know I look good, I dont need surgery to make me look better haha. Really, I had whats called a posterior open bite, basically I had a big gap in between my back teeth, and my teeth only touch in the front. Since they dont touch in the back, all the impact pressures of eating etc are hitting in the front so I will eventually wear down the front teeth until they are nubs and then would eventually loose my front teeth...all the docs I have ever seen are really suprised that I didnt have any problems eating, no pain nothing. So it was hard to do this surgery, which was technically considered "elective," but really could it be?! I dont want to loose my front teeth in the next 10 years, so here I am, all swollen up, eating a "blenderized" diet for the next 4-6 weeks...

Day two...

Well I made it to Ken and El's place yesterday, Jayna brought me down and dropped me off and ran as fast as she could...i believe this pic says it all! thanks Jayna!!

So the pain hasnt been to bad, takign all the pills has been quite a pain in the rear, I dont have any of it in liquid form so I have to crush it all up. I think I have 7 prescriptions, and 5 are pills...Ken got me some ensure type drinks so I have been using those to cut the taste, because motrin does NOT taste good on its own! You can see these are my tools of the trade....usually have one with water and the other with the drink and pills mixed...

And here is a pic from this morning! The swelling feels like it has moved up and got closer to my eyes, as you can see a little bit of black eyes forming...after swelling like this, why would anybody want to be boxer...I sure wouldnt volunteer to get punched in the face cause thats what it feels like right now! haha It suprisingly not that painful...I am on oxycodine and motrin that prob helps!

What they actually did

This is is from this webpage: http://www.maxfac.com/facial/jaw.html

a) Mandibular Sagittal Split Osteotomy
The back of the lower jaw is split bilaterally under general anaesthetic in the region of the wisdom teeth, which are generally removed in a separate operation at least 6 months prior to corrective surgery. The procedure is carried out in about 1.5 hours and permits the lower jaw to be advanced or pushed back with adequate bone contact for healing. The bone is fixed in its new position by screws which are inserted through tiny external skin incisions which are located at the angle of the jaw. These heal with minimal external scarring.

Mandibular Sagittal Split Osteotomy: The sensory nerves to the lower lip are coloured blue.Screw fixation is demonstrated on one side. Screws are placed above and below the nerve

d) Upper Jaw - Maxilla
Maxillary osteotomy surgery may be advised when an abnormally positioned jaw is giving rise to cosmetic problems. The jaw can be moved upwards / downwards / forwards and rarely backwards. The critical aspect of where to place the maxilla in the anteroposterior plane is determined by computer analysis of skull x-rays and computer simulation using digital photography (photomorphanalysis™). This illustrates the movement and its permits effect on other structures to be calculated e.g. the nose. The position of the maxilla in the vertical plane is determined by the amount of upper incisor tooth visible below the upper lip at rest and when smiling. Rotation of the maxilla may be required on occasion to centralise the position of the front teeth. This has a temporary effect on the central position of the nose, which initially looks “off centre” – this usually corrects itself over a 3 month period. Surgery to the maxilla is carried out at three levels named after a French Surgeon René Le Fort.

Le Fort I Osteotomy Sensory nerves to the upper lip and cheeks are coloured blue

The Le Fort I osteotomy involves separating the maxilla and the palate from the skull above the roots of the upper teeth through an incision inside the upper lip. The maxilla is fixed in its new position with titanium screws and plates. Surgery time is around three hours. The operation is frequently carried out with the mandibular Sagittal split osteotomy when it is termed a Bimaxillary Osteotomy. Bimaxillary osteotomies take around five hours to complete and may be carried out in conjunction with chin surgery and liposuction/liposculpture. Blood transfusion is required. On occasions bone grafting is required in the Le Fort I osteotomy to ensure bone healing and union across the bone cuts. The graft is frequently harvested from the hip. Bone graft material may be harvested from the chin or lower jaw in bimaxillary cases – leaving the hip intact. Cosmetic improvement is startling for those individuals requiring these procedures, and with proper planning it is unusual for patients not to be delighted with outcome.

Some Pics.....

Morning after...UGLY!! haha I have the brown wrap and buger catcher off now, just have a compression bandage on now!

Putting on my turban...you'll see in the next pic that it was quite a contraption by the time they got done with it!

My little TV in the room...it only got 4 channels...

The before pic....

morning after....

Hey Everybody, so I am still in the hospital, I just tried turning on my computer to watch a movie (you should see the tv...I think they are saving it to go into the historical society or something!!) and they magically have wirelss! When my nurse came in this morning, she asked if I remembered her being in here last night...I was in pretty rough shape. I do remember her thankfully, I wasnt that far out of it! So I had the Drs take pics for me, hopefully they will get them too me...kinda intestered to see how it looked! The first thing they did yesterday was put on a "turban" and I had that on until today....it held my whole head in tight thats for certain! Basically the only place that it was not was around my nose and lips...so guess where the only swelling has taken place! My lips look like fish lips!! The drs said that everything came out good, my xrays looked good everything was aligned well and in place, so guess thats good...interested to see how it all looks after a couple weeks! I'll keep you up to date!

The First

Well I just started this, dont worry there will be more to come (including a description of what they are actually doing to me!), and I AM going to try and get pictures of the surgery so we can all see how much they messed me up!