Double post

I'm doing a double post today because my day just went downhill after getting the splint out this morning. So - as it turns out - I miss my splint. Yes, you heard me right. Since taking it off and merely rubber banding my braces - I've realized that it REALLY HURTS to have rubber bands pulling your teeth together when they don't quite line up. When there is an "open bite" or a little bit of space between your upper and lower teeth, but rubber bands are pulling for all they are worth to get them to meet - it hurts. A lot. So, I figure, no prob, I'll pop some Ibuprofin and deal.

Then I had my ortho appt. at 2. Oh the humanity. So, the first thing he does is snaps off a bracket on my very last molar on my right side so he can reposition it better. Ouch. Then when he goes to reposition it, he finds I can't open my mouth very far to get all those instruments in and says "I guess I should have seen how far you could open your mouth first." Um yeah. So, he proceeds to get his assistant, and between the 2 of them, they PRY MY MOUTH OPEN far enough to get the instrument in that holds it open and has the little suction attached to it. So now, not only did it initially hurt to get the "mouth jack" in there - but now it had to STAY in there for the remainder of my treatment today. My jaw could barely handle it. It was starting to spasm with the effort. Since the bracket needed to be cemented to a crown, there is a bunch of prep work that has to be done, like double-etching the crown (wait for each of the etching to dry), then prime (wait to dry) then glue the bracket on. Then between the both of them, they maneuverd the "mouth jack" out of my extremely sore mouth. Ow, ow, ow! Also, I told him that I thought my crown was loose, and he proceeded to push and pull on it and said "I think it's ok" except for now it feels MORE LOOSE! Anyway, after putting in a new wire on the bottom with the new position of the bracket, and a new, thicker wire on the top with new rubber bands I was all set to go. Almost. He informs me that at my next visit in 2 weeks (when I will be "done" with Dr. Egberts instructions and can be turned completely over to my ortho) he will put brackets with hooks on the INSIDE of my bottom molars and then rubber band the inside of those molars to the outside of my upper molars in order to move my lower molars out a little. I asked if Egbert opened my top jaw too far and he emphatically said no, that my bottom molars simply needed to be moved a bit further out, and thinks he can accomplish that in "about a month". I didn't dare ask when he thought I'd get my braces off. I'm sticking with what he said last time about it being the end of the year. I said I was going on a cruise at the end of Sept, and worried about the funky rubber band's during that time, and he said for 5 days I can just leave them off. Phew! I hope the bracketts on the inside of my mouth don't bug too bad!

Anyway, for most of the afternoon I've been in pain, in bed, with heating packs. Finally, I just put my splint back in and rubber banded my teeth closed around it. It felt better to have a buffer between my upper and lower teeth, so the bands weren't pulling fruitlessly, with no relief.

On an UPSIDE though - I ate out, by myself, for the first time. I went to Pei Wei and had their lowmein, sans veggies with a few shredded up pieces of soft chicken. It was DIVINE. That experience almost trumps the negatives of today. Today was a humble reminder that I am nowhere near finished with this process and will be ever more grateful when it's alllll over. Thanks to everyone for offers of ice cream and support! You're the best!

Goodbye Splint. I will not miss you.

Went in for my 4 week post - op and he took the splint off!

Now you see it...
(Arg! Take it off - OFF I SAY!!!)


Now you don't! :)

There is still some sort of funky tilt going on with my bottom teeth and my lips are crooked - hopefully due to lingering numbness. I'm hoping that at the 6-8 month mark it will all resolve itself, but if not - at least my top teeth go over my bottom teeth and my midlines match up!

This is the splint. For you future jaw surgery patients - BUY A WATER PIK. My splint was the cleanest one he'd ever seen. SO WORTH IT!

So - I am still struggling with the result so far. I have more metal in my mouth then I did pre-surgery due to the little wires wrapped around my brackets to hold the rubber bands on. My teeth look suddently smaller without the splint (not that I want it back on!) My jaw still seems to have a "cant" to it, which I hope will resolve in time. My face is still lopsided. I have an "open bite" on my left side (which means my molars don't touch) but it's slight and should be fixed fairly easily by my Ortho - who I see at 2pm today. However - I'm still only 4 weeks out from surgery and there could be many more changes to come. If nothing else good comes (cosmetically) at the very least I will be able to chew my food propery and smile knowing that my teeth are straight and my midlines match up. I know that there are many who would LOVE to have jaw surgery to correct their bite, regardless of the cosmetic outcome, so I will say this: Thank you to Jared who put my jaw surgery as our first priority (financially) when we sold our house last September. Thanks for understanding how important this was to me. And my fingers are crossed that I'll get full feeling back in my bottom lip so I can really KISS you again! :) Love you babe.

Bad side?

Ok, just took this pic tonight. The swelling has gone done significantly, due to the fact that I figured out what was keeping the knot around. I am missing a pre-molar. I will have to get an implant put in there after this is all said and done. Because I have a hole there, every time I eat, drink, talk, breathe - it is sucking the scar tissue into that whole, thus creating a knot. I figure that out a few days ago and have been putting wax there ever since. In just 3 days time, the swelling that had made me soooo lopsided is abating. I did a post a couple days ago about my "bad" side. In this picture of my "bad" side, for the first time ever...my cheek is proportionate on the other side of my face.

Thank you, Dr. Egbert and goodbye bad side (?).

Little Doc Simon

Alexander was very concerned during week 2 when I was laying down alot with hot packs (rice socks are the best) on my face and neck. He constantly wanted to "doctor" me to help me feel better. This is one such instance.

Thanks again to all my friends and family who have helped so much!

My "Bad" side

No, I don't mean the little devil who sits on my shoulder occasionally, or even an evil twin. When I took the "date" pic with my hubby last week, I got into position on his right side. I'm ALWAYS on his right side for pictures, because that's my "good" side. That's the side I've learned to disguise my bite. He looked at me and said "now you don't have a 'bad' side". Oh how I wish that were the case! Now, it is true that in the next 6-8 months as my face settles into it's final shape, things could change - and it's also true that my swollen cheeks show up much more on my "bad" side - but I think I will forever stay on Jared's right side in pics. Here are some examples from the past. I had to search high and low for the "bad side" pictures because it is so rare that I am "caught" on that side! The difference with my "bad" side is that my face looks concave. My chin is reeeeally pointy and there is kind of an empty gap where my teeth are supposed to be, but my pallet is too narrow for them to be seen on that side.

Good side.

Bad side.

Bad side.


Good side.


Good side.


Good side. Notice a pattern here. Always on Jared's right!


Bad side.


This is straight on (which almost NEVER happens) and you can clearly see my crossbite.


Bad side.


Good side. Oh, to be young again!


Bad side.


I think I may forever have to live with a bad side/good side to my face, but at least I've practiced my whole life on how to have a good side!

Moving on....
This is what I eat every day for protein. It has the consistency of snot. It is delicious! THANK YOU to my friend Chandie for bringing soft taco's for dinner one night. I looked at all the food and decided that I could eat the refried beans - but they were still a little chuncky. So, I purree'd them and melted cheese into it and stirred a little sour cream around...and they were AMAZING! Easy to eat and delicious! I asked her how she made them and she told me the secret was Rotel's diced tomatoes (original spicy) which gave the flavor. So I promptly went out and bought a TON of refried beans and Rotels. And now I eat it. Three times a day.


Pics from Saturday. I don't know that I'll EVER get rid of my "head tilt".


Instead of a profile pic, I wanted to see from an angle. These cheeks make me look like I have jowls. sigh.


My BAD SIDE! Do you all see the difference!? I'm not crazy! How many of you have a "bad" side, and you are aware of it and try to disguise it in pics? It's not just me, right?


Physical therapy. Last week I worked on getting my pinky fingers all the way in between my back teeth without feeling like I was actually biting them. I mostly accomplished this. At my 3 week post-op today, he told me it was time to try my index fingers. It hurts. In this pic I am opening my mouth as wide as I possibly can.


And today. The swelling is still going down sllooowlly. The best news I got at today's appointment is that for the next 2 weeks, I get to have my bands off 4 times a day for TWO HOURS each time! 8 hours a day! Last week was a total of 4.5 hours a day so it's almost doubled. Bliss! Also, he confirmed that I'm getting my splint off in ONE week! Yeessss!

To finish this post - after 21 days of antibiotics (1 day in the hospital, then filling two 10 day each prescriptions) I am OFF of them! Last night was the first night in 3 weeks that I did not use a decongestant and/or nasal spray. I survived. The only meds I'm currently on is 800 mg of Ibuprofin twice a day. Not too bad! I'm speaking more clearly with my splint - when my bands are off. I've even taken to answering the phone! It's a good thing because I have a presentation for work on Thursday, and I'm hoping that everyone will understand me!
Lastly - Jared took us to dinner tonight at IHOP. I got the stuffed french toast and scrambled eggs. After an hour, I got through almost half of it and only bit my tongue twice. Practice, practice!

To all you jaw surgery patients out there (or those considering it) - do it. I guess it's a little like labor where you forget pretty quick just how much pain or discomfort you were in - only that the end result is great. I'm still waiting for the full end result, but I'm past most of the pain and am excited to finish the journey. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions!

That's all.

Before/After two weeks

I probably won't be posting every day from here on out since the changes now are so gradual. I continue to regain a tiny bit more feeling every day which just equates to discomfort or pain. When I laugh - I pop stitches in my mouth, which hurts but feel nice to get those stitches out. I've gained a couple more lb's back - I think I'm at 128 right now, which is where I'd like to stay and no, that's not too skinny for 5'9". Here are my before and afters at the 2 week mark (click to enlarge). I'll probably do another one at the 4 week mark, sans splint, and the 6 week mark, sans rubber bands. Ortho is still saying I'll have the braces off by the end of the year, but we'll see. Don't want to get my hopes up yet! I do think I look a little younger in my after pics - but I think that's probably due to swelling. I just want to look 29 again. Well - forever.

Real Live Date!

Me and my hub going on a date! We're going out to frozen yogurt (something I'm willing to try to eat in public) and to see the new Steve Carrell movie. I'm sure it'll hurt to laugh. I don't care! I even bought Junior Mints to snack on during the movie - so I'm all set! Since I can have my bands off for 1 1/2 hours - that should be perfect!



Today's pic. Swelling is down a bit. Yay! (and yes, I know I'm wearing the same outfit as last week. So shoot me.)



Left profile. So, the swelling is mostly gone on that side, and look - I have a pointy chin again. HOWEVER - it's not as long as before, so I'm still happier with it.



Right profile. Forgot to smile with my teeth.



Ready to see something scary/funny? I mean - really, truly horrifying/comical!?


Wait for it....



Keep waiting....



Scroll down....


Arg! It looks like a Julia Roberts smile when she was 14 years old. How did my mouth get so wide? Anyway - picture that with perfectly straight teeth. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel.



Time for date night!

2 weeks notice

Mark the date. On Aug. 31st I will be free from this splint! Two weeks from today! I've already scheduled with my Ortho to get my new arch wire later that same day and plan to eat some very soft pasta! I'm now allowed to take off my bands 3 times a day, for 1 1/2 hours, instead of just an hour. I also have to start physical therapy, which consists of using both pinky's on either side of my mouth in between my teeth and sliding them towards my back teeth as far as I can - to stretch the muscles and help me open my mouth better. Next week I have to use my index fingers and by the 4th week, it will be my thumbs. After that I have to do "scissors" with my fingers - which sounds terrifyingly painful, but if it will allow me to have that Western Bacon Cheeseburger at the 6 week mark - I'm all for it.
I think I woke up with a fatter face today. Maybe because it was so hot yesterday I'm more swollen? I'm starting to get discouraged about my fatty jowls and have to keep reminding myself that things will still change.

My neck is still a little sore with just a bit of bruising left.



I also still have an "almost" double chin. Extra fat/fluid/something that normally isn't there along with the rest of the swelling in my cheeks.



Not thrilled but still documenting. Even my lower lip looks lopsided in this. I'm wondering if I'll still look crooked after the swelling goes down- simply because for most of my life my skin/lips have stretched to the side so they don't know how to be normal. The muscles in my right cheek feel like they are being stretched - as they should since that was the side that my chin went to, and they haven't need to stretch for years. My left side muscles hurt like they are being bunched up - which makes sense because they have been stretched further for so many years and now don't need to stretch so much.



That's it.

raw tongue

I wonder what the heck my doc did to my tongue when I was "under". It's so beat up. It's had shooting, burning pains in it since I got out of surgery, and now that I can open my mouth a whole centimeter - it looks completely raw. Like I put a teaspoon of sugar on it and just let it soak in. Well, only half of it hurts. The right half is still numb. I can't tell you what a strange sensation it is to have a half-numb tongue. It's a good thing though - because I keep biting the right edge of it. My whole jaw used to be shifted to the right, and so for the last 18 years or so my tongue has learned to help process food off to the right. Now when I eat, my tongue is still edging over to the right and ...CRUNCH! I bite it. Luckily, it's getting bit between my bottom teeth and my splint so it's not that bad - I haven't tasted blood yet anyway - and also that side is still numb - so no pain.

I stopped by my Ortho's office today. He's just up the street and I didn't have a formal appt., but I wanted to let him know that this splint should be off in 2 more weeks, and then he can put a new arch wire in. Everyone in the office couldn't believe that I wasn't still black and blue or hugely swollen. They haven't seen someone heal from this type of surgery so quickly before. Really - I feel like people think it wasn't as major as it was, simply because I'm healing so quickly. News flash - it was major surgery. My face was broken into 7 pieces - 6 of which were put back together like a puzzle. I just happened to be very, very blessed. Prayers work.

My face is tingly! You know when your leg is asleep and you want to stamp on it til the pins and needles go away? That's how I feel about my face. I want to slap it or knead it until those dang painful, tingling pins and needles go away. I know this is a GOOD thing though, so I'm trying to be happy about it. :)

A stitch came out today. They are dissolving, and I'm brushing my teeth on average 10 times a day in an effort to spit the stitches out instead of swallowing them. Gross.

I went back to work today. I spent most of today putting together my new website: www.mbellishdbytamara.ning.com. I've been spending most of my time lately on Miche stuff, but it's time to get back to the M.Bellish'd. I ended up talking a lot today as a result of both work and family. My jaws are extremely tired. It's hard enough to talk with my bands off - but except for the 3 hours a day when that happens (which are usually spent with me consuming food) I have to talk with my bands on - and it is very exhausting to do that. Picture having peanut butter - or glue - holding your teeth together, but you HAVE to talk to your kids or work or whatever. It's absolutely essential that they understand you - so you try to articulate everything as clearly as possible while struggling to actually put air between your teeth. It's exhausting!

I haven't spoken in 3 hours now - since the kids went to bed. It has been utter bliss. I'm going to go put my hot pack on and chill out til I fall asleep. G'night!

Almost 2 weeks

I went to church today. People were surprised. The Mia Maid adviser didn't recognize me and said that she was wondering "who the new girl was". I think my face looks more swollen/lopsided in person, but here are today's pics.





Things are starting to look more proportionate (nose, lips) but everything still just doesn't look quite right. The knot is almost gone, so it will be a relief when there is no more swelling. It's almost completely gone on the other side though.



I'm still taking 800 mg of Ibuprofin 3 times a day. This morning at 4:45am I woke up because I couldn't breathe. I didn't take any kind of decongestant before bed last night because I felt clear enough to fall asleep. When I woke up gasping, I took off my bands and took some decongestant, then took 2 extra strength Tylenol and went back to bed. About 2 minutes later, I realized that the decongestant I took also has the equivelant of 2 extra strength Tylenol, and so I just took 2,000 mg of Tylenol! I jumped on my computer and didn't like what I googled, so I called poison control before I went in to liver failure (according to google). They said that since it was a one-time thing - I was fine. Phew. I couldn't fall back to sleep until almost 6am because of the decongestant but then slept til 7:30 when it was time to get ready for church. I'm tired!
I also ate in front of people for the first time. We had dinner at my inlaw's tonight and while everyone munched on BLT's I sat eating my soup and applesauce. I hope I didn't make too many disgusting noises - I was trying to be quiet!
Now it's time for more pain meds, ice cream and a movie with my sweetheart. TTFN!

The knot and a nice stranger.

I've been using a lot of heat on my right check (over the knot) and on my neck and the swelling/discoloration has improved slightly. I've also gained back 2 lbs., so now everyone can stop hating me! Sheesh! The reason my hair is always back/up in every picture is because I don't have my extensions in, and frankly - my hair sucks.



Left profile. I have to keep reminding myself that my "new face" won't be set for another 6-8 months. Still some swelling and the bones need to settle into place. I have no idea what all will change.



Right profile. I drew a circle around the knot. Pushing right there allows you to feel it. It also makes it push into my splint on the inside of my mouth. And that hurts. So please don't touch it. :)



Here is a great story about a random act of kindness. I went to our local ice cream shop, Iceberg to get my favorite shake - their Lemon custard extra thick shake. It's expensive. It's HUGE, but I wanted it. I have a little note that I carry around that says essentially "I just had double jaw surgery last week and my teeth are wired shut making it difficult to speak". I have used it a lot. Today was no exception. I handed it to the teenage girl and then struggled through saying "Lemon custard shake". She smiled and rang me up. Then, a very nice lady in the cooking area was asking if the lemon custard shake was mine. I smiled and nodded and she went on to say how it was so good, her favorite, ect, and I just kept smiling and nodding. She looked perturbed as to why I wouldn't speak. I finally struggled through "I'm sorry, I had surgery" and she suddenly changed. She said "Oh! I thought you were mad"! (how did she get that from me nodding and SMILING?) Then she said to the cashier "You didn't charge her did you?" And the cashier looked sheepish and nodded her head. So this nice lady proceeds to return the $4.50 to my credit card and said "you don't need to pay for this - you just worry about getting better."
SO NICE! I love random acts of kindness and it's a good reminder for me to do the same.



Me and my super giant FREE shake that will take me 2 days to eat! :) Love it!

OW!

Day 11. I knew it was too good to be true. I think I've been overdoing it and now I'm ready to crash! I already went back to bed for 30 minutes at about 11 because I just needed lay down with hot packs on my face and neck. This morning at my doc appt. he said that hot packs would help with my hematoma (that's the word for the knot in my cheek - essentially a bruise) and also the bruising on my neck. Then he said because of the size of the knot and the fact that it's pushing my incisions in between my teeth - he doesn't want me to get an infection so he prescribed me ANOTHER set of antibiotics to take 4X day for 10 days!!! Are you kidding?! I just finished my last set this morning and was dancing with joy! Ug. Another thing knocking me down is that my numbness is wearing off a little bit, and pain is taking it's place. I'm not sure which is worse - drooling because I'm numb, or feeling the pain of it wearing off! No pics today - I look the same. I'm hungry. Dang it. I'm going to force my kids in to quiet time so I can take a nap. :)

Double Digits

Today is day TEN post -op. 10 days!!! My surgeon is genius. I did NOT expect that I would be feeling this good - to actually get ready and go to a MALL - by myself! I think my husband wishes we found a doctor that wasn't one of the best of the country, instead. Ha ha. After Dr. Egbert took out my wisdom teeth last year - I was eating pizza 2 hours later. I'm not kidding.
So - here I am today. My face is still lopsided - but I can deal til it goes down now. I have a knot in my cheek - I think that's what causing the swelling, although I have no idea what it actually is. I will be asking my doctor tomorrow. When I push on it - it's about the side of a plum pit and pushes against my incision/stitches on the inside of my mouth, where I feel like I keep biting on my cheek - I think this knot is the real culprit. Can't wait it's resolved.




Left profile. Cheek still a little swollen, and my bottom lip is still very swollen, and has blisters on it from sucking it into my bottom braces when I'm attempting to eat. I'm completely numb, so don't know when I'm doing that.



Right profile. This is the cheek that is extra swollen, now with a knot in it. At least my skinny girraffe neck is coming back - without the colors.



Front profile. That danged swollen/knotty cheek! Grrr. I can't wait til the blisters are gone and I can actually wear LIPSTICK again. Oh, I could right a novel about my love of lipstick. Oh, and this is for Tammy P - those are MY eyelashes - not eyelash extensions or false ones. I've been using a lash conditioner for about 7 weeks now - worth every penny!



This is my attempt to smile with open lips. I know it's horrible to see all that metal -so just picture it with my STRAIGHT pearly whites! (and apparently, I have a pirate for a son).



Honestly though - I thought I'd stay swollen/bruised for much longer. I thought my children would be afraid of me - to look at me - to hear me, but thankfully, this is not the case. The do however, think it's funny (and a little frustrating) when they can't understand me. Lately, they've been trying to talk through their teeth too - it's pretty cute.



I'm so grateful that my recovery is well on the upside. I can't foresee any "relapses" - I can't imagine what they would be unless this knot means something or I'm healing wrong.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped me. Thanks to the girls in the office for cheering me up today. Thanks to Catherine for my FIRST Jamba Juice during this recovery period. Yum.
Love to all.

Second post-op

Disclaimer: these pictures of me (on this blog) are the worst ever taken. I've never posted a "bad" picture of myself until this blog - mostly because I didn't like my smile/bite/face/whatever. So I am trying to be humble and allow everyone to see the nitty - gritty - so that it may help some poor soul who is about to embark upon a similar journey. Happy reading!

So - today was my second post op. My doctor comes breezing in the room saying "are you ready to eat macaroni and cheese - KFC mashed and gravy - omelette's and other things?" So, he takes off my rubber bands, checks my bite (to which he remarks "PERFECT! Now THAT is what you what your doctor to say, right?") I nodded emphatically! Then he showed me different configuration for my rubber bands (all FOUR of them - ug) and told me that I can take them off for 1 hour 3 times a day and that when he sees me on Thursday, he may move it up to 1 1/2 hours 3 times a day!!! So, that's the good news. The bad news is that he thinks my splint will be on for another 5 - 6 weeks, instead of the original 3 - to allow for bone growth in that new open centimeter in the roof of my mouth. Ug. I hate this splint. Life would be so much easier without it. I could handle being wired shut so much better and I could EAT so much better (and breathe and swallow)...but more on that in a minute...So on the way home I stopped at KFC to get my first soft meal. It went a little like this:

This is such a funny picture. This is to show how far I can open my mouth, but I look frightened too. I kind of was - and in pain. So it looks like a decent sized opening right? WRONG (I'll show you in a second why). My muscles have tightened up and I literally can NOT open my mouth wider then that right now. I need to excersize the muscles, which is why I get to take them off periodically now during the day.

This is my lovely meal. KFC mashed and gravy and baked beans. I was soooo excited!



Realizing that even a baby spoon may be too big to fit in my mouth because....



OF THIS DANG SPLINT!!! Sorry it's not a great close up - but you wouldn't want one anyway. Do you see how THICK it is!? So I have to get the baby spoon over my bottom teeth but also past that top splint in order to deposit anything into my mouth! It was such a challenge at first that I cried. The fact that I have no feeling in the lower half of my face doesn't help either. I had to eat with a mirror so I would get something in my mouth, and not on my face/chest/lap!



But - I DID it! It took me the whole hour to eat that tiny bit of mashed and gravy and baked beans in the bowls. I've discovered that I can NOT chew. At all. So I swallowed those 10 beans whole! But the mashed and gravy were fantastic!



Then I got to brush my teeth - the INSIDE for the first time! I got my baby toothbrush out and tried to stick it in my mouth only to discover that it does NOT fit between my bottom teeth and my splint. So...I gave it a haircut. After I cut the bristles about 2/3 of the way down - it slid past the splint and I brushed like crazy!



So - you can't see the rubber bands like I thought you could - but there are 4 rubber bands each making a double triangle of each side of my mouth. I. Can. Not. Open. My. Teeth. At. All.
Oh - you can see that my neck is getting a little less colorful now.



My questions for my surgeon today (and his answers) went a little like this:

Tamara: Will ice still help with swelling at this point?
Dr. Egbert: No. If it's a really hot day, you may swell a little MORE that day, so ice at the end of the day can help with discomfort from the swelling from the day - but not the overall swelling that is left.
Tamara: There is a piece of my right cheek caught in my braces/splint.
Dr. Egbert: That's normal due to swelling. Just open your mouth a tiny bit, use your finger or toothbrush to open your cheek waaaay out and then clench your teeth back down and release your cheek. (I've already been doing that. It's painful).
Tamara: When I touch my top left eyelashes, if feels like I'm touching the bottom of my eyelashes, and not the top.
Dr. Egbert: Big, long explanation about nerves. Summary: he hopes I get the feeling back correctly, eventually.
Tamara: Do I get to keep my new nose and chin? I love them!
Dr. Egbert: Yes. They will stay that way. Most jaw surgery patients don't notice that their nose becomes a little upturned after surgery - they just notice they look better.
Tamara: How will you know when my splint is ready to come out? Guestimate? (He originally told me 3 weeks).
Dr. Egbert: Hmmm...how much did I widen your upper jaw again?
Tamara: 9 mm.
Dr. Egbert: Probably another 5-6 weeks.
Tamara: (Thinking of creative new cuss words in her mind). Ok.
Tamara: How long til all of the swelling is gone?
Dr. Egbert: You'll notice a huge difference by next week's appt.
Tamara: YAY!!

That's all for today. One of my visiting teachers brought homemade mashed potatoes/gravy and chocolate pudding and I think it's time to start my next FREE hour and EAT! :)