First Surgery Recovery Day 14: Two weeks in & feeling good

I made it to the two week point. I remember wishing for this day when it was the night of my surgery, just a few hours following the operation. If you're wondering what things are like today compared to two weeks ago, here are some of the differences:

  • Bleeding in the nose stopped a week ago

  • Drooling is controllable

  • I don't feel the need to take any Vicodin, and don't want to since I feel like crap when I wake up after taking one the night before

  • I'm feeling a bit more energy

But I'm still very much in recovery. The following things are in my mouth right now:

  • Braces and wires on the back

  • Brackets on the front

  • Rubber bands

  • Splint with wiring

So it's no picnic right now. The next big step is getting the splint out of my mouth. My surgeon told me two days ago that he plans on doing it by the 4-6 week point. That means sometime between February 3rd and 21st. If he wants me to go a full six weeks, I'll do it. No reason to ask him to take it out early, jeopardizing my recovery.

Today was only the second day I've taken a nap since my surgery. I don't remember when I took the first nap, but it was about a week ago, and lasted from 8-9pm. When I woke up, it felt like it should have been 3am. In other words, it didn't feel good. I probably should know by now that it's not good to start a nap after dark. For today's nap, I planned to sleep for about 30 minutes, from 4:30-5pm, and I did exactly that. It felt great. It was short and I woke up three minutes before my timer went off. I don't recommend napping often, but if you hit a moment of being extremely tired, get in bed for 30 minutes with a timer.

I played more Hitman: Absolution today on PC. I bought it for $4.99 on Steam and couldn't be more satisfied. It's a really solid game. I also watched another documentary called The Square, about Tahrir Square in Egypt.

I went on a quick walk today. It lasted around 10-15 minutes, only because the wind chill was -5 degrees Fahrenheit, same as -21 Celsius. I could feel the cold assaulting my face and numb lips, so I put more Vitamin A&D ointment on them when I returned. If you're able to get your jaw surgery when the weather is warm (without delaying things too much), I'd do it. It's rather unpleasant when it's this cold out. Getting outside for a few minutes a day is important, so don't plan for January and February if you're able.

I did more work from home today, and as I said previously I plan on going back next Monday. My lips are still a bit swollen, as is my face, but the drooling seems controllable at this point. Swelling is supposed to last for several months, though at a certain point only I will be able to notice by feeling. It'll still be present, but not visibly to others. As for work, I won't be doing much talking for a few weeks when I return, but I do plan on helping out in whatever way possible.

Jordan Liles