so i got home a little bit ago...
...from the follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon. they said everything seems to be going well, but they were surprised the stitches were all still intact. i told them they were driving me crazy (some had developed tails...others were rubbing uncomfortably), so they cut them out for me. OMG I CAN CHEW NOW. i kinda suspected one of them was pulling uncomfortably, making it suck, and its absence confirms my theory. i'm still sore, but not in the same sort of way. i celebrated by eating a banana and like 3 brownies and maybe that many coconut macaroons, woot.