One week, one year.
Two things to celebrate today. First off, it's been one week since I had upper and lower jaw surgery. Once again, I'd like to thank my friends, fans, and the comicking community at large for making this happen.
(Me, one week ago, fresh off the table. That is my happy face.)
Second, it's been one year since my marriage to Joe Komenda. I just want to acknowledge what a trooper he's been through all of this fuss. Marriage is a partnership, and Joe's an awesome partner, and I'm proud to be with him. I was going to draw a really cute picture of the two of us to put up here, but I fell asleep while drawing it. (I'm having sleeping issues.) Next year, I won't be recovering for surgery on our anniversary. I'll try again then! But wow, what a year. We got married, got a house, and I had surgery. (I don't think that any one of those could have happened if they all didn't happen together.)
Post Surgery Updates!
Some people have requested and address to send Get-Well-Soon cards to:
Rachel Nabors, P.O. Box 31901, Raleigh, NC 27622-1901
Day 5, from now on to be referred to as the Worst Day of My Life Ever. That's when the swelling set in. And I was still having problems drinking without choking to death. (And I was supposed to be drinking 2.5 quarts of liquids a day!)
Day 7, bruising is much greener than it appears here, making me look like a zombie. I've got a dark blue-green stream that runs from under my chin to my sternum where the fluid in my chipmunk cheeks has been slowly draining. It is gooshy and weird.
Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of discomfort I've been experiencing. Recovery has been slower than I was hoping for. Sleeping is hard. Eating is hard. Cleanliness is hard. Everything is hard.
The meds are pretty harsh, too. I am on a liquid diet and pills, pills, pills, and oh yeah, liquids that make you queazy if not taken with a hearty snack :D Yesterday my body rejected the 4 ibuprofen/2 tsp lortab elixir I'd been forcing into my stomach every three hours to control pain and inflammation. My tummy threatened mutiny and pain, so I went most of the day without food or pills. Which lead to more pain. And hot flashes. You know, just to mix it up.
The swelling is at least finally starting to go down a bit. As it does, I'm learning how much feeling I have left in my face. Since my awesome surgeon used tiny chisels to cut through my lower jaw instead of a saw, my main nerve was not accidentally severed! But it was, predictably, damaged (that's inevitable for this sort of surgery). And because my upper jaw was detached from my skull, it's nerves were severed as well (although I'm told they'll slowly creep back over time). I have no feeling left from my nostrils to my lips to my chin, just enough of my mouth for me to make a mess of anything I try to eat or imbibe! I also drool almost constantly now, and I don't know how to make it stop. At least I no longer have to feel how uncomfortable all my braces and wires are. Poky bits be damned!
There is something that troubles me, though. The surgeon said it looks like the anesthesiologists accidentally shifted my septum when they were putting the respiration tubes down my nose. The cartilage in my nose is all off to one side and it's weird and painful and freaks me out. I was hoping it was just swelling, but I am not so sure now. I'll ask them about it on Thursday. Seriously, I don't want to have to get a nose job because of a "deviated septum." I have already done horrible icky surgery on my face! Do not want to do it again!!
I worked right up to the moment I put my bags in the car and we headed to Charlotte. Now that I'm back, I'm exhausted. I had to jettison some projects that I didn't think I could get back to in a timely manner, passing them on to other freelancers. I'm taking a break from freelancing for the foreseeable future at the urging of my husband. I've been hustling money for this surgery for three years, and I shouldn't jeopardize my recovery now. I just need to cool my jets for 2-3 months and work on knitting bones and regaining my strength. It's hard because I'm still mentally set to "work work work". I feel guilty when I'm not working. I asked the surgeon if I could go back to work in a week, and he laughed and told me I'd need at least three. Now I'm worried I'll need more, and I feel guilty about that, too.
I just want you to know...
I now have enough room in my mouth to fit my tongue. I do not have to leave my jaws half open with my tongue poking out all the time like I used, and this is even with the cumbersome and bulky splint in place. You have no freaking idea how happy that makes me. No more biting my tongue when someone startles me!
My heart is touched by the amount of concern and care I've been receiving, both on and offline. My coworkers and real-life acquaintances have been reaching out in ways that continue to surprise me. Lady friends have been coming over to keep me company. I never would have thought to ask for companionship, but I'm genuinely grateful to have it. I feel loved. Thank you.