Stranger in the Mirror

Went on a hike and had lunch (soft Korean tofu pot) with my ex colleague Cindy. When I climbed out of the car to meet her, she said that my face has definitely changed from below the eyes. Yeah, tell me about it. I'm still getting used to the stranger in the mirror. Sometimes I shield the lower half of my face just so I can still recognize myself, and see the old and familiar me. It's an odd feeling.

When I went to see my Japanese hairdresser last week to get my bangs cut, he returned blank stares when I walked in and waved at him, as if he didn't know me. When I finally sat down in the chair, he said, looking unsure and puzzled - "Kristen, you look strange." LOL. "You mean I look DIFFERENT. Yeah, I had jaw surgery and my face is still swollen." "Oh!" He looked more comfortable now that he understood why I seemed "strange". After the haircut, as I tried to tip him, he kindly pushed back and said - "No, no. Take care of yourself!". That was nice of him. :)

On a separate note, Dr. Li (my OS) called to say he didn't usually recommend physical therapy (meaning MLD) to his patients until after eight weeks - but since I asked, he'd be happy to fax over a prescription. He suggested doing some jaw-opening exercises. I think I might still go see the MLD therapist on Thursday, just to check it out and see if it might make a difference.