Two Months Before & After

Hi folks!

I can't believe it's been two months already, since my double jaw surgery. But somehow it feels longer, even though the time has just zoomed by.

The milestone calls for another before and after comparison. The photo on the left (in the Paul Frank braces t-shirt) was taken right before I headed out the door to the ortho appointment to get the braces on. That was February 7th, 2006.

The photo on the right was taken this morning, two months after my surgery. My face does look rounder.... I can see why some people would chalk that up to weight gain. My lower 1/3 face seems less prominent. The feature are more in proportion. Some days I think the differences are subtle. Other times I think "oh my God, now I'm stuck with a round face!" What's your take on it? How much/little has your appearance changed post surgery?




Here (in the photo above) you see me in December 2005, December 2006, and this morning, from left to right. See how my lower jaw is shorter, and my gummy smile reduced? Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Old Habits Die Hard

I'm not wearing rubber bands at night anymore. Woke up the other day to find my lower jaw slightly thrust forward. Very slightly, but very worrisome. Are my jaw muscles seeking their old positions?

Meanwhile, my right lower lip and right chin continue to feel numb and tingling. The jaws feel dull and tight, but less so as the days go by. The cheeks are gradually deflating, as the cheekbones gradually lower. I can't wait until all these changes finally stop and whatever I get stay permanent.

Still on a soft food diet, but I'm really enjoying cutting food with my front teeth! Sounds silly, right? Avocados, scrambled eggs, potatoes - even shrimp - bring them on! While slurping noodles the other day, I caught myself cutting the strands between my upper teeth and tongue (which I used to do to compensate for the gap between my edge-on-edge bite). THAT was a weird moment, realizing I didn't have to do that anymore. Old habits are hard to break. But it is time. And I can. :)