Out and About

This marks the first day where I spent a large portion of the day outside of the house. Had lunch in Berkeley with my younger half-brother, Sam, and his girlfriend, Gina (who's visiting from New York). They had pasta, and I had a yummy peanut butter and chocolate milkshake - which I drank from the cup directly. God it tasted so good! It feels so much better now that I no longer have to use the syringes. My zip 'n squeeze packs still haven't arrived. I wonder how much longer it'll take?

As soon as he saw me, Sam said that my face is still very much swollen. "If I didn't know you, I'd probably think that's just how you look. But I KNOW you. Your face is still puffy. Plus, you've lost so much weight, so it's even more noticeable since it's a bigger head on a smaller frame." I showed him my chipmunk photo to prove that it's a LOT better now. He exclaimed - "Wow, I wouldn't have even guessed that it was YOU!"

By the way, the photo of me in pink WAS over-exposed. Sam thinks I look more swollen than that, and I agree.

The photo on the left was from Thanksgiving last year. See the difference? :)

Sigh. I can't wait to deflate completely. It's a long wait. Some articles online say it could take up to 6 months. Six months!!

But, I suppose as time goes by, this would weigh less and less on my mind. After all, there are plenty of other things to focus on - for instance, simply living a life. Work. Social events. Friends. Museums to check out. Books to read. Cities to visit. Food to savor. Oops. I'm back to square one.

Milestone: Two Weeks Post Op

Two weeks post op falling on Valentine's Day. Just perfect. I'm so happy that the surgery and the hospital stay are over. Breathing remained difficult for at least a week, though I've learned some remedies to nasal congestions first-hand. My face continues to deflate, which is a very good thing, as Valentine's Day provides ample opportunities for photographs, and certainly no one wants to look like a chipmunk in those. :P

Can't believe I'm showing you all the photo on the left, taken the day after my surgery, almost two weeks ago. OK, laugh all you want. :D This was my swelling at its absolute worst. I looked like Miss Chipmunk-Piggy (hyphenated last names are so cool). No make-up (of course!), no jewelry - nothing but a big 'ol pumpkin head/chipmunk face. Everything felt painfully swollen and stretched to the max starting from right below my eyes. Dr. Li laughed when he saw me, as did Doug and Isabelle. Hmmmmmmmm.... I WONDER WHY. Note to self: do NOT run this photo when I campaign for public office. ;)

Today, thankfully, I look somewhat normal again, as seen in the photo on the right, from yesterday. I've definitely come a LONG way. Still noticeable swelling in my face - however, the rest of me has definitely deflated - as in, I've lost 15 lbs since the operation. My clothes fit better now, and they hang loose. Don't worry, my BMI is a healthy 21.1, right where it should be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

New Kid on the Block

Introducing the newest member of the Cabbage Patch Kids - yours truly. ;) The swelling has gone down quite a bit... and the bruises are shining through. I've had friends asking me if that's some kind of yellow healing creme on my face! Hahahaha. Um, no. Just old fashioned bruises.

Posing with the Monkey

Face deflating just a bit. The skin didn't feel as tight and stretched as the night before. I could spare some to squeeze out a smile now. ;)