6 Months Already

It’s been six months since my Dec 1st jaw surgery! Things keep getting better, slowly but surely. I still have the numb patch on my face that goes from the left side of the lower lip to the bottom of the left side of my chin. I also have a little bit of dull pain, like sinus pain; it’s not been bad except for around Easter when I got a massive sinus infection that eventually spread to both my eyes. My whole face was so, so sore for weeks—it felt like I was recovering from surgery all over again!

I can finally eat whatever I want, I just go a little slower with the crunchy/chewy stuff because I don’t have a lot of side-to-side motion when I chew. And I still can’t open my mouth quite as wide as I used to, so sometimes I can’t bite into something huge without tearing it into smaller pieces first.

When I got the braces off a few months ago, the midline of my upper jaw was dead-on—it lined up perfectly with my upper lip. However, the lower jaw was off to the right side just a hair. That is slowly, slowly starting to line up correctly as well. The orthodontist explained to me last month that this is from the muscles in the face not moving for so long, not necessarily because the bones aren’t in the right place. So we’re waiting to see if it just settles into place on it’s own. Sometimes it just takes time! But really, it’s something that no one will ever notice but me…

I also had to do some whitening treatments with my dentist; the braces left some teeth a little discolored. I’m still doing a whitening tray in the evenings, but am really happy with my smile right now! Teeth have stayed nice and straight (permanent retainer on bottom, and clear Invisalign retainer on top while I sleep). Biggest change in my facial structure is that I actually have a chin now because it was pulled forward so much—definitely makes for a better profile! It’s also been the source of much gossip—I’ve heard rumors that I had a chin implant, weight-loss surgery, liposuction, you name it.

To date, I’ve lost 25 lbs since the surgery, and somehow kept it off! I really tried to change my eating habits throughout this whole experience--and stick to it. It’s motivating when you see such quick results, so in a way I was lucky to “have to” lose it the way I did—because I didn’t have a choice!