It's been two weeks since I had surgery and the recovery has been good. No infections, drain removed (ahem, Dwayne) and sutures have been about for about a week. I've had some itching around the incision because it's healing.
Eating has been an issue though. Since the incision was right in front of my ear, scar tissue formed in the area making it difficult for me to open my mouth wide enough to get food in. Never thought that'd be a concern. So I have continued to consist on soft foods. My palate has been graced with "real food" but it hurt so bad that I had to take Percocet or Tylenol last week to deal with the pain. As of yesterday, the pain has greatly subsided, but I'm still taking things slowly.
I have had A LOT of itching inside my left ear. My mom, aka Florence Nightingale, said while cleaning the area after I got home, she found blood in my ear. GROSS. But I am thinking that it was from surgery. But it itches, bad. And then it hurts. It hurtches. I've been using ear drops to address this annoying part of recovery.
The main concern now is possible nerve damage in a small area around my lip. Dr. CD said that when I came out of surgery my entire face moved just fine. During surgery, they used nerve stimulation to follow the nerves to avoid them when taking out Timmy and after to make sure everything was still working.
Yup. They Tasered my face.
But the last two post-op visits, Dr. CD seemed concerned that that one area was still not working when it clearly was before. Maybe I just have a lazy lip. At my next appointment, he may talk about what can be done to get it working again.
Here are some photos to illustrate my point.
Warning: The person appearing in the photos below did her own hair and is still in bed. She is suffering from Socialitewannabe-itis. It was caused by being confined to her home for two weeks. It is not catching and the cure is to return to work.
Exhibit A:
And now that I said that, you are looking again and thinking, ...well maybe a little. Sorta. Kinda.
Exhibit B:
Aww, she's smiling. Again. Not much difference. She's just someone whose smile is slightly favoring one side. Not too bad. Okay. What's the big deal, you say???
Exhibit C:
THIS IS THE BIG DEAL!!!
Clearly you can see what I am talking about! I am not doing my Pop-Eye impression, this is what is going on now. That one part just doesn't move as it should. Hopefully the nerves will wake up and do their job. Every other part of my face works fine. There is tingling in my face as the feeling slowly comes back. My ear is getting less numb and the scar tissue under the skin is not as thick as it was last week. My speech is okay except that my lip gets in the way when I say words that start with the letters F and V. And C. And O. Wait, I am saying the alphabet right now and noticing how much we need our lips to correctly pronounce words. Correction. My speech is fine but it sounds like I have something in my mouth. Like chewing tobacco.
Furthermore, I have taken to mostly using straws because liquids seem to fall out of my mouth more often than it did previous. I can get a tight seal on the right side of my mouth.
Lastly, Exhibit D:
This is not my attempt to look enticing or to seduce anyone, but my failed attempt to whistle! One whole side doesn't work. It's kinda funny to see me trying.
Well, since you've asked for more, here is one of my version of Edvard Munch's The Scream:
Pitiful.
This is as much as I can open my mouth. Apples and ice cream cones everywhere are rejoicing.
So this is how I'm doing. I am hanging in there and getting my backside into gear as I return to both my jobs on Monday and then into the swing of things. I did take a walk early this afternoon. To all the mothers out there. I was bundled up in layers. I had on gloves and a scarf and a hat. I wore glasses and the incision area was well covered. I looked like a very lumpy and suspicious person walking around the track.
Until next time...
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