Day 7: First post-op visit

It's been one week since surgery! The dreaded first week is over and today I had my first post-op visit with my surgeon. He checked everything out and said that things are looking good. Here's a summary of the questions I had for him:

Q) I've noticed that I still have some lip incompetence. Will my lips naturally meet once the swelling subsides and the splint comes out?
A) We'll see. There are several factors that could be affecting lip closure: splint (once this comes out my bite will close further by about 1 mm), elastics, surgical wire and hooks, and swelling (this is a big one). The upper jaw was impacted 4 mm and the amount of tooth I now show is good. Showing a little more tooth than average is considered "youthful." Things will keep settling as time goes by and the soft tissue adapts to the new bone structure.

Q) I can sometimes hear creaking and cracking sounds when I tense or relax my jaw muscles. This was more common right after surgery than it is now. What is this?
A) I'm not sure what causes the strange sounds that people hear after surgery. It could be creaking bands or splint, but not sure. Very common though and nothing to worry about.

Q) When I mumble I can feel the vibration in my teeth and into my sinuses. Is this normal?
A) Probably just sound bouncing around in the mouth. Again, very common to feel strange things after surgery and it's not a concern.

Q) My eyesight seems worse after surgery. What could this be from? Anesthetic? Medication?
A) I've never heard this question before. This type of surgery shouldn't directly affect eyesight. Remember that your body is working hard to heal and you're lacking energy and sleep, and you're probably a little anemic from blood loss. This can take a toll on the body and can cause eye muscle strain and fatigue. (I also asked my aunt this same question. She's an RN and she said that eyesight can be affected by low fluid levels in the body. Even though I'm getting adequate nutrition I could still be dehydrated and I should increase my water intake.)

Q) My jaw muscles still seem tight or clenched a lot of the time. Will they eventually relax? Or will they tend to pull my jaw back into its previous postured position once the elastics are removed?
A) Eventually the muscles and soft tissues quit fighting and accept their new positions. It just takes some time. The chance of relapse from this issue is much less common now with the use of plates and screws to fix the bones into place.

I also had a new x-ray taken and I got to see all the hardware in my head for the first time! So cool! When I feel my face I can definitely feel the ridges on either side of my chin, but there's too much swelling to feel the other cuts or screws and I don't want to poke around too much.

I've lost 6 pounds this last week, probably mostly fluid because I haven't been starving. I've actually been eating quite a lot and have gotten quite good at feeding myself with the syringe. I can now drink a cup of liquid in about 10 minutes, and my tongue is raw in the places where the liquid flows through my teeth. I'm even developing a blister on my thumb where it pushes on the syringe end. Haha.

The swelling seems to have decreased a lot in the last couple of days. Sound has been muffled since surgery (I'm assuming from swelling near the ears) but yesterday and today I've noticed that this has begun to improve too. Certain sounds such as the doorbell and microwave were lower in pitch right after surgery but now they're starting to sound normal again. I've also had some popping in the ears when swallowing, very similar to the sensation of ear popping in an airplane or after a bad cold, and with each pop the sound gets a little louder. I think using the heating pad on my face during the last couple of days has helped to decrease the swelling, and it also feels really nice on tense jaw muscles.