Week #5: Highs and Lows

Not a whole lot has changed this week, so I'll save the next video and photos for the six week milestone. I will give you the highs and lows of the past seven days, though, just to sum it up for ya.

Highs:

-Miniature golfing with my mini sisters-in-law to-be, and having enough energy to keep up with them (and win!) over 36 putt-putt holes—yes, we played two rounds.

-More solid-ish foods! This week I discovered that I could consume both chocolate cake and rice krispies without chewing. I had 3 slices of cake at my almost-nephew's birthday party. And I've swallowed soggy cereal for my last 3 meals, which might sound gross, but it's just SO nice to eat something that hasn't been put through a blender.

-It's not really surgery related, but it's still extremely exciting: my wedding dress is done! It's currently on its way from the designer's shop in Portland to my house. It'll probably be pretty big on me now, what with 8% of my pre-surgery weight gone, but I still can't wait to put it on and dance around my room before taking it in for alterations.

-Practically no pain killers. I think I only took ibuprofen on two occasions this week, and I'm feeling much less susceptible to pain and headaches.

-An itty-bitty bit more feeling came back in my left cheek, along with some tingling on my upper lip and the occasional zap*, which happens anywhere/everywhere. *I'll explain what I mean by a zap in my next video.

Lows:

-My latest appointment with the surgeon (refer to my last blog post).

-I don't know if the plates and screws in my face are acting as magnets to basketballs and golf balls, but it certainly feels that way. Whenever playing a game with a ball, it ends up hitting me in the face. During rounds of both lightening and hillbilly golf, on separate days and occasions, I ended up getting clocked in the face, which obviously hurt more considering all the broken bones that are trying to heal in there. And no one else got hit in the face with anything—what's the deal?
-Losing weight is great and all, except for when none of your clothes fit right anymore.
-I still can't chew. Enough said.

-After the one-month mark, I think people suddenly expect me to be perfectly okay and 100% healed. I've been getting a lot of, "All your swelling is gone!" and "You're recovered!" Neither of those things are entirely true, and it becomes a little frustrating when people tell you that you feel great when that's not necessarily the case. I'm still distracted by the numbness, am unable to move my face normally, have some puffiness left in my cheeks and upper lip, experience discomfort when talking or smiling too much, etc.