I've been unhinged!!!

[singer19]

It's been 3 weeks and 2 days since my surgery and since I was wired shut--but I got the wires taken off this morning!!!

I have to say that it was not the wonderful relief I had anticipated. I knew I wouldn't be able to open my mouth very much and that the muscles would be totally atrophied from their 3-week stay in a single position. But I had no idea how strangely "floaty" my lower jaw would feel--nor how much it would hurt to even try to open just a couple of millimeters. I almost passed out from the sheer weirdness and pain of the sensations.

But it is now 4 hours later and I am getting more comfortable. I nearly have to force myself to move my jaw a little when I talk--I'm just so use to talking through clenched teeth. LOL. I am also realizing that I am not, in fact, going to be able to eat even close to normally. I tried eating some chicken noodle soup (with tiny star noodles) and it just wouldn't work. I ended up trying to slurp it off of the tip of a spoon because that's as much of the spoon I could fit between my teeth. It was exhausting...

So, more shakes and purees. My doc said I'm a strictly NO CHEW diet for the next 3 weeks. I guess I'm finally going to order those Zip N Squeeze bags. I didn't see the point before because I could only get liquid, non-textured stuff through the wires anyway. But maybe I'll enjoy some of the concoctions I've read about here.

I just hope that this is truly the beginning of the end!