Day 28: Sneezing, Nervous, and Chocolate Raspberries

Strangely enough, even though my surgery was almost four weeks ago I have not sneezed once since my surgery. Why does this matter you may ask - the reason is that there some facial actions that cause significant discomfort if you just had double jaw surgery! Some of these actions include yawning, blowing your nose, and the biggest of all, sneezing . . .


Twenty-eight days post-op so far I have yawned a few times but my surgeon told me to hold my hand under my lower jaw when I felt a yawn coming on so as to support the jaw and not let it be jarred. I still feel it in my jaw joints but at least my jaws are not extending open when I yawn - thankfully! :)

I admit that I have a seriously ugly sneeze (nasal sneeze vs. mouth sneeze!) and I sneeze a lot but for some reason I have not sneezed once since my surgery! That all changed last night however but I sneezed three or four times in the space of twenty minutes. One word, ouch. Simple rule I came up with - don't sneeze, it hurts your jaws. Period. I tried supporting my jaw and perhaps it helped but it sure didn't feel like it. I wonder if you could jar your jaw so much that your really damage it? I seriously hope not!

I find myself looking the profile photographs that I took last night (see yesterday's post) and I have to admit, I am tad worried as I really don't like my profile presently. Now don't get me wrong, I recognise that I am still swollen a lot in my face (chipmunk face or droopy dog look, take your pick) and it obviously affects the way that my profile looks. It takes up to a year for the swelling to go away so I really will not have a realistic idea of what my profile will look like for quite some time. That said, it was the first time since my surgery that I really have looked at my profile. That may sound strange but I figured, what was the point given my swelling! I should have kept not looking! :)

I expanded my horizons this evening where food is concerned (I know, I am living dangerously!) and I actually put some non-soft food in my mouth! Of course, the Doc. has told me that I am only allowed to eat soft, soft, foods but my wife made chocolate raspberries this afternoon and I love chocolate raspberries!

I obviously could not chew them (not the chocolate and definitely not the raspberry!) but my wife suggested just putting them in my mouth and letting them melt! Fantastic idea! So, I found a small chocolate raspberry (and cut a few of the larger ones subsequently) and managed to get it in my mouth and let it slowly melt for the next three or our minutes! Mmmmm, it was sooooo tasty and delicious! :) The chocolate tasted great and then the raspberry slowly dissolved. It actually ade me appreciate them more than I ever have as I completely savored the flavours. Lesson for life :)