I can't believe that it's been over two weeks since Chris's surgery. We spent years waiting for it to happen that it still feels surreal that the surgery chapter has opened and closed. We are fully into the routine of recovery mode now. Chris had another appointment yesterday to take an x-ray at the doctor's office. It was a quick appointment and we will review the results next Tuesday when we go in for his weekly check up.
Chris has spent a lot of time going to doctor's appointments since his surgery that today feels like a nice break because he has no appointments scheduled. His day consists of doing exercises three times a day (he also gets to practice talking and brushing his teeth - woo!), continuing pain meds as needed (though he has needed them significantly less this week), drinking blended food until he is content, watching TV shows, taking naps as needed (the exercises make him really tired because they're hard work!), and researching new fun foods to eat. He also has to deal with short-term disability paperwork (bah - no fun!) and insurance (also no fun) - a never-ending battle.
He's no longer sleeping in a recliner but rather in a bed lying all the way down. I think he prefers this because being propped up at an angle caused him to feel pressure and pain on his upper jaw. He would relax his lower jaw and then the elastics would pull down on his upper jaw and it would be hard to get comfortable and sleep through the pain. I know he wishes he could also sleep on his side but that won't be an option until many more weeks have passed and his bone grafts and cheek augmentation have healed.
We're beginning to look forward to the holidays! We're optimistic that Chris will be up for a trip to LA/Orange County for Christmas. We are going to play everything by ear and just take it day by day, but things look promising. The keys for successful travel will be to make sure that we bring our fancy blender (!!) and don't let him overdo it. We will probably only have short outings to visit family and friends and we'll also limit the number of outings per day so that he doesn't get over tired. Naps will be his best friend. :) I'm looking forward to enjoying a long holiday weekend and then coming back to Santa Barbara for the new year.
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