Introduction
I want to get caught up to real time reporting, so I will discuss Days 3-7 of recovery here and now. Then on my next posting you will be hearing the current situation, status and condition.
We are staying at a Marriot Residence Inn just 5 miles from the Hospital and 6 miles from Dr. Li’s office. These Residence Inns are fantastic. We have a kitchen, living area and bedroom all in one with plenty of space. Mary has complimented the room and its design several times….. That’s a good sign.
I have to say, my sleep, my surgery pain, my numbness (or lack of numbness), energy level and feeling rested have not changed much in the past 5 days (except where noted below).
The refrigerator is full of Gatorade, Ensure, apple juice, cranberry-pomegranate juice, prune juice (it worked), beef & chicken broth, turkey gravy, and whole milk (my wife hasn’t allowed me to drink whole milk in the last 20 years – she has weaned me down to no-fat milk).
I came home to the hotel with three medications. I had a prescription filled for Hydrocodone (pain killer) and Cephalexin (antibiotic). I also bought Children’s Liquid Ibuprofen. It is very difficult to find liquid over the counter pain medication for adults.
The Good
My wife is fantastic. She is an angel provided by God. I know I was difficult to live with before surgery and all the stress, but she has stood by me and taken care of me just like I was one of her grandchildren (and we all know how loving and caring she is with the grand children (we have six and two on the way).
I have to make a comment about sleep, since after all that is why I am here and you are reading this. From day one out of surgery, I have noticed a dramatic change in my sleep. I fall asleep immediately into a deep sleep and stay in that deep sleep throughout the night until woken up. I have long, detailed dreams. It has been a peaceful sleep. I wake up and say to myself, no, no I want to go back to sleep. I missed this sleep so much. That being said, I have to say I do not wake up refreshed and energetic. That will come. But it is definitely a good start.
The Pain, the Pain……I am blessed again. My wife and I and by the way we communicate by hand signals, white board and a steno pad (thanks Sharon) have developed three categories of where pain comes from. The jaws, the headaches, and the throat. Arch bars have not bothered me at all…another good news.
My pain levels have ranged from the beginning (Day 1) to now (Day 8) as:
Jaws: 3-5
Headaches: 3-6
Throat: 2-8
Basically my jaw pain was minimal and I went off the Hydrocodone by day six. I used the children’s ibuprofen to take care of the headaches. I thought this might be caffeine withdrawal but I have been having a morning half of cup of coffee (from a regular ceramic coffee cup) for the past four mornings and they have not gotten better (see The Ugly).
The throat is a major issue (see The Ugly). No pain meds seem to help.
Have you noticed there is a lot of good!
The Bad
Getting that peaceful deep sleep is wonderful, but I am not refreshed. I have described it like being at the gas pump and filling the tank. I keep filling it (with good sleep) and yet it never gets full. The gas pump keeps pumping but it is a bottomless tank (right now).
I can’t eat anything at the huge buffet breakfast they have every morning nor anything at the evening snack/dinner/happy hour (One night I did take two sips of a light beer).
The Children’s Liquid Ibuprofen is the worst tasting medicine I have ever taken. It also burns as you swallow it down.
Dr. Li informed us that he wants to keep my teeth wired (rubber banded) closed for two weeks rather than the normal one week. After one week he usually loosens the rubber bands from completely closed to open about a quarter inch. He said he wants the complete closure for an extra week because my jaw bones were somewhat thin. I won’t (or maybe I will) tell Dr. Li I am willing to keep them completely closed for three weeks if that means a stronger bond and a better outcome. As all of you post and MMA patients know, that means just liquids no soft foods into the mouth and on to the stomach.
The Ugly
I have been having a temperature on and off for the past several days ranging from 100 to 102. It appears and disappears throughout the day and night. I have to say I feel terrible most of the time. My sleep is very fragmented because of my temperature and feeling lousy. When I go to swallow the pain is up to 8 &9 on the pain scale. We saw Dr. Li on Monday (Day 7) and I was not doing too bad at the time. He said to call him anytime and he will see me on Wednesday (Day 9).
Well like it always is when you go to the doctor, I started feeling a lot worst that evening and the next day. I emailed him and he called back. I gave him the low down and he thinks it may be the flu. Mary researched on WebMD. My symptoms match strep throat and not the flu. I have had both the H1N1 and regular flu shots and I have not had the flu in over 10 years.
I have to tell you I feel miserable so keep up the prayers. I see Dr. Li this morning. I will post after the appointment.
God Bless you all,
John
Jaws: 3-5
Headaches: 3-6
Throat: 2-8
Basically my jaw pain was minimal and I went off the Hydrocodone by day six. I used the children’s ibuprofen to take care of the headaches. I thought this might be caffeine withdrawal but I have been having a morning half of cup of coffee (from a regular ceramic coffee cup) for the past four mornings and they have not gotten better (see The Ugly).
The throat is a major issue (see The Ugly). No pain meds seem to help.
Have you noticed there is a lot of good!
The Bad
Getting that peaceful deep sleep is wonderful, but I am not refreshed. I have described it like being at the gas pump and filling the tank. I keep filling it (with good sleep) and yet it never gets full. The gas pump keeps pumping but it is a bottomless tank (right now).
I can’t eat anything at the huge buffet breakfast they have every morning nor anything at the evening snack/dinner/happy hour (One night I did take two sips of a light beer).
The Children’s Liquid Ibuprofen is the worst tasting medicine I have ever taken. It also burns as you swallow it down.
Dr. Li informed us that he wants to keep my teeth wired (rubber banded) closed for two weeks rather than the normal one week. After one week he usually loosens the rubber bands from completely closed to open about a quarter inch. He said he wants the complete closure for an extra week because my jaw bones were somewhat thin. I won’t (or maybe I will) tell Dr. Li I am willing to keep them completely closed for three weeks if that means a stronger bond and a better outcome. As all of you post and MMA patients know, that means just liquids no soft foods into the mouth and on to the stomach.
The Ugly
I have been having a temperature on and off for the past several days ranging from 100 to 102. It appears and disappears throughout the day and night. I have to say I feel terrible most of the time. My sleep is very fragmented because of my temperature and feeling lousy. When I go to swallow the pain is up to 8 &9 on the pain scale. We saw Dr. Li on Monday (Day 7) and I was not doing too bad at the time. He said to call him anytime and he will see me on Wednesday (Day 9).
Well like it always is when you go to the doctor, I started feeling a lot worst that evening and the next day. I emailed him and he called back. I gave him the low down and he thinks it may be the flu. Mary researched on WebMD. My symptoms match strep throat and not the flu. I have had both the H1N1 and regular flu shots and I have not had the flu in over 10 years.
I have to tell you I feel miserable so keep up the prayers. I see Dr. Li this morning. I will post after the appointment.
God Bless you all,
John
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