Day 90 - Milestones and Blustery Days

Hello bloggers! Today marks a special day - 90 days have passed! Ninety days ago I came out of the OR to begin this whole crazy recovery adventure, and in that 90 days I've become a new person inside and out. I have become stronger and more self-assured. My mind and body have been put to the test, and I've come out the other side a better person. I know that even at my very lowest and most desperate, there is always the hope of a better tomorrow, and that when I look back, I immensely proud of what I have done and the lessons I've taken from it. Most of all I feel blessed, so incredibly blessed.

So 90 days out finds me again at physical therapy. Swelling is decreasing and mobility is improving. My neck and shoulder muscles are getting back their stretch after so many days of tension. Apparently my body tries to defend my face even when I don't think about it, so my muscles are all knotted up; this is another thing my therapist is working with me on. I've also been given clearance to start the jaw-opening exercises again, now that the swelling is going away a bit. This physical therapy thing is actually pretty cool, and I've learned a lot already.

And of course my jaw - who could possibly forget my jaw? After all it is the reason for this entire crazy surgery and blog thing! Well at 90 days out I'm pretty sure the bones are fused and the breaks are healed. There is of course still gaps where cuts were made, but these will fill in by the six-month mark. In all honesty my bones are probably a heck of a lot stronger than I think, but I still baby them and worry over little bumps and nudges. That's probably going to be the last thing to "heal" - the fear that I'm going to collapse my face and see 13.5 hours of surgery go out the window.  Swelling is back down to where it was about 2 weeks ago. The warm soaks and upright sleeping are definitely helping.

Numbness still exists even now. Some days are worse than others, but it's usually the most numb in my gums. My chin and lips are still only half back to normal. At this point the combination of slow recovery and me getting used to it, the numbness is really a non-issue. I definitely think that I'll get full sensation eventually. Pain? It doesn't factor in beyond fatigue and soreness from exercise and nerve twinges.

Today has been, to quote Winne the Pooh, "a rather blustery day." As such I didn't really get to do much. Tomorrow I've got another exam (when does it end?) and then it's off to do sisterly things with Zoe. She and I will be heading home for the weekend to enjoy some fall fun with the family and I'm looking forward to it.

90 days also brings the question of how long I should continue this blog. Originally I had planned to go to day 90 (today!), but I feel like there's still so much healing that I want to document. Already I'm grateful for what I have, and I feel like stopping now would be leaving my work unfinished. I'll probably keep going until life is so normal I forget - that's when everything will be back to "normal." 

Hopefully you've all been keeping out of the wind. Be well!