I never really thought January 7th would arrive. It always seemed very far off and mythical. Now, I am staring at a calendar and realizing, “Oh. I guess this Friday is the day.” Yep. The day they break my upper and lower jaws.
Fenton's, here I come.
Today, I had a fascinating and disturbing pre-op appointment where every nip and incision was detailed. It was interesting until I remembered that this is my destiny in just a few days.
Things That Scare the Crud Out of Me:
- Loosing feeling in my face. The nurse was very casual that paralysis in the face may last up to a year or be permanent. Imagine that awful Novocaine feeling full-time.
- Feeling claustrophobic. I’ve never been claustrophobic but the thought of having my mouth wired shut makes me just want to open wide.
- Eating. I don’t like soup and I can’t even eat Jamba Juice post surgery. No justice.
Weird Things I Learned Today:
- I was the second oldest patient in the mandatory pre-op class. And I was one of only two women. The remainder of the 10 patients were 19-year-old dudes who plan on being cared for by doting moms and grandmas. Ah, youth.
- One should be “zen” about the concept of post-surgical vomiting. Thank you for that image, nurse.
- They want me to eat 3200 calories a day. Even on Thanksgiving I can’t pull down those numbers. Weight loss, here I come!
The last few days, we have made it a family mission to eat whatever I want so I can expunge the cravings from my palette before the big day. It feels like some weird food contest/budding eating disorder. Sushi, Zachary’s pizza and spring rolls are now checked from the list. In-n-Out Burger and Fenton’s are still star attractions yet to come.
I still haven’t decided if I should take pictures and post them here. My husband is a photojournalist and very keen to document my new face, so we’ll see.
