Never eat anything that can't be put into a syringe!

Ok...that just sounds wrong. Anyhoo...

Last night was rough because the pain was much more acute. I was reluctant to take more medications, however, because I don't want to feel nauseous. Plus, if I throw up, I have to find a way to quickly cut the jaw wires. I now have wire cutters in my purse (every woman's staple). So I am pretty wiped out today. Fortunately, I have no major press conferences either.

EVERYTHING is a production. Partly from pain; partly from feeling awkward; partly from being weak. A bath/shower is a minimum of a half hour; double that if I want to wash my hair. Eating a bowl of soup runs 1-2 hours.

The only way I can get down anything other than juice is with a syringe, squirting the food past my wired teeth. Because I can't breathe through my nose yet since the nasal surgery, half of the food makes it into my mouth; the other half lands on my shirt. Between the blood and drool and snoring, I am quite the little vixen! I now see that the reason people lose weight on liquid diets is not because of what they're eating; it's because half of it lands on their clothes.

Today I saw the facial surgeon, which I will be doing daily for the rest of this and early next week. I also will be visiting an orthopedist for the vertebra fracture(s). The facial surgeon is a delightful mix of very professional with an excellent bedside manner. I feel I am very capable hands. If I am lucky, the nose brace will come off at the end of the week. Unfortunately, the jaw wiring will likely have to stay on longer than 6 weeks because that is the worst of the facial damage, but time will tell. Time will also tell what I will need for additional surgeries and treatment but those can wait until we return home.

Our plan at the moment (and this is in flux) is to leave roughly the middle of next week. By then, the pain and bruising should be down to a dull roar. I'll have mastered the syringe eating technique and be able to walk down a train corridor; I couldn't possibly do that at the moment. We are leaning towards taking the train instead of flying because of the sinus fractures. In theory, I should be able to fly but I'm not eager to find out that was incorrect midway through a 4 hour flight.

Jake and I continue to be deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support we are receiving. I am certain I have the BEST family members and friends in the world. :-) The Clearwater Beach Hilton Hotel staff have been remarkably nice to us as well.

Give someone you care about an extra hug tonight. And I will do the same.

--K--