More updates

Today I went to see a dentist about my front teeth, which still are a little loose and still hurt when I bite something. He said that he thought there had probably been some mild shifting. I'll return in a few weeks and have some teeth shaved down. Hopefully that will solve the problem. He also seemed to think braces and even a retainer won't be necessary. Hopefully he's correct.

Inspired by how well things were going, I tried eating a carrot last week. To say that didn't turn out to be a good plan would be a mammoth understatement. Trying to use my front teeth to bite into it was about as effective as trying to use my nose to bite into it. They weren't strong enough or anchored enough and it hurt.

I then tried just using my molars, a very attractive method (try eating a carrot by putting into the side of your mouth to bite into it). My right side, where the accident had occurred, couldn't chew it at all. My left could, leaving me with jaw spasms severe enough to require Vicodin.

If eating a vegetable leaves you needing heavy pain medications after doing so, it's a good sign that eating the vegetable was a bad idea.

Fortunately, my birthday was the next day and all that required was that I get through a piece of cake. Much safer. Still, I opted for a soft foods diet that day, after the previous day's trauma. Chocolate pudding went down just fine though.

--K--

Happy 51st Birthday!

First, let me explain...I LOVE birthdays. My own. Other people's. Doesn't matter. I think an occasion that demands cake and ice cream should be a national holiday.

I have a LOT to celebrate this year. I could have been hurt much much worse. I could be writing this from a wheelchair. Or not writing this. Or writing it with plates in my face. And none of those things are true. So even though I'm not yet fully recovered, I am in great shape compared to where I was even two weeks ago.

I also celebrate how much support and encouragement I've received. I don't know how much psychological factors and karma influence the healing process, but I'm certain that they do. I keep hearing how upbeat I've been and, truth be told, I don't think I could have maintained that without the constant stream of well wishes I've received over this now 2.5 month period. I'm really really lucky.

Last, but not least, I celebrate my wonderful loving family. Jake has been a partner in every sense of the word. My stepsons regularly kept me in heavy supplies of hugs and laughter. My brother Alan was always with me and I still wear the bracelet he gave me when I was in the hospital.

As for my parents...my resiliency was passed down from four remarkable individuals. I received some of the most terrific messages from my stepmother Lee. I know my mom and Harry (stepfather) were behind me every step of the way, even though they're not physically present anymore.

As for my dad...well, the sense of humor in me is clearly genetic. I think he enjoyed reading this blog from wherever he is now even as much as I enjoyed writing it.

--K--

All the news that's fit to print

Hi there, friends of segwaysarebad! Progress marches on.

I even went to a restaurant (Panera) this weekend. That was probably a week or so premature. Yes, I can eat soup but going out for soup wasn't what I had in mind. I ordered a salad and bread but discovered that I had to put the food into my mouth and kind of let it "melt" a little first before trying to chew it. Which didn't quite lend itself to the experience I was hoping for.

My front teeth still hurt, which surprised the surgeon. I'll have a consultation with her later this week. My bite is off too. Once the issue with my teeth is cleared up, I'll see my dentist. I am really hoping I don't need braces! That was bad enough when I was 13. My birthday is this Friday, and I don't think it's going to be more fun at 51, thank you very much.

My lips are still very swollen and sore and numb. At work, from time to time, I find a lisp slips out because I can't really feel where my lips are. Hardly a big deal, but it feels odd when it happens.

At this point, I'm ready to have the nasal surgery behind me. Still, I know it's better for my mouth to be stable before launching into this next round of adventures.

All this notwithstanding, I feel like I'm on the home stretch, even if it's a long stretch...

--K..

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work we go...

Today was my first day back at work (well, tomorrow officially is). I am really off my game. I couldn't remember a lot of what I do on autopilot, especially too early in the morning. Getting out the door required a lot of extra thought.

I couldn't quite get the makeup routine down, which was also hampered by figuring out how to maneuver around parts of my face that still hurt or are still numb. And putting it on made me again realize how swollen my jaw and lips still are.

And I missed the exit off of the highway a couple of times. I wasn't tired; I just wasn't used to having to concentrate so hard on what hadn't needed concentration before.

That aside, it was nice to be back; I work with a good crowd. It was an interesting day interacting with folks and catching up. I also spent part of the day finding "treasures" around my office. All kinds of goodies, like an extra pair of shoes for when I had to wear boots in and other such odds and ends that I brought home.

And food! I am definitely feeling the effects of not having eaten much for the past two months. My appetite came back in spades today. I had to pace myself and I still ate a lot more than I had been. It feels good now not to be hungry and better still to make it past a Rye Krisp cracker!!

--K--

The food festival marches on

I haven't posted for a little while. Mostly because, I'm happy to say, there's less and less to report about recovery from the accident. Which in and of itself is huge. But there was also a little interference from a visit from Jake's parents, which was very welcome, and a major computer crash, which was not.

I was told by the surgeon that my front teeth would stop hurting so much, and this is true. I was also told I needed to stay with a soft foods diet for a week or so; also true.

But progress on the eating front is happening rapidly. Vegetables don't have to be quite as overcooked. And yesterday, I made it through melon and strawberries. I treated myself to fruit from Whole Foods, because I figured if I was going to eat fruit again for the first time in months, it was going to be really good fruit. No more Spaghettio's types of experiments. I still have to gingerly eat small pieces and chew a lot...but it's not yogurt in a syringe!

My lips and lower jaw are still notably swollen and probably will be for the foreseeable future. I'm told that just makes me a trend setter, like Angela Jolie. Which is ironic, because people keep coming up to me, mistaking me for her. :-) Perhaps I'll keep this look!

--K--

Continuing on...

I'm continuing to make progress and really excited about it! Tonight, I tried eating a mushroom. That didn't go too well. But I am eating overcooked vegetables. And I tried a can of Nick's Spaghettio's with meatballs, out of curiosity. My stomach was not happy at all (hard to believe that's considered food!), but the noodles and "meatballs" (which is a huge misnomer!!) had been soaking for so long, I was able to swallow it just fine. Progress in leaps and bounds!

My surgeon said that the issue with my front teeth is common after the wires are removed. I can't believe I didn't knock out any teeth when I fractured most of the bones in my face. Anyway, the front teeth are beginning to feel a little more normal again.

My lips are still pretty swollen. I had been attributing that to the wires but now I realize it's also (or mostly) from having injured them and needing stitches when I fell. That seems to be taking a long time to heal, since it's been nearly 2 months.

Since I'm eating more, my craving for burgers has diminished significantly. I'm still pretty happily eating chocolate pudding daily. I think that may be a staple that I continue with for awhile, even when I can chew peanuts again!

[The Next Day...] My jaw is not happy at all. I think I overdid it yesterday. I think I'll go back to that "go slowly" thing.

--K--

Good news!

I got the wires out today! I hadn't expected that when I went to see the surgeon; I thought it would just be a usual follow-up appointment.

The process itself was a little daunting. He gave me between 10-15 shots of Novocain. I wasn't doing too well by about #6. Then he said I'd feel a little pressure and then experience something like flossing (since the wires are pulled between each tooth). If you've ever flossed with razor wire, you can probably relate.

Now I have to work my way up to regular food. I tried a canned carrot, which sent spasms through my jaw, as does too much talking. So I'm still on purees, soups, and being a lot less loquacious than usual.

Also, something is wrong with my front teeth. They feel loose, for lack of a better word, and the gums are enormously sensitive. I'll have to see a regular dentist soon and have that checked out. I thought it would go away when the wires came out but no such luck and it's been true since the accident.

I also still have nasal surgery coming in June. The surgeon suggested I wait to see how well my breathing improved with the wires removed. And it has; no doubt, but I still can barely breathe through my nose. I can't say I'm too happy about more surgery but hopefully that will be the end of the surgeries.

Still, this is huge progress. And almost no syringes (unless my jaw flares up, then all bets are off).

And even more progress!

Well, now it seems like the progress is increasing exponentially by the day. I am currently able to eat 75% of what I'd been eating with a syringe with a baby spoon. Today I went as far as a fork and ate cottage cheese, without putting it into a blender. I can't really say I'm chewing yet; more like swirling the item long enough in my mouth so that I can swallow it. I also brushed the inside of my mouth with a baby toothbrush; this is another first.

I tried eating a small piece of fish, just to see what would happen. What happened (I know you're on the edge of your chair in suspense) is that I chewed and chewed and chewed and eventually gave up. I'm not really chewing as much as both my upper and lower molars were touching the fish, with the rubber bands getting in the way and no real chewing taking place.

I have to eat tiny bites and not talk too much and be really careful when I open because my jaw still easily objects and goes into spasm. Still, this is huge progress.

I feel like a toddler who is learning to walk and finds that it's easier to resort to crawling. I'm a much faster eater with a syringe than with utensils.

And for another fascinating fact...I'm a left-handed syringer, but right-handed for most other tasks. So I have some degree of ambidexterity (that's a very big word, you know). I wonder what other things I can do left-handed? I'm not eager for another situation like this accident to present itself for me to find out.

Anyway, I am more and more optimistic that I will be eating with some degree of normalcy soon. Still wired for at least another week (not sure about the rubber bands) and now have nasal surgery in June. But still, I'm enjoying every last one of these baby steps!

--K--

Progess

I think I'm getting a little more used to the rubber bands. I can now take pills, which feels like a huge improvement over using liquid medications with a syringe. Most of the liquids taste terrible too. How I take them is a little comical. I have to watch myself in a mirror to make sure I've opened my mouth wide enough to get the pill in. It feels like my mouth is wide open, and there's barely a gap. Then I have to figure out where it's open enough and put the pill in.

I have to be careful because my jaw, particularly the left side, goes into spasm very easily, and now that I can open a little, I want to talk and talk and talk.... I tried that the first day of the rubber bands and felt pretty terrible within about an hour. But my jaw is loosening a little bit each day.

Yesterday I was feeling bold and decided to try to eat a piece of chocolate. You could see this coming, right? :-) Anyway, a Hersheys is HUGE compared to what my mouth can handle. I had to suck on the candy rather than chew it and couldn't really open my mouth again after getting it in because it hurt. So I was kind of choking on it. All in all, I'd say it was not one of my better moves. I think I will wait another month before pulling that stunt again.

Still, this is improvement. Plus, I have a lot more energy. Right after I got out of the hospital, I'd walk 2 blocks and then nap for 2 hours. I was sleeping 13-16 hours per day. Now I can stay awake all day and have a decent amount of energy through the day. My breathing is still bad, unfortunately. I'll have to have surgery in a month.

But anyway, I am working towards another piece of chocolate. So I have a goal.

--K--