blogs of inspiration

Well, I’m finally trying to get started with this whole jaw-journal thing. I’ve been talking about it for a while, but haven’t started…mostly because writing about it seems hard. (It’s a little sad and ironic that writing about this whole situation is hard considering I want to be a writer…and a writer should probably be able to write about herself without cringing.)

This morning ended up being yet another stay-at-home-in-pain morning, and so I decided to venture into the blogosphere and search for other jaw surgery victims..err, patients…and see if they had anything encouraging to say. I’ve been putting off reading other blogs, too, because…well, it seemed hard. (Denial. What a lovely place to be.)

Tomorrow, my orthodontist and maxillofacial surgeon are meeting to look at my molds and determine whether or not I’m ready for surgery. SO, I guess it’s about time that I start thinking about it more seriously, too. Up until now, my method of operation has been to remain ignorant about the details of surgery and recovery. Not the smartest method, I admit, but it was the easiest to cope with. Pretty sure that all needs to change now that surgery could be sometime in the next few months.

I timidly searched “jaw surgery blogs” on Google this morning, and landed in an enormous pile of blogs from people who have already or are in the process of experiencing jaw surgery in all forms. There were a few blogs by people who seemed to be motivated into surgery for more (excuse the phrase…I know it’s loaded) cosmetic reasons: long face, lots of gums instead of teeth in their smiles, weird bites, etc. I thought these blogs were informative and interesting, but they didn’t really resonate with me and my issues. There were, however, tons of blogs by people who went the surgery route in order to achieve a life without pain. These, of course, meant the most to me.

And so, two hours later, here I am starting work on my own blog. It will definitely take some discipline for me, since I’m very obviously still in a state of denial about the whole thing. (You can read my full story on my jaw, my pain: my story) But I am feeling encouraged in many aspects: most of the bloggers felt the surgery was worth it; I’ve found a ton of helpful recipes; and there have been some great articles on fighting the whole “insurance exclusion” thing, which makes me think I may still have some options other than bankruptcy.

Anyway, a couple of the blogs I’ve enjoyed this morning…if you’re interested:

Teeth of Steph (especially loved her letter to insurance to fight the “exclusion policy”)

Double Jaw Surgery (this guy is hilarious. I want him to hang out with me  and make me laugh when I’m recovering! wait…maybe that wouldn’t be helpful…)

Smiling Bella (this girl is full of great information!)