Day 1: My new doppelgänger

Pain Level: 3

Food consumption: All syring-fed liquids. Naked brand juice is tasty and filling, and chicken broth is savory and delicious.

Numbness: My entire bottom lip and my chin are all numb. Yesterday the whole bottom half of my face was numb, so I’m thankful that it seems to be getting better already. I’ve felt some tingling and itching in my lower lip/chin.

Didn’t get a ton of rest last night. For some reason, I would wake up every hour. Not usually because of pain, really. I think it might be because I’m sleeping upright. My sweetie pie slept on the floor next to the bed, and would diligently wake up, prepare and feed me some sort of liquid to prep my tummy, and then slowly get all of my nasty-tasting meds down.

Really, the pain hasn’t been too bad. The most painful part is my throat, where the anesthesia tube went down through my sinus cavity and into my lungs. So, I’d say my throat is at about a 6 on the pain scale, but only when I swallow.

We’re slowly perfecting the whole feeding-by-syringe thing. It’s a bit tricky getting the end of the syringe into a place that is between my teeth and cheek, but not so low that my stitches get bumped. (I wouldn’t be able to feel it if they did, so I’m trying to be extra cautious. I have discovered that, along with being right-handed, I seem to be right-mouthed. 🙂 It’s much easier to be fed on the right side of my mouth than the left.

While drinking water is the easiest and most satisfying liquid, it’s also hard to quench my thirst, no matter how many 5 ml syringe-fulls I get at once. Drinking water in teaspoon size doses is not the most fun, especially when you’ve been dehydrated since yesterday morning!

My momma came to “relieve” Brandon of his care taking this morning so he could run some errands. My dad joined my mom a bit later, and brought along Frodo, the most lovable, snuggly, adorable pups you’ve ever met. He followed right behind me as I did my laps around the couch and through the kitchen. Dogs have such an incredible ability to bring comfort!

Mostly, I’m exhausted today. Have gotten up to walk, use the restroom, and change locations a bit, but most of this day has been spent in bed.

So, as promised, a few pictures, including one of my new doppelgänger.