To Set the Scene.

I am going to have my face remodeled on the 11th of October, 2012*.
* This date was cancelled and surgery was rescheduled for 8th November, 2012.

To be honest, I am not looking forward to it. 

To be frank, I am scared! 

I am taking my perfectly healthy body and deliberately putting it through trauma.Why?

Because I wish to eat solid food when I am 60 and not suffer from a jaw with a cranky attitude. Surgery is the only way to ensure normal painless jaw function later in life. I really have little concern for the cosmetic 'improvements' that will come as an aside (I didn't know that my face was so asymmetrical) and am not too bothered about the other minor things this procedure will correct. Although from reading other double jaw surgery blogs there appears to be great wonder and amazement at finally being able to chew normally......I am looking forward to knowing what that will feel like!

But as much as I fear it, I want the surgery done. I want to be getting on with getting better....not sitting around waiting and worrying about what is to come. Surrender to the Process and move on.

The Process as I understand it:

• Jab me in the arm - I fall asleep.
• Stretch lips wider than humanly possible, cut and move top jaw forward (add some hip bone for padding), cut and trim bottom jaw and move backwards, stitch mouth all back up.... An easy 4-5 hour operation! No worries!
• I wake up somewhat puffy and numb, spend the night with the lovely nurses in ICU.
• Hang about in hospital for 3-4 days (I wonder if liquid hospital food is better than the standard fare?).
• I am then relegated to my home and on a liquid diet for 2 weeks. How will I not go insane? 
• I progress to soft food.
• By the end of week 3 I may be looking to return to work, about the time that my hip bone graft pain stops.
• A few more weeks of soft food, and fingers crossed I'm good to chow down whatever I want at Christmas. Yay!!!
• By 12 weeks all the swelling should be gone, my face proportions will be assessed and I will probably have day surgery to finish sorting out my chin.

I keep busy. Life is for living and the prospect of sitting at home for 2-3 weeks doing, well, nothing is really daunting for me. Those of you that know me well are probably chuckling to yourselves at the seeming impossibility of that task!

So there you have it, this blog is one of the ways I intended to keep me from going insane and hopefully entertains a few of you along the way! :)