Smiling is painful. :(

[midori]

I.. I love you all. ♥♥♥♥♥ I've really never felt happier checking my inbox, seeing the influx of Get Well Soons. I'm so touched and grateful. Will get to replying to all of those soon!

Well, most of this entry will probably be boring so feel free to skip my surgery-talk. Haha.

Mkay, well I'm back home now. I stayed overnight at the hospital for two nights and was able to be released on Friday. Let me just say, after the surgery was just hell. I've never felt so vulnerable, sick to my stomach, and helpless all at once. I had this giant towel-thing wrapped around my head called the Jaw Bra (LOL) and it weighed a ton. I usually sleep on my side so adjusting to sleep on my back wasn't too fun. The first night was the worst. I ended up vomiting blood twice but felt so much better afterward. And don't ask me why but every time I think about it now, I can only relate it to Ni no Arashi. *facepalm* Ohno's face portrayed exactly what my mom looked like.

I've decided to never become a nurse. It's way too strenuous and I could never stay so happy. I've bothered the nurses way too often in the middle of the night and such. I once had extreme problems breathing because my nostrils were clogged and my throat got dry. Oh man, the entire hospital stay was just uncomfortable. I played a little on my DS but it got painful after a while 'cause the IV was pricking into my left wrist. D: But I'm so glad I brought my mp3 player because blasting Arashi out of the tiny earphones works like magic.

EATING.. Well, I can't even call it that. I'm on a liquid-only diet right now so all I can do is suck up liquids from a plastic syringe. To me, the most painful part of the surgery is not being able to eat. My stomach churns constantly because of the weird mixture of liquids. And Ensure, is well, not that yummy. D: I'm hoping I'll be able to get rid of these jaw bands soon and move on to a soft foods diet at least and put the blender to good use.

As for appearance, I still have these ginormous cheeks and huge lips because the swelling hasn't gone down yet. I don't even recognize myself anymore. It's like, Who is this person with Kappa lips?! Haha. Luckily, I don't have to wear that Jaw Bra anymore. As for talking, I can sort of make noises and hope for the best that someone in the house understands my nonsense. Lol. So a good thing is I don't have to use a notepad much anymore.

---

I can already tell I'm going to be sucked in to obsession with Maou. After watching the CMs and Ousama Buranchi for the nth time, I just can't stop. AND, did I mention Truth sounds AMAZING?! It does. Ohno already sounds gorgeous on his solos. I love shiny-on-the-rainbow Arashi songs but this one is just.. aadgj;hdsgh A-amazing. Like oh god.. *loops trailer* This Maou tag will be abused, a lot.

Comments

[yuusukeichijo.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh! I didn't know you had a surgery!
Anyway, glad you're doing better :D I'll send ya a get well card soon >

[yuusukeichijo.livejournal.com]

Btw, please don't scold me for being so slow XDDD

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

♥! Nonono, you're fine! XDDD And thank you~, I'm glad I'm doing much better too. :)

[kawarashii.livejournal.com]

awww *hugs*

you must have been threw a nightmare T_T

*hugs* *hug* *hug* *hug* .. and lol @ the ni no arashi XD .. although it's not funny to vomit blodd >_>

but the reaction of your mom as ohno .. that means you are a true arashi fan!

yaa ~! I'm excited at Maou too !!!!!!!!!! Ohno makes me want to sdifha;w94u 3;0rq93 nKYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
*hugs* I'm really glad to hear from you !!

it will all go away after a while , so think of the futer ne ~ :D you sure are loved by all of us here =)

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*
LOL, yeah. It wasn't too funny at the time, but it's funny to look back at it. XDD I'm just glad the worst part is over with.

OMGGDAHJGH:HDA I KNOW. *____* They've been spoiling us with all of these trailers and promotions and we're still not satisfied! Haha.

Yeah, I just gotta hang in there for a month or two. ^^ I can do it~. ♥

[miserabilities.livejournal.com]

Just reading all that made me feel like my jaw hurt as well D: I'm glad the worst is over though *channels genki vibes and sparkly thoughts*

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

Ack, sorry about that! D: I'm so glad the worst is over as well; just gotta wait out the rest of it. ^^ Whoo, genki vibes and sparkly thoughts! ♥

[apatots.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

i hope for the best ASAP. It sounds like you're suffering.... But..BUT.. no solid food for how many days is... -___- Nicole and I love food a lot...

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

^_^ *hugs back*

Ee, I love food a lot too. D: I'd give anything just to be able to eat some leftovers. I should probably try harder at.. well, drinking, because I've already lost 5lbs. T_T But oh man, I still miss food.

[saariii.livejournal.com]

i'm glad to know your surgery went well! =) you just go and listen to tons of arashi, because we know they're the best medicine ♥ and i'm all for abusing the maou tag. maou deserves a LOT of love ♥♥♥

haven't heard Truth yet! school's swallowed me up, and arashi kind of was knocked down to priority number 2 (how sad). anyway, i'm just dropping by to say hi and i hope you feel way way better soon. ♥

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

^_^ I sure will~. I'm already flailing enough before the first episode, so when Friday rolls around.. XDD

*_*! You must!
D: Aww, I know how that feels. School can really be a pain. I'm not really looking forward for my fall semester either. ;-; Good luck on your studies, and thanks again~. ♥

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

XDD It's alright! Your studies are much more important! I hope you did well~. And my entries always gets lost in people's flists, no biggie. LOL.

Yay for no Jaw Bras! XD

*____* I hope I remember to wear red too. Friday, here we come!

[furokugal.livejournal.com]

Hey Betty! ^^

I noticed your post on the 5x5 forum regarding your surgery, so I wanted to stop by and send you some get well wishes!! ^__^

Let me just say, I know exactly how you feel!! @@;; I didn't experience any vomiting, but I did have that awful stomach churning! >< OMG, and the drooling~!! my mom rented a portable suction machine from a medical supply store to help with the excess saliva. ^^;

As for the diet, no doubt you're going to feel hungry, and you'll definitely lose some weight! I lost around 10 pounds! XDD;; I don't know to what degree you're banded, but I can recommend some other food choices! Like cooled soup broth or mashed potatoes, perhaps? I wouldn't take in too many dairy based products though as that leads to more mucus, which tends to make you feel worse. D:

My doctor didn't give us a recipe book, so my mom did a ton of research on the surgery, as well as the recovery period. She found a group on Yahoo that had all kinds of information and people's surgery experiences. One of the users suggested these products (http://www.dinnerthroughastraw.net/products.htm#bags) to help you eat - and they did help quite a bit. God knows how I hated that syringe! XDD

Oh, I also know something that will help with the swelling! It's liquid arnica. You just rub it on the sides of your face & chin - or wherever the swelling is. You can't ingest it, and try not to get it in any open cuts. One bottle (which is more than enough) cost around $38(with shipping), but it is DEFINITELY worth the money! I had no bruising and the swelling went down in no time!

Here's the phone number for the company that sells the brand I use (the best, IMHO) - 1-800-860-4372. Now that is the company number, so it might take some time for them to find a local distributor in your area, but I know a local seller (here in NJ) that can get it to you right away. If you'd like, I can send you his info? ^^

If you're still having trouble breathing or feeling dry, I would recommend getting a cool-mist humidifier. If you're feeling stuffy though - try a vaporizer or some Vick's vap-o-rub right under your nose. You might also end up with extremely dry & cracked lips too. Some plain old petroleum jelly will help with that. ;D

Another thing I think is really important to mention is the effect the steroids will have on you. Once the steroids start to wear off (in about a week or so) you will feel ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. OMG, there were times when I would just cry for no reason whatsoever! Other times I would get unbelievably mad or upset - I just couldn't take not being able to eat or the feeling of having my mouth closed anymore! My mom even called the doctor to ask if the bands could be loosened since I was having such a hard time. But yeah, when those steroids start wearing off - be prepared for some serious mood swings! ^^;;

I guess that's about all I can think of right now. ^^; If you have any questions or if you just need someone to talk to, please feel free to email me or if you have AIM, you can catch me on there too - my id is cybershoujo. :D

-Furo ♥

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

Oh Furo! You don't know how much this helps. T___T Omg, you're a lifesaver. *announces herself forever your follower* Ah, I'm so glad there's someone who knows what I'm talking about. :D

According to the nurses, a lot of blood escaped to my stomach during surgery. D: So my body reacted to that and wanted to throw it up (which was a good thing). XD I felt so so much better afterward. ^^; And omg, yes, the dreadful saliva! I was totally using the hospital's suction pipe 'til the last moment because I knew I was going to miss it. XD

Agh, my dad keeps asking me if I'm full every time I have a meal. I'm never full! I haven't tried mashed potatoes yet, but I've gone through quite a few Campbell's soups. LOL. My doctor recommended me (& handed me coupons) to buy some Ensure/Boost to help maintain my weight. But you know Mr. Doctor, if it actually tasted decent, I probably could. ;p I am actually a little worried about my weight though; did it take you some time to regain the pounds?

Haha, the lips. I'm feeling snake-like with all of the layers of my lips I've shed so far. XDD I think it's getting much better though, since they're showing up pink, rather than the dark-brownish they were before. ^_^ Yay.

Thank you for warning me! I'm seriously dreading the day my face won't feel numb anymore and when the steroids start to wear off. >_<;

But anyways, thank you so much. *__* I can't thank you enough. I'll definitely look into those recommended options and products to see if they'd help any and maybe send an e-mail your way if I need to~! ♥

[furokugal.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm happy I could help you out! ^^ I know how difficult the situation can be without much insight, so I just felt I should offer some first-hand advice as to what you can expect in the future. ;D

Oh gosh, I have plenty of memories of right before the surgery, like how anxious I was and how the nurse kept screwing up my IV! >_<; But I honestly can't remember all that much directly after the surgery. I was asleep for most of my hospital stay and that was because my mom was constantly watching the clock - every four hours, medicine time! XD

Regarding your weight though~ I wouldn't be too worried about it. Once you're able to start on foods with a bit more substance, you'll gradually gain the weight back. I'd only be concerned if you were considerably thin to begin. ^^;

I remembered that pastina (those tiny little star-shaped pasta) was one of the foods I could actually eat! It's pretty bland, but it's something! ^^; I'd also look into some smoothie recipes too, they can be quite filling with the right ingredients! :D

Well, before you actually "hit the wall" you'll be feeling pretty good. Like you'll want to get up and around and do things...but then it starts. You'll begin to feel kind of depressed and weepy, then you get anxious - like you really want the damn things off already! >_<; Definitely a roller coaster of emotions, but don't worry, it doesn't last too long! ;D

I happened to read over your previous entry, and I'm pretty sure that we had the exact same surgery! The only exception is that my upper teeth weren't meeting up with my lower, so I had a bit of an overbite. ^^; Were you dealing with TMJ problems as well? I actually had to have two other procedures before the major surgery! One to take out my wisdom teeth, and the other was orthognathic surgery to clean out the jaw joints - which are so arthritic they look like they belong 70 year old woman, according to my surgeon. @@;; Plus I'm still dealing with severe migraines from it all, which are absolutely no fun! D:

Anyway~ you're very welcome! Like I said, I didn't really have anyone there to tell me what to expect, so I just kind of felt the need to help you out. ^^

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

Haha, well the morning of, my period started unexpectedly while I was changing into my gown. I thought, Oh great, could this day get any worse? XDD Then the nurse said they'll be back to pick me up for surgery in an hour and a half, which gave me plenty of time to sit there waiting anxiously. D:

I wish I was able to sleep as well as you did. I sure remember more than I want to. ;-; Oh, is that how often it was for medicine? XD I just remember finally being able to sleep but was woken up every time the nurse popped in with a tray or medicine (which was quite often). Haha.

You just reminded me! I haven't taken a look at the smoothie recipes yet but I'm running out of variety so I probably will soon. XD

Usually my face is pretty dry so I'm not used to this massive oiliness! I'm not one to wear contacts at home but I'm considering it because my glasses keep sliding down my face. XDD

Wow, we probably did have the same surgery! I haven't had any TMJ problems so this operation was probably to prevent the risk of it in the future. It sounds like you had it worse! D: I did have to remove my wisdom teeth as well - well actually, they only removed three because one couldn't be uncovered. XD I'm not sure what they're going to do about that last one but I'll worry about that later.

Mm, yeah your surgery and recovery must have been a lot tougher, going into it blindly. D: Thank you, my guide!

[panthera-mort.livejournal.com]

the Jaw Bra sounds funny.
and omg, the rest sounds..
....very painful.
>.<
hope you're feeling much better.

this is late, i'm very sorry.

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

Oh nono, thanks for commenting anyway! Even if late. :DD

I sure am feeling much better! ^_^ And as for braces, I've actually already had braces on for a year and a half I think. They've performed the procedure with the braces still on and I still will have them on for another half-year, I believe. D: There's rubber bands attached to several of the upper and lower braces to keep my jaw aligned. XD Quite annoying stuff!