First Day of Class!

Today was the first day of the semester. It was such a blast meeting my students today! I'm really looking forward to teaching them all about psychological research and statistics. I know that I must sound like a geek for having this enthusiasm - a lot of folks tell me how much they loathe statistics, but I absolutely love it. At least I found a profession that fosters this zany passion of mine! :0)

I was concerned today, though. I worried about having to speak for nearly 4 hours. You see, I teach 3 classes on Mondays and Wednesdays that are each 75 minutes long. I haven't had to speak for this long since before my surgery. Of course, I told my students I had jaw surgery this summer and explained to them that I have random muscle spasms and shooting pains, which I affectionally call "face aches". They were shocked to hear this, but also sympathetic. So that was helpful because the other worry I had was with my voice. The pitch is no longer so high, but my old voice...well, that may be a thing of the past. Some of my former students commented on how I sound different. Not bad, but different. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about this.

But other than my voice, I have to say that I don't look much different than before the surgery. The swelling has gone down considerably. It's not 100% gone (I can feel it especially when I do my facial exercises), but it's certainly not as bad as it used to be.

For posterity, I took a couple photos:

After I took that photo, it occurred to me that every single photo I've posted on the blog has been of me with my hair pulled up. I just couldn't be asked to deal with it over the summer. And plus, it's been since May since I've had a haircut!! So before I changed my mind, I took another photo, but this time with my hair down:

Argh! I need a haircut before people start mistaking me for Cousin It!

Humble Pie, Anyone?

I'm having withdrawal symptoms from all my blogging friends. I took a quick trip to Philly this week so I could visit Sean before the school year officially begins on Monday. It's been fun spending time with him and his family. I also like hanging out in a big city - there's so much good food over here, it's ridiculous. But of course, I'm still having my egg sandwiches for breakfast. Sean thinks he's becoming a short-order cook for me. That's really not a bad idea...

So food has been a central theme for me out here. I've made a clear distinction between public vs. private eating. It can be awkward sometimes when we're dining at a restaurant. Nope, I can't have crunchy french fries. And the only thing I could eat at Sean's family dinner was a slice of bread, a few roasted potatoes, and a large helping of ice cream. No kabobs for me just yet! It has been a bit humbling to have a restricted diet. I hate feeling like I'm imposing on others just because I still can't chew proper foods.

But that's okay, especially when I put everything in perspective. When we're not planning soft-food meals, we've been painting pictures of dogs and hanging out with his friends. Reality is starting to sink in, though. Sean's attending a thesis defense this morning and I've got a lecture that I need to finalize. I miss you guys, though! I hope everyone is doing well!!!

Good-bye Surgical Hooks, Hello Power Chain

I finally saw my OD this morning. I could hardly wait for the surgical hooks and ties to come out of my mouth once and for all. And no more steel wires! I was so happy to brush my teeth and floss without the wires, too. That's always a treat for me. It was kind of weird, though, because my OS had broken a bracket off my front left tooth. So brushing that tooth felt like I was brushing my gums; it was so smooth. I guess I've gotten used to scrubbing those ceramic brackets. I can't say I'll be missing these braces when they finally come off. But unlike Rachel, I didn't have the guts to ask Dr. Wong when the big day would come. Although I thought about asking...In the meantime, some kid got his braces off while I was there. The techs all sang a cheerful song to celebrate the occasion. I was green with envy.

So now I have a lovely power chain across my four front teeth and a rubber band on my left side. The activation hurts so much! But no pain, no gain - so bring it on!

Today also happens to be my 7-week post-op anniversary. I have to say that I'm feeling back to normal. Ok, so my teeth hurt and it took me an hour to eat one serving of lasagna (in stark contrast to my friends who only took 10 min to chow down). After what I've been through, however, this is a piece of cake to deal with. And school's about to start soon, so my thoughts have led me back to academia and away from the orthognathic world. That's a good thing, I think. I'm looking forward to having closure someday.

A Midnight Snack?

This is the look of a desperate woman who's 6-weeks post-op and absolutely starving:

And this is the look of a very contented woman who managed to eat her late-nite snack in *only* 25 min:

Woo Hoo!! There is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank goodness!!

Clean Bill of Health

Good news! This morning I had my 6-week check-up appointment with Dr. Asdell. He gave me the best news ever - my jaws are now fully healed, which means I can eat anything. Sweet! Of course, however, I can't eat everything. It still hurts to chew, so I have to take things very easy. Nonetheless, I'm so encouraged. Dr. Asdell still wants me to wear bands until I see my orthodontist. And that'll be next week. I actually can't wait to see Dr. Wong because he's going to take off the surgical hooks and ties then. I'm not going to miss my metal mouth, that's for sure!

My Money Tree Has Blossomed

For a while, I've been quietly hoping that my insurance would fully cover my surgery. But working with the insurance company is anything but simple. There are many, many hoops to jump through, and you have to know which hoops to ask for - meaning, you had better learn the lingo. So as you can imagine, dealing with the financial aspects of this surgery has had its stressful moments.


For starters, my OS is not in my network, which adds a layer of complication from the get-go. Luckily, however, the financial person at Dr. Asdell's office gave me some pointers on how to navigate the system. She told me that if there's not another doctor within a 50-mile radius who could perform this kind of surgery, then my insurance will reclassify my surgery as an in-network benefit. But I had to request this, she said. She also advised me to get it in writing. So I called my insurance company, and sure enough, they said they would cover it as an in-network benefit, but I couldn't get it in writing. Okay...I guess, although it made nervous that I didn't have any proof this would be covered in this way. So, I've been holding my breath, hoping this dream would come true. And it did - last week, I received a hefty check in the mail that will cover the entire surgery. Phew, what a huge relief!!