Six Weeks Post Op

I know it's been awhile since I posted but believe me I have been sooooo busy. Anyway, pain wise I'm doing o.k. could be better, my joints still bother me terribly. I saw my surgeon last Wednesday and he ended up giving me a steroid injection directly into the tm joint inside my mouth. Yes it did hurt for the rest of the day, but the next day and two days after the joint pain was at a minimum. It was the best it has felt in 9 years. Then on June 25th I saw my orthodontist and he put elastics on to help pull my bite together and now my joints are back to aching again and my teeth feel like they're being pulled out of my gums. I take 2 tylenol and 3 advil every 4 hours and it doesn't help much. So, yesterday the surgeon prescribed diazepam to take before bed he said it would relax the muscles in my jaw (I am unable to sleep through the pain and wake up a lot) and I was so happy that I was able to sleep for six hours last night. I still have nerve pain and some numb spots but nothing really significant anymore. The itching still comes back every once in awhile but nowhere near what it was. I have lost 20 pounds so far and have been on a soft chew diet for 2 weeks now. It does hurt to eat still so I really don't eat much. As far as swelling goes I still wake up in the morning with swelling and it goes down a little during the day, but overall the swelling is a lot better than it was. The bones in my face are still a little achy but I think it's normal post surgery pain. Most of the swelling is around my joints now which is mostly where the pain is. But, hopefully when I get used to the elastics it won't hurt so much. I have been going to physical therapy now for 2 weeks and do my exercises everyday. I have an appointment tomorrow. They do ultrasound, massage and heat. I love the heat it feels sooo good; come to think of it so does the massage. But, through it all I keep as busy as possible so I try not to dwell on the pain too much. I only do that here, lol. I have days when I regret having the surgery very much, but for the most part I'm glad I did it. My surgeon did say the pain could last for 3-4 months in my joints. No pain no gain right? Just to let the people know who sing; I started singing again about 1 week ago. I think it is good exercise for my jaw if I don't overdo it. Of course I can't do it for as long as I used to and I can't sing certain songs but I'll get there. I don't know how much I am opening but 2 weeks ago I measured at 15mm. I am able to use an adult toothbrush and can floss now so I think it must be more than that now. The inside of my mouth is still really swollen and sore; I'm not sure if that's normal or not it must be though. That's pretty much it for now. I will post a picture soon.

I have a couple of recipes if anyone is interested. They are really easy and I thought they tasted pretty good. Just a little something I made up so enjoy.
Beef Stew-
1 15oz can of Roast Beef Hash
1 15oz can of beef broth
1 4oz jar of baby food carrots
Put in blender and blend. Pour in bowl or cup and microwave til warm. Freeze what you don't eat.
This next recipe my sister gave me for a cake but I liked the filling and made it a pudding.
Pumpkin Pudding-
1 15oz (or 15 1/2oz) can of pumpkin
1 package of instant vanilla pudding
1/4-1/2 cup of brown sugar-depending on how sweet you like it
pumpkin pie spice-I use about 1/2 of a teaspoon but you can use however much you like
milk to thin it
mix everything together with whisk or mixer and enjoy; freeze what you don't eat.
Hope you enjoy them as much I have. The beef stew doesn't look as good as it tastes but most of the blended food doesn't look that appetizing anyway, lol.

Hello again. I just wanted to say Katharine that I am frustrated. I never expected the pain to last this long. Sometimes it hurts so much I just want to cry. I'm not one to really bare my feelings to people so you just have to bear with me on this. I have been really stressed with some personal things going on in my life and am having a hard time dealing with them. My 16 year old has been skipping a lot of school and has missed over 30 days of school and now he probably won't be getting any of his credits for this year. He probably won't graduate with his class if he graduates at all. I keep telling him he will regret this some day but he just won't listen to me. He's a bright kid and has a lot to offer but doesn't want to bother with school. He could go to summer school but he still won't have enough credits to graduate. On top of this we are planning renovations to the house and I have a garden to finish planting (I grow and preserve a lot of foods so it's a lot of work). Lately I've had on average 3 doctor appointments a week and I don't drive so my husband has to take time off work to take me to there. I like keeping busy cause it keeps my mind off the pain but when I overdo it the pain just gets worse, thus my frustration. Now, my doctor wants me to do physical therapy a few days a week and I know it's for my benefit but I'm so tired that I just need a break. I think overwhelmed is a better word for how I'm feeling right now. I know things are going to get better. I just wish it would hurry the heck up. My husband and I hooked up the boat and went fishing today so that was a nice reprieve but it was so cold that my face didn't like it and I ended up with my face covered up most of the day. We did catch a lot of fish mostly catfish and perch (we catch and release by the way). My 17 year old son went to his prom last night all decked out and looking pretty spiffy with his date. I was so proud of him. But at the same time realized that my baby isn't a baby anymore. He's going to be 18 on Wednesday. Any of you who have young children you really need to enjoy them while you can because the time flies and before you know it they're all grown up. So, anyway thanks for listening to me prattle on but I'm going to call it a night. Til' next time...