I forgot to mention yesterday that Dr M told me there is definitely still a bite of swelling in my face, which, this may sound odd, I LOVED to hear. I am not really happy with the way my face is looking at this point, and hearing that there is still swelling near my jaw line and in my cheeks makes me feel happy that this isn't the final result. It's weird that at 2.5 weeks out, I still am far from knowing what I am going to look like at the end. My sister told me I look like a square face again today. I am praying to god I am not stuck with a square face forever.
I went to visit the girl that I used to babysit, who had surgery on her lower jaw on Monday. I am not sure if she follows my blog, but if so, HI ALI! She is looking so great and has such a positive attitude about everything. I certainly notice such a huge difference in the impacts of surgery and recovery time of having just one jaw done. She doesn't have to deal with that pesky swelling and numbness under the eyes and next to the nose. She just looks like she had her wisdom teeth out. She is even going to hang out with friends tonight, on Day 4 post op. JEALOUS! I was totally nauseous and couldn't even watch TV on Day 4!
Although I wasn't able to focus my eyes enough to read for the first 10+ days, I have spent the last week reading like crazy. I am looking for suggestions from my followers: WHAT BOOKS SHOULD I READ THIS SUMMER? I am a huge book junkie, and would love if you'd give me some recommendations; What is your favorite book? Have you read anything lately that you couldn't put down? I think I am going to tackle "The Girl Who Played With Fire" next, but I need some suggestions for the rest of the summer :)
My lips don't touch yet on their own, but here is a picture of me forcing them together:
Incognita | June 10, 2011 at 4:38 PM
Dani you look better and better every day!! your swelling looks like it went down even more! To be honest I can't even notice your lip in the pictures anymore so I doubt people in public see the swelling that still remains.
You also look like you got a tan, hope you're finally getting to enjoy the summer!
Rhianna | June 10, 2011 at 6:05 PM
Dani, you look stunning in these pics! You definitely have a lovely summer glow going on :)
I reckon a few more days and your lip will be back to normal.. It sucks waiting hey? I am so impatient and wish I could close my lips naturally already. still to much tightness and puffiness.
Ellie | June 10, 2011 at 6:16 PM
Dani, you look great! Your lip has gone down a lot! I still don't think you'll have a square face. It's just the swelling. Your profile is amazing too!
btw, if you haven't read it yet, you should read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before the Girl who Played with Fire.
Braced Blogger | June 10, 2011 at 8:03 PM
Dani, to be honest i LOVE the way you look!! I think you are beautiful and have had lovely results from this surgery. If I saw you walking down the street today, I would think you are gorgeous, there's no doubt about that. Maybe you are experiencing what most go through with accepting the changes to their appearance after this surgery? I wonder if you see what we see when you look in the mirror. You truly look beautiful! And I am curious - how old is your sister? I'm serious, your face looks oval to me!! Anyone else out there who might agree/disagree? Your lower face is not as wide as your upper face which makes you oval - the "ideal" shape.
Braced Blogger | June 10, 2011 at 8:09 PM
Dani - on the books - I actually have the same one on my shelf, ready to read when I finish my current book. I'm reading "Genome" now by Matt Ridley. It's super fascinating but I have a curiosity for this stuff. I just sent off for a DNA kit and in a few short weeks, I will be on my way to decoding my own DNA and learning of my ancestry. Cool stuff! If you are interested in spending the summer reading about this stuff, check out www.23andme.com.
As for other book recommendations, I love to read also - what do you like to read? Did you like the Chelsea Handler book your friend got you? I thought her book "A Series of One Night Stands" was hilarious.
Nora Simone | June 10, 2011 at 8:13 PM
Wow Dani, you're looking so good! The bruising looks like it's disappeared and the swelling is definitely going down even more. It's particularly noticeable in your profile. I don't think you're going to be a "square face," but more of an oval. But even if your jawline doesn't change much trust me when I say you do and will look beautiful!
I'm not quite sure what kinds of books you're into, but I myself am a HUGE bookworm. Two of my favorites are Dark Angels and Abundance. Not sure if you'll like them as they are historical novels. I have tons more so I'll try to think of some more for you. Oh! Going Bovine is pretty hilarious and modern.
Keep up your good spirits! Remember - you look amazing!
Amanda K | June 10, 2011 at 10:27 PM
I'm semi-new to this blog world and am grateful your's was one of the first I read! Your progress in such a short time is amazing, congrats. Some good (some great) reads: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer), The Wind Up Bird Chronicle (Haruki Murakami), Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami), The Host (Stephanie Meyer)
JEN | June 11, 2011 at 6:41 AM
Danny, you are so beautiful!
My favorite book lately is "Game of Thrones". I am not a fan of fantasy normally, but it is outstanding!!!!
Dani | June 11, 2011 at 8:39 AM
Thank you all so much for your book suggestions! I absolutely love having free time in the summer to read for pleasure, and not read textbooks!
Ellie, I have read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and absolutely LOVED it. I can't wait to start reading the second one!
**Anyone else who may come upon this comment- go out and buy that book NOW and read it! The beginning is slow but it is a great book once you get into it!
Tara: I can absolutely agree that I am in the stages of accepting how I look. I kind of feel like I have a mask on, I look in the mirror and I don't feel like I look like me. I know most people won't agree, but when you get SO used to every curve and line of your face, the tiniest changes seem astronomical. I know I am only 3 weeks out so this will come in time, but right now, it's still something I am dealing with. My sister is 25, and I think she is just not used to the new face shape either. She does not have any structural problems with her jaw, but she does have a very tiny chin and is thinking of doing a genio. I think that she is used to both of us having a really small recessed looking chin, so it is a big change for her too to see my chin looking different. and THANK YOU for the awesome book suggestion! I am a science geek so I am absolutely going to look into that book! The Chelsea Handler book I read was 'Lies that Chelsea Told Me' and each chapter was written by friends/family about things she's done to them. It was a totally mindless read, not a whole lot of thinking involved but it was definitely so entertaining, I was cracking up the whole time. I have been wanting to read her books for a while which is why my coworker bought me that one. I would LOVE to read her other ones!
Nora, thank you for your sweet comment! I will definitely check out the books you suggested!
Amanda K: Thank you for following my blog! I love meeting new people on here! Thank you for the book suggestions! :)
Jen: I love sci-fi/fantasy books, so I will absolutely check that one out! THANK YOU! :)
Braced Blogger | June 11, 2011 at 3:13 PM
Dani, that's awesome that you love science! Ok, well here are a few additional suggestions for you - not sure what science, aside from biology, you might like so I'll throw in a few for variation:
Ishmael - this is an amazing, easy to read fictional book but with a lot of theoretical concepts about human evolution, civilization and environmental ethics. My friend who is a teacher was required to read it during college and it's really good. Check out the reviews on Amazon.com.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkin - this is not a light read at all but is a great book for anyone who wants to know about our Universe - it's written in lay terms by the world's leading physicist and starts off with the Big Bang. This is nonfiction. A great book if you love physics or have ever wondered about the leading theories of our universe and how we came to be. I also liked his book The Global Design but it was much harder to read.
If you are interested in learning about the Laws of Attraction, there's The Secret which is a light and fascinating read.
If you feel like watching a mind blowing video and have had enough reading for awhile, check out What the Bleep do We Know, Down the Rabbit Hole. You can find it on Amazon.com. I'd write a description about it but my SO is bugging me to hurry up - we're on our way out the door to watch Super 8. I'll write more recommendations later!
Take care,
Tara