I realize this isn't an issue most people can relate to, but I thought I would share anyway.. haha.
Day 37
I am nearly positive the splint has made my tongue swollen. I know this sounds totally odd, but I'm serious. My tongue ring has been pretty sore for probably the past 5 days. This has never ever happened to me before. When I pinch my tongue, I can feel that it is slightly swollen around the piercing, and once again, this has never happened before. It's not swollen to the point of being noticeable/making me talk strange or anything like that, but just swollen from irritation. I find the most discomfort when it hits against the splint, and I think that 5.5 weeks of it resting against a hard piece of plastic has caused it to be sore. It doesn't have the soft tissue of the roof of my mouth to sit against at night time, and I think just moving around and scraping along the splint has made it sore. Anyway, it's been pretty uncomfortable to eat at times in the last few days. Tomorrow morning the splint comes out! I am praying this piercing issue doesn't persist. I have already lost one of the two piercings that I had to remove prior to surgery and I am not going to lose another! Haha
I realize this isn't an issue most people can relate to, but I thought I would share anyway.. haha.
I realize this isn't an issue most people can relate to, but I thought I would share anyway.. haha.
Rhianna | June 29, 2011 at 5:52 PM
Hey Dani! Sorry I haven't been commenting on your posts lately.. I have seen them all and really think you are looking more beautiful everyday!!!
I showed my mum your before and after blog post, as I have been telling her about you and the similar things we have experienced with our surgeries. She keeps asking me, "how's that girl in America going with her recovery?". haha... She agreed that you are VERY pretty (both before and after) and that the surgery really had balanced out all your features nicely. Even though you are not happy with you face front on at the moment, the surgery I believe has given you a more fuller and proportioned shaped face. When all the swelling subsides you will be really happy with how it looks.
Do you still have strain when you close your lips?? They look like there coming together really well. Mine are slowly getting better, I just need to practice closing them more often to try and release all the tightness.
Can't wait to read your blog when you get the splint out.. Exciting!!!
Dani | June 29, 2011 at 8:11 PM
Rhianna, you are so so sweet and it literally made me smile to hear about your mum's comments and asking about me! I am so head over heels about Australia and it makes me happy to know there is someone there thinking of me :) sounds really silly, but it's true!
I do still have strain when I close my lips, but the strain is in the upper lip and not in the chin. I think the the surgical hooks are causing it to be more difficult as well, although they are so small they do push my lip further from my teeth and they make it more work to pull my lips around them. You can see in the top photo how my lips sit when I just bite down and don't pull my lips together, so they are really close but I haven't noticed much change at all in the past 2 weeks. I find that when I pull my lips together, I don't bite down, which I think is a habit from before surgery. My bite had to be set really oddly for me to be able to pull my lips together before surgery, so I think I am not used to the idea of biting and having my lips touch all at once!
Ella | June 30, 2011 at 6:44 AM
Dani, Thanks for your comments regarding closing your lips. I am post op Day 23, and I have a large plastic stent in my mouth, very visible, that makes speaking very difficult (I feel like I could become a ventriloquist after all of this!). My mouth is hanging open! I get my stent out at 4 weeks, next Wednesday July 6, so I sure hope my lips will get closer together. It makes me feel better reading your comments as well as Rhianna's regarding your lips meeting. My chin is swollen and seems a little too big. Have you noticed much decrease in chin swelling in the last 2 weeks? Looking forward to seeing your photos after the stent is removed.
Dani | June 30, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Hi Linda, when you say 'stent' do you mean 'splint'? I am confused, as a stent is a medical tube that is used inside the body, haha, and I am assuming that is not what you have, so I am just confused why you call it that. I have never heard it referred to as a stent, but only a splint! You are lucky that you are getting it out at 4 weeks post-op. I am 5.5 weeks and I just had my splint removed, I would have been THRILLED to have it out at 4 weeks! I haven't noticed much decrease in swelling in the past 2 weeks unfortunately. There certainly has been a tiny bit, but I think it hasn't changed very much.
Ella | June 30, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Dani, Yes, I guess I mean splint. For some reason, I thought it was called a stent ?! Can't wait to see your updated photos. It must feel so good to have that foreign object out of your mouth :)
Dani | June 30, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Linda, it feels good, but very very weird, I will post today and update everyone on it!
z3 | June 30, 2011 at 3:18 PM
lucky u get to take ur splint out before me even though i had it longer lol dont worry about ur tongue swelling its happening to me it will go away
Rhianna | June 30, 2011 at 6:29 PM
My mum is great! She has really taken a huge interest in my surgery and a even bigger effort getting me better during my recovery. She thinks you and anyone who goes through this kind of surgery is very strong willed and brave! :) It is really cool to share this whole experience with people on the other side of the world!!
xx