A year and 2 months

Wow, I can not believe how time has flown by. I have been so busy with life that I rarely think about my double jaw surgery. My jaw rarely pops now, and the only thing as of late that seems to be bugging me is my neck pain. BUT 4 months ago I went to an amazing massage therapist that stretched my neck and did pressure points and I was pain free for about 3-4 months… it's starting to get a little achy at night again, but if thats the worst thing I will take it. No terrible migraines daily, no incredibly painful jaw popping when I eat. I feel extremely lucky to have the results I have had.

Looking back I would still make the same decision and do it all over again. Really thinking about the first few weeks, the first 2 weeks were the worst. Once I was unwired life was so much better. There were even days being wired that weren't completely miserable… okay maybe not a full day, but a few hours a day. : )

Numbness. I don't feel like I have 100% feeling back in my lower lip, however it doesn't bother me. I don't notice it like I did the first few months after surgery. I do have some feeling there, just not full feeling. If something cold or hot is touching it I do not notice it.

I will say the few times I have been cold I do clinch my jaw, and that does not feel great. However, if I am honest with myself it has never felt great my entire life. So really that isn't any worse.

For those of you who sing who might be contemplating having double jaw surgery and are worried about the changes jaw surgery could have on your voice, know that the changes have not been extreme as far as my tone goes. I do find that my voice tires much easier that prior to jaw surgery. I am still trying to figure out why. To be fair California is in an extreme drought, and everything around here is so dry and dusty. I am super allergic to dust and my allergies have been non stop since February. Normally I only suffer badly in the spring. I was trained in pop, jazz, and classical. I can still hit high the high E (coloratura range), though with these allergies that is not happening. lol My tone if anything has become more open sounding? Maybe it's all in my head. I remember being extremely worried about my voice, and the changes. My voice is my source of living, I teach 60 vocal students a week, and teach 4 show choirs weekly. So I know all about being nervous about the outcome, but my pain was getting so bad… I figured even if things didn't go perfectly how much worse could it be?

Well, I have loved logging back in here and seeing pictures of all the people who had surgery about the same time as I, and know you all look amazing!

ONE YEAR EXACTLY ^^^^

Photos on top are from day 5 after surgery. Photos on bottom are after surgery.

 Let's be clear I love the SF Giants, but when I was a child I loved both the Giants and the A's and I found this vintage jacket a few weeks ago. : ) Go Giants (even if they are sucking tonight)