The obligatory "before" pictures

I have to be at the hospital in about 6 and a half hours, and I am way too keyed up with nervous energy to try and go to sleep (plus, I'll basically be sleeping for the next 24-48 hours anyway, so I may just keep it going and catch up on Gossip Girl before even attempting to fall asleep!). Luckily my mom and I had a busy day in ATL today, which distracted me a little from thinking about tomorrow. We made it back last night and first on the agenda was decorating my Christmas tree. It just brightens my small apartment up so much, and I know it will make me happy to have the lights twinkling next to me when I'm on my couch for the rest of the week. Mom took a couple of pictures of me in front of it this morning so we could have the "before" shots...

Included on today's to-do list were an orthodontist appointment where they put on my "surgical hooks"--not extremely flattering but not nearly as noticeable or uncomfortable as I expected (theybasically are just little hooks attached to my brackets so that the surgeon can use rubber bands tomorrow and so that I can attach rubber bands if necessary afterwards). Then we made a grocery store run to stock up on soup, yogurt, juices, ice cream, frozen fruit for smoothies, etc. As my items started going down the conveyor belt, I challenged my cashier to see if she could figure out the theme...I had to help her out, but she was very sympathetic!

I also picked up all of my various prescriptions for when I come home--pills for the pain, pills to try to not make me nauseous from the pills for the pain, antibiotics to *hopefully* reduce the swelling, an antiseptic mouth rinse to prevent infection, and a nausea patch that I'm getting ready to put on before bed. I've had bad reactions to pain medication in the past that have made me sick, and I do NOT want to be throwing up with new screws in my jaw, so we're taking all possible precautions!

I ended my night by going to my favorite step aerobics class one more time in 2009 (no high- impact exercise for a month) and having one last regular dinner of a turkey sandwich with hummus, potato chips, and pretzels...and I'm having my last treat before my midnight cut-off as I type this--an amazingly delicious Potbelly sugar cookie that Linds shipped me all the way from Chicago (xoxoxo!).

I won't be posting anything from the hospital tomorrow (I don't think it would be coherent even if I tried), but I'll try to put together at least a short update when I get home on Wednesday. Thank you all so much for all of your encouraging e-mails and phone calls, I have been feeling very loved these past couple of days! :)

Black Friday to prep for Black & Blue Tuesday

My goal yesterday was to eat a big enough Thanksgiving meal that would make me feel ill afterwards...mission accomplished. I stuffed myself with turkey, dressing, veggies, rice & gravy, and pie at lunch yet somehow still had room for a turkey sandwich and more pie for dinner. I just keep telling myself I'll be glad I did that when I'm not able to eat such big meals over the next few weeks! I also told myself I'd be glad I got up early to run the Charleston Turkey Trot 5K yesterday morning since I won't be able to run for a month or so. I never feel amazing on early morning runs, but I finished in under 30 minutes, which is always my 5K goal!

Today Mom and I hit the stores to take advantage of some major Black Friday deals--not at 4AM or anything crazy like that, but still early enough to get some "early bird" specials (which luckily just requires getting there before 1PM). I ended up buying a couple of things at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in preparation for surgery recovery...

1) A Magic Bullet - yes, from the infomercials...this machine supposedly chops, blends, purees, etc. with the touch of a button, plus it allows you to prepare and then eat from the same container (and even microwave or refrigerate if necessary)...a definite pro for someone like me who doesn't have a dishwasher. I think it will be great for smoothies, milkshakes, and soups.

2) A cotton candy pink Snuggie - let's face it, I'm cold all the time, and I think the Snuggie is the perfect item for me to own. Now I just have the "but I'm recovering from surgery!" excuse to justify the purchase.

T minus one week

One week from now I will be spending my one night post-surgery in the hospital. It's so weird to think that the surgery itself will be over but the recovery process will have just begun. I've definitely started to freak myself out by reading other blogs written by folks who have had similar surgeries...I thought it would make me feel better to see that they made it through, but it's making me more scared about the swelling, the pain, the potential numbness that could last a while (no one is allowed to laugh at me if I develop a drooling habit over the next few months), etc. I'm also starting to get nervous about what my post-surgery profile is going to look like. I've never really thought there was anything wrong with my profile (the surgery is necessary to correct my bite, not for cosmetic reasons), and I'm worried I'm going to be unhappy with the results. Guess there's absolutely nothing I can do about it at this point...

I had my final pre-op appointment with my oral surgeon yesterday, and he explained the procedure one more time and answered more of my questions. For those of you who care about the medical side of things, the fancy terminology is that I'm undergoing mandibular advancement by means of a BSSO, or a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. For those of you like me who are confused by that, it basically means they are moving my lower jaw forward then fixing it in its new position with tiny screws (which I'm told will not set off airport security). If all goes well during the surgery, it won't be necessary to wire my jaw shut after surgery...so fingers crossed that all goes well!

As far as timeline, Mom and I report to the hospital (Emory University Midtown Hospital for those that care) at 5:30AM next Tuesday, December 1. They'll knock me out then perform the surgery, then I'll be able to go home on Wednesday. I'll be out of commission for about a week (heavy painkillers, scary-looking swelling, etc.) and then will be taking it easy for another week. After surgery, I'll be on a "liquid diet" until further notice...so basically it's just fluids and anyting that is a mushy consistency that I can spoon in my mouth. Time to pull out the blender...

I'm headed to Charleston tomorrow for Thanksgiving and am planning to have a 100% guilt-free big meal (plus dessert) since it will be my last one to enjoy for a while. I've also been snacking on pretzels, potato chips, pita chips, apples, tortilla chips, you get the picture. I'm going to miss those!

Joining the blog world

I'm finally doing it--joining the crowd and starting up a blog. I used to think my life was way too boring for a blog...seriously, who the heck wants to read about my daily routine of going to work, maybe hitting up my favorite step class at the gym, and then sitting on my couch in front of my TV (yes, that is basically what most days consist of in my life)? Unlike my friends, who were blogging about adventures like teaching English in China or traveling around Asia and the Middle East or who had amazing insights and theories on life's big and small moments, I didn't really think I had anything important to say.

With my jaw surgery right around the corner (seriously, how is December 1 almost here already???), I decided that now is the time. Instead of sending out mass e-mails to friends and family about my progress, I think a blog is more efficient. Plus, maybe it will distract me from the impending doom of a likely-to-be-painful recovery and at least six to eight weeks of a "no-chew" diet. I'm willing to give anything a shot.

So here goes nothing. I'll try not to gross anyone out with the gory details (and I refuse to post photos of myself directly after surgery like I've seen on some other blogs...only my mom should have to witness that)--instead I'll focus on providing updates on how I'm doing and sharing anecdotes about a life that temporarily revolves around smoothies, soup, oatmeal, pudding, etc. etc. etc...