Hello Friends:
Last Thursday, October 8, I had the Masseteric Nerve graft and the Gracilis sling inserted. The surgery lasted nine hours and of course, when the surgeon was in the middle of doing the graft, the power went out. It came back on and everything was fine, but it was a few minutes that had my surgeon and caretaker on edge.
I had no idea the surgery would last nine hours. I also wasn't clear that I was having the sling done, but I suppose the surgeon decided it was the best strategy during the operation. I was told that this surgery has the best results six to nine months post the debulking and I am 14.5 months, so I suspect the condition of my facial muscles swayed his opinion.
I also had my eyelid weight re-positioned and lifts to my brow, nose and mouth. My face is still very swollen, but I can tell my eye can blink! Also, my nose isn't painful anymore so I don't expect to get anymore nose bleeds when lying down. Despite still being very swollen, my face looks much better and much more symmetrical already.
Another good discovery was that I had an anti-nausea patch behind my ear during and after the surgery that worked wonders. After my tumor removal surgery on July 31, 2014 I vomited for almost three days. That was an 8.5 hour surgery, so we chalked it up to the long surgery, but the docs and nurses tried everything to stop me from vomiting with no success. Fortunately, the anesthesiologist suggested the patch on Thursday, and I can say that after a 9 hour surgery I never felt a moment of nausea.
On the negative side there are just a few items:
1. I have a bad infection on my leg's incision site;
2. My head and face hurt--a lot;
3. The jaw bra is painful to wear and it's impossible to sleep with it on;
4. You MUST sleep in a sitting position with your head above your heart. I didn't the first night hone and the swelling was atrocious for the next two days. Even my "good side" was swollen and painful.
That's all the energy I have for now. I'll write again soon, or I'll start a video blog because a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thank you,
Michelle
