Day 7 Post Op.....Warning: attempt to smile may scare children and small animals

Pain: 4/10
Inconvenience: 8/10

Progress! I'm still totally numb and I look a little cray cray, but that is the first smilish looking picture that I have attempted yet. It's a great day to be alive.

People (mom, the dr, other patient's jaw surgery blogs, Hunter), all told me, "You will turn the corner soon and feel so much better" and every day I hoped for the corner to be in sight, but it was not. I was miserable to the highest extent miserable can be extended. Dizzy, headache, nausea, hungry and not hungry at the same time, weak, depressed, swollen, sore. The pain was intense. I wished for death more than once. (Okay maybe a bit melodramatic, but when pain is so excruciating and endless, it feels that way.)

BUT! Yesterday we went to doctor and he scolded me about my eating habits and told me things would turn around if I would force myself to eat. See, nothing has sounded worse than eating these past 3 days. I felt like if I took a sip of ensure I would puke it right back up, and even though my mom fought me on it, that sane stubborn Aubrey that ripped out the IV in the hospital thought she knew best. I drank lots of gatorade (it went down easy) but there just weren't enough calories or protein in my diet, so I unknowingly gave myself terrible headaches, dizziness and increased nausea.

So after we got home from the DR, my mom helped me pound the nasty Ensures and I kept up on my pain meds all day and started to feel a little better. I even drank from a cup for the first time instead of a syringe and felt little bit like a human. Then my mom had the BEST idea and made me a nice warm bath, complete with relaxing head pillow and music, and I drifted into an out of body experience free of pain or sickness. Heaven. Slept for 12 hours and ouila! I'm like a new woman.

(Guest Blogger has now stepped in. *This is Lezlie. Aubrey has written all she can and she has slumped back into her resting position. She has asked me to finish this off.)

Aubrey still has a lot of numbness and she is as weak as a new-born colt, but the pain is manageable today (love those heavy drugs!). I think she is seeing that corner in her future... the one we've all been telling her is there. And I am happy to report, today is the day she is going to turn it. I just know it!

It has been a lot of fun to be here actually. Not so fun to see her suffer terribly, or drive with her in the car while she moans that I can't go over 15 miles an hour because it hurts, or clean up the chocolate Ensure when it sprays all over the place becuase the syringe tube has popped off. But it has been really fun to watch movies together (highly recommend The Quartet... loved it), read books out loud to her to pass the time and help her not think about her pounding head, and see everyone's kind outreaches to her. This has truly warmed my heart.

Yesterday I heard Aubrey making the most racquet I'd heard her make since I arrived. I hurried into the room to find her in spasmodic convulsions trying not to laugh or smile. She'd just received the pic below of sweet little Lizzy.

This was Lizzy, Aj and Jen's attempt to cheer her up and it worked! Thank you all for being such great family and friends to Aubrey. We can feel your prayers. I say we becuase I feel them too! As her care giver, I have been buoyed up in many ways. Keep the love comin'!

Till next time, Aubs and Mom/Lezlie