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The Thin Man’s Plot Thickens

07 Aug 2008 by

A week post-surgery on Tuesday, Adam had lost twelve pounds.  This is totally unacceptable.  So I’ve been crunching numbers on how to increase his calorie intake.  Since the fluids have had a tendency to fill him quickly, I’ve settled on 5 “meals.” Each meal has to consist of at least 560 calories and 17 grams of protein for 2800 calories/day and 85 gram of protein/day.  I’ve pretty much forbidden drinking water since water has no calories.

His swelling has gone down considerably. Although he’s still a little swollen and numb, with the weight he’s lost, he looks almost back to his old self.  He has some pretty tight rubber bands holding his teeth together. He’s not as intelligible as he was even last week when he tries to talk.  This morning at his orthodontist appointment, he was shown how to change the bands himself and encouraged to go 3 hours/day without them.

But the plot thickens in my husband’s jaw saga.  The orthodontist this morning said that the plate on the left side of his jaw needs to be removed.  (*aaaarrrrgggghhhh!*)  However, apparently the orthodontist says that by removing this plate, he can–through orthodontics–move the back teeth on the left closer together faster thereby speeding up the recovery time by 3-4 months.  The removal of the plate will be an outpatient procedure that will be done at the surgeon’s office next Thursday.

He has yet to have a good night’s sleep even with a sleeping pill that the doctor prescribed.  Please pray that he can get some good rest.  He’ll start back to work from home half days next week with his new job.

Category: Family, Health  2 Comments

Update from the Nurse

03 Aug 2008 by

Can someone convince my husband that he needs to drink even though he doesn’t “feel” hungry?

Adam had a rough day which actually started last night being unable to sleep well.  He woke up with a tight chest, head ache and a low grade fever that climbed to 100.1 last I checked.

I called the doctor.  Adam has to take deep breaths hourly and cough to make sure he doesn’t get fluid in his lungs.  Dr. Quaroni thinks this is why Adam is getting a fever.  He also said Adam need to increase his fluids and told me to give him Benedryl to help him sleep better at night.

Adam is officially sick of liquids.   He entertained the idea of blending some shells and cheese until I told him I’d have to thin it out for him to drink.

Please continue to pray for my beloved husband.

Category: Family, Health  One Comment

Update from the Patient

02 Aug 2008 by

Greetings, everyone. I can’t thank you enough for all you have done for me and the family these past few days. Your help has been very appreciated. I’m well enough where I can give my beloved a little break on the updates and fill you in myself.

  • All my meals will be through a straw or a large syringe for the next few weeks. I expect to tire of it shortly but I never expected that the meals would be filling. It could also be that I don’t have much of an appetite. Sharon sure does know how to pack a lot of nutrients into a glass.
  • I take medications regularly: Pain meds, antibiotics, mouth washes, and nasal sprays. These have been very helpful, but they do make my drowsy. I rest as often as I can.
  • The lower portion of my face is quite swollen. Talking and swallowing are difficult and tiresome. I occasionally apply hot-packs to my face for temporal relief.
  • Nosebleeds are frequent and expected. Part of the surgery was done in the sinus area so the swelling pressure is relieved through the nose.

So far there hasn’t been any surprises and we can hope that recovery will continue at a good pace. I see the orthodontist and the surgeon early next week so I’ll have more news to report then. I’ve remembered all your prayer intentions for those of you who sent them. I haven’t forgotten a one and still turn to them in moments of discomfort. Thank you again for all your prayers. I cannot do this alone.

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Post Surgery Day 4

01 Aug 2008 by

Adam came home yesterday! It’s so great to have him back.  His swelling has gone down a little but not much and that’s his major discomfort.  It’s also been difficult for him to sleep well since he still has to sleep propped at a 30-45 degree angle and sleeping on his back isn’t his favorite position.

The kids are adjusting out of necessity.  Unfortunately Adam isn’t talking very well because of the numbness and swelling.  So he can’t read to them.  And he can’t pick up the kids as his weight limit is about 20 lbs.  Dr. Quaroni only really gave him permission to pick up Gianna.  Since she’s a squirmy worm, it’s probably not a good idea if he even does that.  He’s not supposed to bend over or even squat.   So “playing” with the kids is quite limited.

Meal time is fun.  I know I’ll never open a restaurant!  :) HA!  Adam is on pure liquid diet for at least a couple of weeks. This mean everything I make has to be strained of fibers, seeds and the such.  We don’t want to risk getting any particles in his incisions that might cause an infection.  So between Adam’s meals, Gianna’s diet restrictions (since she’s not a year old yet there are still some foods to avoid), and the other kids, I’m having to keep up with a lot of meals.   We got our first meal from the Care Calendar today and that was a blessing!  Thanks Mary!

So far Adam hasn’t lost any weight, in fact maybe he gained a couple of pounds!  Heehee…could be all that cream and super fortified milk (milk with powdered milk) I’m using in stuff!  He’s supposed to get around 85 grams of protein a day to help in his healing and recovery.  I found a protein powder “meal replacement” that has 38 grams.  Hopefully that’ll do the trick.

Adam is a great dad and a super help when he is well.  I’ve really come to appreciate even more all the things he does for me and the kids when he’s home.

Category: Events, Family, Health  One Comment

Post Surgery Day 2

30 Jul 2008 by

Adam is doing really well today. He did a little bit of walking and sitting in a chair. He was awake for the most part with a short afternoon nap.

We had a good visit with Dr. Quaroni tonight. Because I wasn’t sure, I asked what exactly was holding Adam’s jaw together. Answer: Titanium plates and about 30 screws! I guess he’ll be making the metal detectors at airports go off for the rest of his life. Dr. Quaroni is very pleased with the progress that Adam is making. In fact, Dr. Q said, “You don’t even look like you had jaw surgery yesterday.” To which I replied, “Well, we had a whole convent of nuns praying for this surgery!” Thank you Sister of Mary! And thanks again to all of you for your prayers!  Adam is doing so well because of heaven and our Blessed Lord have been flooded with your prayers!

If he has a good night tonight, Adam will be able to come home tomorrow!

Category: Events, Family, Health  One Comment

First sips

29 Jul 2008 by

Dr. Quaroni came by this evening to check in on Adam. Since the two previous times I’ve met with him, I have never seen him smile so much! I think he is well please with the work God did through his hands! So are we!

Adam is doing great.  His face is numb still, but he is regaining sensation in his low lips.  His color is good and a lot of the bleeding in his mouth has slowed down considerably allowing him to drink fluids now.  He’s a little nauseous but taking meds to curb that.  His swelling doesn’t seem “that bad” to me and he may swell a little more, but Dr. Q agreed that he looks really good.  He should be on ice packs through tomorrow.

Adam took his first drinks of juice and broth this evening.  He is drinking through a syringe with a rubber hose at the end.  This is so that he doesn’t have to suck anything out.  He really can’t drink out of a cup yet.  His jaw is not wired shut but he is wearing strong rubber bands to keep his mouth closed.

Tomorrow, he will start drinking hourly, walking a little and sitting in a chair.

Category: Events, Family, Health  4 Comments

Surgery Timeline and Update

29 Jul 2008 by

5 a.m. Head to Austin Surgical Hospital

5:30 Arrive and check-in

7 a.m. Surgery begin with about 20 minutes of letting the anesthesiologist do his work

8:55 a.m. First update from the nurse that Dr. Quaroni finished the work on the lower jaw

10 a.m. Second update from the nurse that work on the upper jaw is finished.  Dr. Quaroni will begin sewing him up.

10:45 Dr. Quaroni calls to give the update on how surgery went.

Dr. Quaroni said that the lower jaw was more complicated that he initially anticipated because Adam’s lower jaw was more deformed than what he could tell from the x-rays.  However, he was pleased with the results and said that he was able to get the front teeth to touch (something he wasn’t sure of in the pre-op appointment).  Adam had some bleeding but is doing well.

1 p.m. Nurse calls to say Adam is out of recovery. He has been moved to a room and they are keeping a close eye on him.

Thank you and keep up all the prayers!   The hospital has a wireless connection.  Feel free to send him an email.

Category: Events, Family, Health  4 Comments

Literally Inside My Head

22 Jul 2008 by

This may help some of you get a better idea of why I need orthognathic surgery. This x-ray was taken almost two years ago. You can see that I have an obvious overbite. Also, you’ll notice the fillings on my molars (solid white) do not even come together. I have very few teeth that actually touch when my mouth is closed. My jaw is constantly moving – even at night – trying to find a stable position. Wearing my splint regularly has helped relieve the tension all this movement causes.

Adam’s X-Ray

The orthodontic treatment I have received since this x-ray has corrected some of my alignment issues, but not my bite. Only surgery can do that. After surgery, I’ll continue the orthodontics for a few months to finish out the process. Somewhere in the future I’ll probably need to receive a gingival graft to take care of my receding gums – another effect of my deformed jaw.

Category: Health  2 Comments
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