Day 4

I do believe the swelling has gone down. I have actual cheeks again. My bruises are amazing. I've got the entire blue/green spectrum covered as well as violet. I've also got bruising on my arms (IV) and legs (compression leggings). In fact, I look like I had a heck of a fight. (Did I win?)

I want bacon. I really, really want bacon. I would have drunk a bacon shake if I had one. At one point, I went to the kitchen for a snack and realized that I couldn't have anything. Well, not true. I did have a peanut butter smoothie. It looked bad but it tasted gooooood!. It wasn't bacon though.

Someone sent me a McDonald's coupon. Thanks. I'll get right on that...NOT.

I can feel my lips, hooks, and elastics. Feeling has been gradually coming back. It is a bit like pins and needles with the odd sharp pain but it is all good. I can feel almost all of the left side of my face now. My right side is dead. I can feel my hand on there but it feels just like dentist freezing.

I though I would write a note about what I found helpful/not helpful at the hospital.

I used my whiteboard and pens, my phone, and my slippers. I briefly used my word puzzle book and I did do some reading but gave up quickly because my vision was a bit blurred. The hospital gave me syringes, a gown to wear with the IV, and vaseline for my lips. They also gave me an icepack sleeve to take home. I'm glad I didn't buy a head wrap. I would have hardly used it.

I have graduated to a sippy cup for most things. I'm using one of the kiddie kind with a spout. I tried an adult version but I can't feel the spout on it with my lips. I poured stuff all over myself. I've used the syringe for somethings too. If the texture is a bit thicker, it is sometimes hard to sip.

I'm glad I bought 3 little squirt bottles - water, juice, and saline rinse. They make life a bit easier. I wish I hadn't bought the nutrisqueeze packs. They look nice but I found that the straw is too flat and I can't feel it in my mouth. The first time I tried, I wore the package. If I was to do it again, I would package everything in little containers.

I finally took a muscle relaxant today. Hooray! I finally got some relief from my left leg. I tried crushing some advil too. It burned so badly going down. I'm hesitant to try it again. Maybe the muscle relaxant will be enough. It also made me very sleepy so I spent most of the day lying down. I have no attention span and I'm really shaky on my feet.