Two months after my TMJ replacement...

Well, it's been a very long summer. I've never known one like it! With my son finishing school super early (end May) as he was in his final year of school and my daughter having the last 2 and a half weeks off of school due to various bubble closures it seems to have just dragged on forever. I'm sure other people are feeling the same too, especially as the majority of people aren't going abroad due to Covid and it's that time away which really says it's the holidays.

In many respects, my jaw has healed much better thank expected: the scars themselves look really neat and my hair is growing back pretty fast. I still have a couple of `deep' stitches in which annoy me (they stick out only by millimetres but feel weird to the touch;>) and have a small section which keeps weeping slightly every so often, but otherwise it looks healed. On another positive note, yesterday I increased my mouth opening using the Therabite to 2cm! It was a challenge and sore but I was determined. This means that on a good day I have some more flexibility when eating (although still using mini cutlery).

So, as you see, the outside is looking great yet it is the inside which is -apparently - not healing as expected. When I was told about this operation, I was repeatedly told that it was a 6 to 12 month recovery, so when my doctor ended my sick note on 23rd July I was surprised to say the least! Since then I have tried a 3 hour shift in a nursery (fun but painful) and tried to have a friend round for a natter (again, fun but painful). The pain after these wasn't just immediate, and growing by the minute, but lasted for 24 hours after. School starts today and theoretically I should start supply teaching today onwards, however, when I contacted my consultant, he said that he wanted to write me a sick note until I could see him face to face on 14th September. Obviously, not having a job I declined, but I still won't be able to work until after the 14th, nor would I want to with my pain as it is. Don't get me wrong; it has gone from the 8-9 before the operation down to 7-8 (9 if I've been speaking) so it's way better, but still... I also get these odd blinding flashes of pain out of the blue at 9. I haven't worked out a pattern yet but they are usually right on my lower jaw scar or by my ear.

So to summarise; I visually look great but still feel pants.