I was discharged about an hour and half ago, though not without one needless snag. They forgot to take off my IV clamp from where it was taped to my arm, so we had to turn around and go back to get it removed. Very sloppy on their part. In all honesty, I wasn't too impressed with that place. Things seemed a little haphazard, and the quality of the nurses and attendants was very hit or miss.
The good: the procedure seems to have worked! I was drifting in and out of sleep last night, but didn't feel any apnea episodes. Got woken up by the hospital staff a lot, but that's a different story.
The bad: the hideously swollen lower jaw, the numb chin, the difficulty swallowing, the post-surgery nausea, the uncontrollable drooling. Fun times. But all expected and in the end, all temporary. And very much worth it for no more sleep apnea.
The ugly: the way my lower jaw looks right now. I won't be winning any beauty contests for a while, not until this swelling goes down. Dr. Jelic said I could expect the swelling to peak on the third day and subside thereafter, down about 75% at the end of the second week. Can't come soon enough at this point. I'm currently wearing an icepack sling pressed against both cheeks, trying to get some of the inflammation down. It's going to be a constant struggle for a while.
There are some pictures of me taken by Mark right after surgery, but I'll spare folks them. They're not pretty. Pictures will follow when the swelling subsides and I have a better idea of what my real appearance is going to be.
And a huge thank you and hug to Mark for taking care of me this week. Having you here was a godsend, and you've made this endurable.
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