one more week until my freedom...

[Guest guest]

well, for those of you who have been keeping up with me, i have one

more week in wires. i have been wired for five weeks - its so hard

to believe i've made it this long. i'm worn down mentally and

physically. last night i went to my sister's house and she made

pancakes, bacon, eggs and potatoes. first i made a pancake shake - 8

oz. of milk, three small pancakes, butter and syrup. it was heaven.

and then i made a bacon, egg & potato shake w/ 8 oz. of water. that

too, was delish. it may sound gross, but when you've gone as long as

i have without real food, you become desperate. my wires come off a

week from tomorrow. i know i won't be able to dive right in to

eating whatever i want, but it will be amazing just to be able to

open my mouth and brush my teeth really good and just be FREE!!!

part of me feels like this has gone on TOO long and another part

feels like its flown by. sometimes, i forget that i had surgery just

a few weeks ago until i start talking or eating. but even talking

has become easy - sometimes its hard for me to tell that i'm slurring

my speech and most people say that they forget i'm wired sometimes.

this has been a bizarre experience... not all bad, just weird at

times. i think i'll feel like a prisoner who's been set free come

4:10 pm on april 27th. my day planner has " DAY OF FREEDOM " written

down on that day. *sigh* it will be over soon... but not soon

enough...

heather

[Guest guest]

A bacon, egg, potato, and water shake really does sound horrific.

> well, for those of you who have been keeping up with me, i have one

> more week in wires. i have been wired for five weeks - its so hard

> to believe i've made it this long. i'm worn down mentally and

> physically. last night i went to my sister's house and she made

> pancakes, bacon, eggs and potatoes. first i made a pancake shake - 8

> oz. of milk, three small pancakes, butter and syrup. it was heaven.

> and then i made a bacon, egg & potato shake w/ 8 oz. of water. that

> too, was delish. it may sound gross, but when you've gone as long as

> i have without real food, you become desperate. my wires come off a

> week from tomorrow. i know i won't be able to dive right in to

> eating whatever i want, but it will be amazing just to be able to

> open my mouth and brush my teeth really good and just be FREE!!!

> part of me feels like this has gone on TOO long and another part

> feels like its flown by. sometimes, i forget that i had surgery just

> a few weeks ago until i start talking or eating. but even talking

> has become easy - sometimes its hard for me to tell that i'm slurring

> my speech and most people say that they forget i'm wired sometimes.

> this has been a bizarre experience... not all bad, just weird at

> times. i think i'll feel like a prisoner who's been set free come

> 4:10 pm on april 27th. my day planner has " DAY OF FREEDOM " written

> down on that day. *sigh* it will be over soon... but not soon

> enough...

>

> heather

[Guest guest]

it was SOOOO good!!! ALMOST like the real thing. i'm so going to

cracker barrel next week! i've been grossing out my co-workers by

telling them about some of the conconctions i've come up with. hey,

when you haven't eaten normal food in five weeks, you get desperate.

i remember looking through the liquid diet cookbook that my doctor

gave me a few days after surgery and all of it sounded disgusting.

now that i've had a few weeks to get sick of chicken broth, tomato

soup and ensure i will just about blend ANYTHING at this point.

i'm almost done though... the pressure is building the closer my

appointment to remove the wires gets. you'd think i'd feel relieved

that its only one more week, but i only feel that much more

frustrated. the human psyche is so bizarre sometimes.

and it bums me out b/c spring time is my FAVORITE time of the year

and i feel like i haven't been able to truly enjoy it b/c i just have

this thing hanging over my head... and i'm angry b/c it should have

been done last fall and had that been the case i would have probably

paid less in insurance (b/c my insurance changed in january) and i

could possibly have been out of my braces now.

okay, okay, sorry... more venting. let me just take a moment to

focus on the positive - the surgery went incredibly well, i have had

an amazing recovery, my insurance covered MOST of it, i'm already

very happy with the results and i'm almost finished with the worst

part - the wires. there you go...

thanks for listening anyone who read this...

heather

> > well, for those of you who have been keeping up with me, i have

one

> > more week in wires. i have been wired for five weeks - its so

hard

> > to believe i've made it this long. i'm worn down mentally and

> > physically. last night i went to my sister's house and she made

> > pancakes, bacon, eggs and potatoes. first i made a pancake

shake - 8

> > oz. of milk, three small pancakes, butter and syrup. it was

heaven.

> > and then i made a bacon, egg & potato shake w/ 8 oz. of water.

that

> > too, was delish. it may sound gross, but when you've gone as

long as

> > i have without real food, you become desperate. my wires come

off a

> > week from tomorrow. i know i won't be able to dive right in to

> > eating whatever i want, but it will be amazing just to be able to

> > open my mouth and brush my teeth really good and just be FREE!!!

> > part of me feels like this has gone on TOO long and another part

> > feels like its flown by. sometimes, i forget that i had surgery

just

> > a few weeks ago until i start talking or eating. but even

talking

> > has become easy - sometimes its hard for me to tell that i'm

slurring

> > my speech and most people say that they forget i'm wired

sometimes.

> > this has been a bizarre experience... not all bad, just weird at

> > times. i think i'll feel like a prisoner who's been set free

come

> > 4:10 pm on april 27th. my day planner has " DAY OF FREEDOM "

written

> > down on that day. *sigh* it will be over soon... but not soon

> > enough...

> >

> > heather

[Guest guest]

<>

Oh, I do this too. I forget my mouth is banded shut, and I try to

do stupid things like breathe on my glasses so I can clean them. Or

lick my lips - I'm always trying to stick my tongue out, and of

course I can't, and for a brief moment I think, What's going on?

Then I remember - oh, yeah, my teeth are banded shut. By the time I

get used to this, I'll be out of bands.

Kris

[Guest guest]

lol!!! that is soooo funny about what you said about trying to lick

your lips. i tried to lick and envelope the other day and then i

realized i couldn't so i busted out laughing... i told my boss, she

thought it was pretty funny too. or yeah, i'll try to blow on my

soup if its too hot. sometimes you've just gotta have a sense of

humor about this whole thing.

> < >

>

> Oh, I do this too. I forget my mouth is banded shut, and I try to

> do stupid things like breathe on my glasses so I can clean them.

Or

> lick my lips - I'm always trying to stick my tongue out, and of

> course I can't, and for a brief moment I think, What's going on?

> Then I remember - oh, yeah, my teeth are banded shut. By the time

I

> get used to this, I'll be out of bands.

>

> Kris

[Guest guest]

Not if you're HUNGRY and can't chew! (You cook the bacon, the egg and

the potato, first, I'm assuming. The water -- well, that's up to you!

It could be broth, or salsa or tomato juice, if that's more

appealing, as long as you blend it all up into a frenzy.)

Cammie

> A bacon, egg, potato, and water shake really does sound

horrific.

>

[Guest guest]

You can do " if " and " we'd have " forever.

You could have had surgery last fall, something could have gone wrong

in the O.R. (maybe a bad break, literally) and you could have all

kinds of numbness, or a longer period of wiring or, God forbid, a

relapse and have to do it all over.

I don't mean to be pollyanna here, but if you have a good result

you're pleased with, thank the heavens and whichever deities are

yours, and go on about your business!

And yes -- Spring isn't over until what? June 22? So you have a lot

of it left.

Sigh. I wish we did. I'm on the Gulf Coast, and we're almost into

summer. (I hope you're somewhere more northerly and that the seasons

aren't slamming you quite so hard!)

Cammie

> it was SOOOO good!!! ALMOST like the real thing. i'm so going to

> cracker barrel next week! i've been grossing out my co-workers by

> telling them about some of the conconctions i've come up with.

hey,

> when you haven't eaten normal food in five weeks, you get desperate.

>

> i remember looking through the liquid diet cookbook that my doctor

> gave me a few days after surgery and all of it sounded disgusting.

> now that i've had a few weeks to get sick of chicken broth, tomato

> soup and ensure i will just about blend ANYTHING at this point.

>

> i'm almost done though... the pressure is building the closer my

> appointment to remove the wires gets. you'd think i'd feel

relieved

> that its only one more week, but i only feel that much more

> frustrated. the human psyche is so bizarre sometimes.

>

> and it bums me out b/c spring time is my FAVORITE time of the year

> and i feel like i haven't been able to truly enjoy it b/c i just

have

> this thing hanging over my head... and i'm angry b/c it should have

> been done last fall and had that been the case i would have

probably

> paid less in insurance (b/c my insurance changed in january) and i

> could possibly have been out of my braces now.

>

> okay, okay, sorry... more venting. let me just take a moment to

> focus on the positive - the surgery went incredibly well, i have

had

> an amazing recovery, my insurance covered MOST of it, i'm already

> very happy with the results and i'm almost finished with the worst

> part - the wires. there you go...

>

> thanks for listening anyone who read this...

>

> heather

[Guest guest]

Hey, Cammie!

I am on the Gulf Coast, too~ Pensacola. I go in for my surgery on May 5th. I

am trying to enjoy this weather while I have the chance.

Cathy

Re: one more week until my freedom...

You can do " if " and " we'd have " forever.

You could have had surgery last fall, something could have gone wrong

in the O.R. (maybe a bad break, literally) and you could have all

kinds of numbness, or a longer period of wiring or, God forbid, a

relapse and have to do it all over.

I don't mean to be pollyanna here, but if you have a good result

you're pleased with, thank the heavens and whichever deities are

yours, and go on about your business!

And yes -- Spring isn't over until what? June 22? So you have a lot

of it left.

Sigh. I wish we did. I'm on the Gulf Coast, and we're almost into

summer. (I hope you're somewhere more northerly and that the seasons

aren't slamming you quite so hard!)

Cammie

> it was SOOOO good!!! ALMOST like the real thing. i'm so going to

> cracker barrel next week! i've been grossing out my co-workers by

> telling them about some of the conconctions i've come up with.

hey,

> when you haven't eaten normal food in five weeks, you get desperate.

>

> i remember looking through the liquid diet cookbook that my doctor

> gave me a few days after surgery and all of it sounded disgusting.

> now that i've had a few weeks to get sick of chicken broth, tomato

> soup and ensure i will just about blend ANYTHING at this point.

>

> i'm almost done though... the pressure is building the closer my

> appointment to remove the wires gets. you'd think i'd feel

relieved

> that its only one more week, but i only feel that much more

> frustrated. the human psyche is so bizarre sometimes.

>

> and it bums me out b/c spring time is my FAVORITE time of the year

> and i feel like i haven't been able to truly enjoy it b/c i just

have

> this thing hanging over my head... and i'm angry b/c it should have

> been done last fall and had that been the case i would have

probably

> paid less in insurance (b/c my insurance changed in january) and i

> could possibly have been out of my braces now.

>

> okay, okay, sorry... more venting. let me just take a moment to

> focus on the positive - the surgery went incredibly well, i have

had

> an amazing recovery, my insurance covered MOST of it, i'm already

> very happy with the results and i'm almost finished with the worst

> part - the wires. there you go...

>

> thanks for listening anyone who read this...

>

> heather

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

you are absolutely right... i tend to be a bit of a baby when it

comes to my circumstances. i can never just be happy with how things

turned out WHEN they turned out. but yes, i'm doing great, i got

through the surgery and now i only have a week left on my liquids.

as far as springtime... i do think i have a few more weeks to enjoy

it. i live in tennessee so its already pretty warm, but it usually

isn't scorching here until late july, early august. plus, the

tennessee motto is " if you don't like the weather here, just wait a

little while, it will change " .

anyway, thanks for the pep talk. its so good to have

accountability... especially when the people i see on a daily basis

have NO earthly idea what i'm going through.

heather

> > it was SOOOO good!!! ALMOST like the real thing. i'm so going

to

> > cracker barrel next week! i've been grossing out my co-workers

by

> > telling them about some of the conconctions i've come up with.

> hey,

> > when you haven't eaten normal food in five weeks, you get

desperate.

> >

> > i remember looking through the liquid diet cookbook that my

doctor

> > gave me a few days after surgery and all of it sounded

disgusting.

> > now that i've had a few weeks to get sick of chicken broth,

tomato

> > soup and ensure i will just about blend ANYTHING at this point.

> >

> > i'm almost done though... the pressure is building the closer my

> > appointment to remove the wires gets. you'd think i'd feel

> relieved

> > that its only one more week, but i only feel that much more

> > frustrated. the human psyche is so bizarre sometimes.

> >

> > and it bums me out b/c spring time is my FAVORITE time of the

year

> > and i feel like i haven't been able to truly enjoy it b/c i just

> have

> > this thing hanging over my head... and i'm angry b/c it should

have

> > been done last fall and had that been the case i would have

> probably

> > paid less in insurance (b/c my insurance changed in january) and

i

> > could possibly have been out of my braces now.

> >

> > okay, okay, sorry... more venting. let me just take a moment to

> > focus on the positive - the surgery went incredibly well, i have

> had

> > an amazing recovery, my insurance covered MOST of it, i'm already

> > very happy with the results and i'm almost finished with the

worst

> > part - the wires. there you go...

> >

> > thanks for listening anyone who read this...

> >

> > heather