Caboose:-)

[Guest guest]

Hello my dearest Caboose

It's so good to have you back and even better to know that your PC is

in the shop now and will soon be fixed. We've missed your good cheer

here:-)

Well your recovery sounds like it is going very well. Putting on

makeup takes a while. I think for me up until 3 weeks post op it just

felt so weird applying stuff to my face when I just couldn't feel

anything and I certainly missed out on the lesson at makeup school

entitled " How to minimize big swollen cheeks and how to maximize a no

longer existent upper lip " . The swelling is going slowly down thanks

to a combination of patience, daily walks, MLD massages and liquid

arnica but I still feel that my right cheek is very swollen. I want

my cheek bones back! My upper lip has recently decided to make an

appearance and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will stay put.

Eatingwise I am still limited to a soft diet but I have been cheating

and just chopping up food into very small pieces and throwing it down

my throat without chewing. My current favorite meal is chopped up

cooked ham, diced mozzarella and cherry tomatoes tossed with virgin

olive oil and black pepper. Very yummy and very filling.

I did indeed have a glass of wine in your honor in Florence. It was

actually the first glass of Alessandro's new wine which he will be

launching in the US in October. Very very good. This Thursday is his

30th birthday so I am running around like a headless chicken trying

to organize birthday presents for him. I get so tired so easily since

the surgery. It gets frustrating but then I remind myself that this

is only a passing phase.

So did your doctor tell you how many bands you will have on and how

long you will need to keep them on for during the day? Did he also

tell you how long until you can start exericising again? I am

starting to get anxious about getting more physical activity since my

visits at the gyno. The worrying never seems to stop lately. Mental

note: must not complain, I am a healthy woman and will get through

this and am very lucky.

It does take time to get used to one's new look doesn't it? I promise

that as the swelling goes down you start to look more and more like

yourself. When I found myself obsessing too much about how I looked I

made a point of not looking at myself in the mirror too often. It's

funny because in the US everyone I would see would make a big deal

about how different I look and here in Italy instead no one has said

anything, which I quite like. Makes me feel perfectly normal. Only

the people who knew I was having the surgery done have commented and

they've all been very brief and polite comments. Strange cultural

differences.

Well my dear Caboose, let me know if there is anything that I can do

for you, ya hear me!

Thinking of you and sending you lots of positive thoughts as well as

keeping that bulldozer handy to tear down that wall should it decide

to pop up. Enjoy the extra weeks off work!!!

Sara girl