And we're off!

We are leaving shortly for the hospital. Leo is next door at our landlord's house and very excited to be there. It's his second family. Kurt is more nervous than I am but he is trying to keep it in.

Here are my pre-surgery pictures. They are frightening, because I have no makeup on. I am sorry to scare you.





The one with my finger shows how far I can open my mouth without pain, however, it hurt to even smile for the other one. Now I'm off to fix this!

It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN....

Yes, that song has been in my head all day, and now it's in your head, too. You're welcome.

Not much to do today other than last minute preparations. We just dropped off the chihuahuas at Kurt's mom's house, which is always rough for me. I can't stand being separated from the dogs, especially Cordy, who has slept with me almost every night for 3 years now. However, as their favorite thing to do is lick around my ears, it's probably better that they stay away for a few days. Leo will be just next door, so he can come visit me, so that won't be too bad.

We bought 32 bottles of Ensure this weekend. I tried one yesterday - it has a chalky taste, but it should be satisfying enough. I heard a rumor today that they have a Butter Pecan flavor....yum.

We will also be having a big pasta dinner (alfredo, not tomato sauce - tomatoes are on the "NO-EAT" list from the doctor since they are a natural blood thinner, and, as they put it, "If you start bleeding, we can't tourniquet your head.") so that should last me through tomorrow.

Just sitting and waiting now. I'm still not nervous, but I hate waiting.

Four More Days until Surgery...

I'm using this blog to keep everyone updated during that time as talking won't be a priority.

I had my pre-op testing today. It was just a few blood tests and the usual urine test to make sure I'm not pregnant. I also found out that my surgery will be an hour earlier than planned, which is great because I will have not eaten since midnight and will be a little cranky. Noon is still late for a surgery, but I can handle it.

The heat wave is supposed to break tomorrow, so we'll be doing a lot of cleaning over the next few days. Right now our A/C unit can't keep up with the heat so we've been just laying around cursing and tossing ice cubes to the dogs.

Other than that....just patiently waiting!

Paul is Undead

I love pop culture stories, and I love "alternate reality" stories....so here's the perfect book for me.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7142931-paul-is-undead

George, Paul, and John as ZOMBIES?! And Ringo as a NINJA?!?

I think I've died, been reanimated, and gone to zombie heaven. Once I've read it, I'll put up an official review. Until then, I'll be drooling with anticipation.

Seth's Quilt

Here's my third baby quilt that I've made. I made this one a little larger than Abe and Atticus', about a 48" by 48". I also have a shot of him using it, which I love. (Plus, he's quite drooly, how cute is that?!)

Puppy Photo Shoot: Esmeralda

I haven't had a chance to update this recently, since I was working various shifts at work. Here's Esme's photos:




I'll have Cordy's up as soon as they are scanned.

Goblins!

I found this through superpunch.com. I thought it was amazing.

The Haunted Household

Puppy Photos: Leonidas

We had the pups' pictures taken last week, as 3 individual packages. Surprisingly, Cordy was the hardest to photograph, as she kept trying to hide behind me. What a Mama's Girl. Leo, of course, hammed it up, and his pictures arrived in the mail first. Here are the results:

Jaw Surgery from the Experts

Here's the scoop on the jaw surgery, from an actual article. The first part is what they hope is all it is. The second part is if there is actual tearing that he will need to repair or graft.

Arthroscopic arthroplasty surgery - Austin Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates pioneered TMJ arthroscopy in this region in the mid-1980's. Since that time AOMSA has been at the forefront of arthroscopic advances and new techniques. It is similar to arthroscopic surgery performed by orthopedic surgeons on the knee and other joints. This procedure is usually done in a hospital setting and requires general anesthesia and is routinely done on an outpatient basis. Most TMJ derangements can be treated by arthroscopic surgery. Adhesions and scarring may be removed to increase joint mobility. If the disc is displaced, causing painful popping or locking, a repositioning procedure can be accomplished arthroscopically. Until the last several years, this required an open joint procedure but with the current state of the arthroscopic "art", many disc repositioning procedures including suturing of the disc itself, are performed without open surgery. In cases of more severe degeneration such as torn discs, discs with holes worn in them, or arthritic and generative joints, arthroscopic surgery is highly effective. This procedure requires a small 2mm incision over the joint and in front of the ear. Through this incision, the arthroscope is inserted into the joint space. Additional needles may be placed to perform the necessary procedures.

Open joint reconstructive surgery - If the joint fails to respond to the arthroscopic procedure or the condition is such that arthroscopy is not indicated, an open procedure is sometimes recommended. Under direct visualization the joint is reconstructed by smoothing the joint surfaces, repair of disc abnormality and removal of diseased tissue. A graft or artificial replacement of one or more joint surfaces may be used in the reconstruction of the joint. This procedure requires general anesthesia as well as an overnight stay in the hospital.

Abe's Quilt

My best friend from high school had her first baby in November, Abram Edward. I made him a quilt as seen below:



The pattern can be found here. Turns out Leavenworth is the name of a famous prison, but the design is quite lovely.

Anyway, I have very few pictures of people using my crafts, so I was definitely happy when I saw this picture:



Yep, that's my quilt peeking out! Apparently he's outgrown his other baby blankets. This one I made as a 42" by 42" so it'll fit him quite well for a few years.

So....I'm feeling pretty proud!

Quote for the Day

Appropriately...

"Happiness is NOT a warm scalpel!" - Repo! The Genetic Opera

Insert "Jaws" Theme here

Well, I finally have time to write, and of course, I'm too sleepy to say anything profound. I, like most people in the area, have the sniffles from the ever-changing weather. Last week it was 85 F on Thursday, and by Saturday we had a high of 49. I know that eventually it will all even out, but as someone who loves summer, I'm being a bit of a baby, as are my sinuses.

The big news around here is that I am going to have surgery on my jaw at the end of May or beginning of June. We can't schedule an official day until we have the insurance company's permission letter in our hand, but the doctor is pretty confident they will approve it. I plan on using this blog as, well, a blog on the whole experience. I suppose if I have to go through it, we might as well document the whole adventure.

I've always had TMJ issues, but really never had it treated. I had more orthodontic work done than I can name (and I am not exaggerating, I actually can't remember the names of some of the devices) and although it gave me a nice smile, it probably did the initial weakening of the jaw. It started clicking while I was in high school, but it didn't hurt. I actually enjoyed going up behind people and popping my jaw really loud in their ear, because I am THAT AWESOME.

It went away for a while, then last year, I went to the dentist and had a filling. The dentist was understaffed, and although I explained that it usually hurts my jaw to keep it open too long, it was kept open for an extreme amount of time. The dentist and his assistant kept leaving the room to check on other patients, so by the time the Novacaine started to wear off, we were just finishing. (Good timing on the Novacaine, or things would have gotten quite messy.)

After that, my jaw would hurt, and occasionally, it would get stuck open, which believe me, is excruciating pain. It's like someone takes a tiny whip and smacks you right across the jaw bone - very sudden, shocking pain. But, once I got it unstuck, it would be sore for a day or so, and then go back to being only sore on occasion.

Then, one day in September, Kurt and I were driving somewhere, and my jaw got stuck open, and it hurt so badly that I think I yelled. Now, I'm one of those people who HATE to show that they're in pain. Kurt thinks I have a martyr complex or something. So, the fact that I actually made a "pain-related noise" scared the hell out of him. Then, I couldn't get it to close again immediately, and when it did, it didn't feel "quite right." I know that's a cliche way to describe it, but I can't explain it any other way.

Now, here's the part where you will want to reach through the monitor and slap me silly. One character flaw I have is, obviously, refusing to show pain. The second is a stubbornness to treat myself when things go wrong. (Ask me sometime about my torn knee and consequent surgery) This time, after it locked open, it didn't get better. In fact, it kept getting worse and worse. I started rubbing the muscles, and eating softer foods, and doing heat treatments every day. I kept thinking, "Oh, it will get better, just give it time." (I am now waiting for your slap, readers. Just try to steer clear of the jaw when you do.)

Finally, in March (yes, I know, 7 months after I hurt it, SHUSH) I went to an oral surgeon. He said there were some muscle issues that would need physical therapy, but what worried him is that my jaw used to click and pop, and now, it did nothing. He scheduled an MRI for me, which I had a few weeks later. The one cool part about the whole appointment was that he took a little ruler and started measuring my jaw in all sorts of ways...open, closed, to the side, moving back and forth, biting something, etc. I found it interesting. Also, he looks like Jeff Bridges. "Big Lebowski" Jeff Bridges, not "K-Pax" Jeff Bridges.


The MRI was quite an experience, because even though I told them I wasn't claustrophobic, I actually do have a bit of claustrophobia. But, see character flaw#1 (doesn't like to show pain or discomfort) and you can see how that went. But, I made it through, even though I had to bite on a piece of styrofoam so they could take an MRI shot with my mouth open. That was about 6 minutes of contstant pain, and I do believe that had it gone longer I would have actually bitten through the styrofoam. However, I spent the whole time thinking, "What would they do if I DID bite through it, and then I swallowed it?", so that kept me occupied.

Once I went back to the doctor, he informed me that 95% of the time TMJ patients never have to go through surgery, but I was one of the lucky five percent. Turns out my meniscuses on both sides are out of place. He then went through all the possible effects of surgery (sounding like like the end of a drug commercial), and then explained the procedures to me, as I shall do for you:

1) Procedure #1: A simple arthroscopy, where they will make a small incision in front of each of my ears, and then go in and erode away the scar tissue that has built up, causing my meniscus to be displaced. Then, with physical therapy, the meniscus will naturally fall back to where it needs to be. This is the optimum surgery, as I will only be out of work for a week or so.

2) Procedure #2: This is where it gets tricky: if they go in and the meniscus is torn, they will have to make a bigger incision behind my ears and go in and repair the tissue. This recovery time takes up to a month.

3) Procedure# 3: (Yes, there is one more!) If they go in, and the meniscus has a hole in it, then they must do a skin graft onto the meniscus in order to repair it. This will also move recovery up to a month.

So, there you have it. Having had surgery before, I am not scared, at at this point, I will do anything for relief. I talk with my teeth touching now, and when I do open my mouth, I can only open it enough to fit one fingertip in. If I strain really hard, I can fit two fingertips in, but it is very uncomfortable. I am in constant pain, and I also have earaches, since the whole area is connected. Also, I can barely eat anything without pain. I had to list what I couldn't eat for the nurse to send to the insurance company, but I wasn't allowed to say "everything." Needless to say, it sounded like I was reading off a grocery list, and it made me very hungry. The worst trait of a food that I cannot eat is not the hardness or chewiness, although that is up there. If it's too big, or oddly shaped, to fit between the small space that is now my bite, I can't chew it. So, even bananas give my trouble, because I can't just bite into it because it's too round in diameter. (Yes, this sounds like it's going to be a good dirty story, but seriously)

Well, that's enough babbling for one night. I'll do more updates later.

Oh, also......this is the song I am going to play on my way to surgery. It's from one of my favorite movies. Just excuse the rated-R content and, well, Paris Hilton.

Zydrate Anatomy

Quote of the Day: Sunday

Since his books inspired me to start a Commonplace Book, here is a quote from Lemony Snicket, appropriate since I am off to bed now.

"It is one of life's bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are really getting interesting."

- Lemony Snicket, The Grim Grotto

A chihuahua in love

You know if it's my blog, it's going to have puppy stories a lot. Ever since we got Esme, she's had what can only be a "crush" on Kurt. If we walk somewhere, she has to be at his ankles, and even if he accidentally kicks her, she looks up at him happily. She sits on his chest while he reads, curls around him while he plays the X-Box, and will follow him with her eyes everywhere she goes. She also gives him tongue baths. This isn't just the ordinary tongue bath, either, this can go on for ten or more minutes if we don't stop her. Today she was giving him a bath on his neck and he finally stopped her so that I could rub his sore neck. He laid on his chest, face down, and I went to rub his neck. Esme quickly nosed her head under my hand, flipped it upwards, and then laid across his neck so that I couldn't touch it. She then looked up at me as if to say, "Ain't nobody mess with my man!"

A Commonplace Book of my Own

I've had a few attempts at a Commonplace Book over the years - ever since I started reading Lemony Snicket - but it is harder for me to sit down and write an entry in every day life, no matter how much I enjoy doing it. So, here I am, starting my own Commonplace Book, in the form of a blog.

I've had blogs and online journals in the past, but I'm hoping to use this one to unify all my interests; as well as day-to-day happenings and thoughts. I have one other blog, http://adventuresinbeckerland.blogspot.com/, which is a travel and hiking blog. Right now it's focusing on our attempt to walk all over the Cleveland Metroparks this summer.

I've had several different people this week tell me I needed to write a blog, and so that may be why I am inspired to start one up again. Also, I have found out that I will be having jaw surgery in 6-8 weeks, so I think this is a good way of documenting the experience. Plus, I probably won't be able to talk a lot, so this would be a nice way to update people and keep myself busy!

Well, if you don't know anything about me, here's me in a nutshell:

I am married with 3 kids....but they're all dogs. One is a schnorkie named Leonidas, and two are chihuahuas named Cordelia and Esmeralda. Each one has a pop culture influence on their name, as well as something historical or literal. Leonidas ("Leo") was named because we saw "300" in the theatre right before we adopted him, thusly it's a pop culture name, and a historical name. It's also the name of the lion in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks." Cordelia was named after my favorite female Joss Whedon character, but it's also the daughter in King Lear, and the name Anne wants to call herself in the "Anne of Green Gables" series. And Esmeralda is named after the Disney character and Victor Hugo character, Esmeralda, but we call her Esme, after the character from the Lemony Snicket series. (Who just happens to be the villain's girlfriend, which is an inkling into Esme's personality)

My husband, Kurt, and I both work for the same logistics company. It's not a lot of pay, but I enjoy it because it keeps me busy. I also enjoy my husband, Kurt. He amuses me greatly, as you will see in eventual posts, I am sure.

I love to read, although I don't get to as much as I would like. My favorite books are "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo, and "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. For book series, I'm a Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket fan all the way, as well as Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. And, I am going to stop there, because if I try to list any more, I'll be here till next year.

I am a hardcore Disney fan. I love them all, but my favorite characters are Stitch and Jessica Rabbit. My top five favorite Disney movies are (in no particular order): Lilo and Stitch, The Little Mermaid, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, and The Princess and the Frog. My favorite movie of all time, though, is "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

This is starting to seem narcissitic, so I am going to super summarize the rest:
I love to quilt, knit, crochet, draw, play the piano, and write. I love Broadway musicals but I am picky about them. I love The Sims, Civilization, and corny time management games on Shockwave.com. I love to travel. I love my nephews and niece and my family.

And with that, it is time to go till another time. Adieu.