Newsome’s Weblog

I’m having my second surgery this morning. I’m not sure if I am coming home today or if they want me to stay.  Last time, I thought I was coming home and they kept me overnight.

Wish me luck…

After using my trismus mouth torture device for a few days, I was able to peer into the back of my mouth. I was suprised to see that I do in fact still have a uvula! It must have been squished before because I couldn’t see it. It is not in the center anymore, but off to the left side.

I had my follow up appointment with my doctor and I discovered that I have “trismus” or lock jaw. This happened because so much tissue was cut out – the tissue starts to heal and since it is shorter, the muscles get tighter.

For the next few months, I’ll get to wear this:

I’ll use it 3 times per day and I increase the amount of time per session until I can use it for 30 minutes at a time. After that, I can turn the tension up a little and start over with my time. This will take a while, but it is a slooooooow stretch which should help in the long run.

When I first saw it, it looked like something from the movie “Saw” or a medieval torture device. It isn’t that bad. According to their website, or at least the kid in the photo, I’ll be eating corn dogs in no time 🙂

http://www.dynasplint.com/trismus.html

Since the hole in my throat was so large, I could be a Human PEZ dispenser. Some friends from work sent me this giant PEZ. (I’m the pale one on the right). I do look a wee bit pallid in this photo. I’d like to blame it on the camera flash, but I know better than that. Geez, I am scruffy looking. Ok, I’m sickly, I need to shave, I look like a wreck – why did I post this again? Oh yeah, check out my PEZ!

Each time you flip the head back, he says quotes from Shrek 3. Each time you flip my head back, I shriek 3 times. Coincidence?