Day 343-ish: Summer!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post and boy did that time fly by. Since my last post, I have only had one or two orthodontist appointments which were just check ups on the retainers. Things are going great! Just the other day I had another appointment with the oral surgeon, my first in about 6 months. I was really excited to see what he had to say about the results and even brought my mom along. He was VERY pleased with the results and couldn't believe how very everything had "closed up." His response and facial expressions were exactly what I was hoping for. I got so excited through his excitement that I forgot to express to him my gratitude and my respect for what he was able to do.
This past year in school I took clinical anatomy, in which I dissected a human cadaver. Part of this included dissecting the maxillary and madible (jaw bone) areas. It was so dense with nerves and blood vessels that when I thought about what the oral surgeons had done, it truly amazed me that they were able to do what they did without any permanent damage to these nerves and blood vessels. The fact they were able to break my mandible without shearing the nerve that runs through it is incredible to me.
Since I forgot to express this him at the appointment, I figured I would include it in the hand written thank you that I am going to drop off to his office later today, along with a cheesecake (the food that helped me get enough calories). I'm also going to let him know about this blog I've kept so that if he would like, he can share it with other patients of his that are thinking of having the surgery and they can get a better feel of what to expect.
As far as any changes that have happened since my last post, there really hasn't been any major physical changes. I can feel all areas around my mouth, I still get weird sensations when poking certain points but I have gotten use to them. The big changes have come in the form of more self-confidence. I have gone on several dates, and now have a girlfriend. My first in about 4 years. I don't think that this is a coincidence either. In general, I have more self-esteem and feel great! I have my orthodontist and oral surgeons to thank for this.