well - in this case, the cure is worse than the bite !!
went in on Oct. 2nd for the followup operation to clean out the wounds
and screw the broken facial bones back together.... dang it HURTS !!
good news and bad news:
the good ~ during the reconstruction, the broken jaw just popped back into
the proper alignment and stayed there, so the doc made the decision not to
wire the teeth closed (thank God for that little tidbit).
dozens of screws and pins holding my facial bones together now. First incision
was to re-open the long laceration down the left side of the nose to clean it out
and do whatever it takes for me to breathe through the left nostril again.
and guess what - - - when I first went to the ER on Sept 3rd, the trauma surgeon
just cleaned me up and sewed up my nose to stop the bleeding..... well, great job on them !!!
BUT - when the plastic surgeon opened it back up to do his thing, 4 weeks later,
he found a piece of the wood the size of a teaspoon lodged in the nostril cavity!!!!!
yeah, a big ole honkin piece of WOOD had broken off and stuck inside my face.
wow - this piece of wood was pushing on the main facial nerve for FOUR WEEKS and
when it was removed, it was like removing a tourniquet off of a severed leg. the nerve
that affects the whole left side of my face had died from the trauma. completely destroyed.
now - the bad news.
the whole top lip is 100% numb. the whole left side of my face is 100% numb from the
nose to the ear, from the eyebrow to the chin and the top left quarter of my teeth and gums,
- - - completely numb. and the vision in my left eye dropped to 50% clear vision.
the next morning when I woke up, I thought I had had a stroke.... summoned the nurse,
she called the doctor at home, he talked to me on the phone and explained to me what had happened.
the next morning on his visit, he showed me photos of his reconstruction and WHAT A MESS !!!
I have to drink liquids out of the right corner of my mouth through a straw because I have no feeling
in the top lip and it just dribbles out . . . so that will take some practice. (I miss my morning coffee !!!).
his repair techniques took him through the left eyebrow, the inside left eyelids and up through the upper lip.
I can feel the sutures which will dissolve away in a few days . . . very strange sensations !!
I can get small teaspoons of soft solid food into the mouth and chew somewhat normally, so that is good.
and I got to keep my beard !!!!!!!!!!!!!
the doctor said the numbness could last up to a year..... eventually, the damaged nerves will repair themselves
but I should only expect 50 to 75% improvement after 6 months to a year.
my doctor is a retired US Air Force surgeon that served at Walter Reed Army Hospital in DC for 10 years putting
our wounded soldiers back together..... so I am very Blessed to have him as my plastics guy as well as very
honored to have a fellow "shipmate" that has done so much for our wounded veterans.
he did an excellent job on my face, considering what he had to work with.
it will just take time for me to get back to some kind of normal.
my playtime has hit an all time hiatus so I need to find some hobbies that do not include machinery or sharp tools. LOL.
and since my vision and sense of balance is compromised, to stay OUT of boats and anything that is not permanently attached to Terra Firma.
I will keep you all in the loop as far as any future developments.
and to reiterate again . . . . POWER TOOLS CAN KILL YOU !!!!
no matter how skilled and careful you try to be.
.
I still think that is the key--at least for me.
