Facial Surgery - 2 months on

A couple of folks have asked that I set out what stage my recovery from facial surgery has reached, and as Monday will be 9 weeks / two months from surgery, this seems like an appropriate moment.

Given that I had 13 separate procedures, I would say that I am likely, in that sense, to set an upper bound for recovery.  However, I have always tended to heal well when I have injured myself on other occasions

There is no visible swelling left anywhere. 

There is a little redness at the outer corners of the eyes where the thin skin around the eyes is recovering from the eyelifts (upper and lower).  This has been causing me to use a heavier foundation than I would like but I am this weekend going to experiment with a lighter foundation and a little more concealer round the eyes.

I still have some stiffness round the jaw line, but only I notice that.  I also have a little restriction on jaw opening at the extremes.  But then, I don't often eat boiled eggs whole, so it is no real problem.

The only scars visible are at the hair line (only visible if I lift my hair), at the sides of the nose and at the site of the wart I had removed from my right cheek.  All are fading rapidly.

I still have some numbness of the forehead.  The most significant numbness is my lower lip and chin.  I only have feeling in about the first 10mm of the right hand end of my lower lip, the rest is numb but in the past day or two a little tingling is heralding the return of feeling there.  My chin is numb over an area about equivalent in size and shape to an Elizabethan 'goatee' beard.  I have to be careful, as it is perfectly possible to dribble food down my chin during a meal and not know it is there - not a ladylike look!  I have told my friends of this and they have drawn attention to my need to wipe my chin once or twice...thanks.

Given the extent of the surgery I had, I think this is pretty minimal, and I have been very fortunate, although perhaps much of that should be attributed to the care and skill of my surgeon, Dr Bart Van de Ven  (my hero!)

Oh, and a final laugh.  My GP's surgery arranged changing me from 'male' to 'female' on the National Health Service database.  This has prompted a call for me, as a woman of 'a certain age' to attend the local clinic to give a cervical smear to ensure that cervical cancer will not get me.  The devil in me wondered if I should just turn up and see what happenned!

lol

Robin White