Day 26

I slept pretty well last night; it seems like the joint pain and jaw jerks are a thing of the past. I still get a little "crampy" in the jaw joints if I put too much pressure on one of them when I sleep on my side, but nothing like the first few weeks. I just adjust my position and it goes away.

I just noticed that my bruises are finally gone, too! Yes! It took so much longer to disappear than I thought it would.

Today, I went to Target to return something, and used this opportunity to stock up on food and check out the Christmas items sale. Everything was 50%, so I bought a bunch of cute gift bags that I can use next year. Since I know that the surgeon will clear me to eat soft food soon, I also bought a bunch of Ritz crackers and my favorite oatmeal.

They're a limited edition contest thing, à la Lays Do Us a Flavor. They came out with three new interested flavors in one box and you're supposed to vote for your favorite. They've got Apple Cheddar Rosemary, which is kind of weird to be honest, but not in a bad way? Sometimes I love it, sometimes I'm kind of put off by it; it changes every bite haha. But the other two flavors are awesome: Lemon Ricotta Pancake and Vanilla Chai. The first one has a nice lemony flavor, but not too overpowering, and the vanilla chai is exactly what it sounds like. I'm a big fan of the vanilla chai lattes at Starbucks and the oatmeal tastes the same! They were 40% off at Target, so I bought 4 boxes, and I already had 3 boxes at home. I know, it sounds like a lot, but I figured when I'm learning how to chew, these will be my go-to. Plus, I usually eat oatmeal in the morning so finishing the boxes won't be a problem. I like to mix in half a packet of non-flavored instant oatmeal with them though because those packets seem really small to me, and also it cuts down on the sweetness a bit. I like my oatmeal lightly sweet :P

Can't wait to "chew" on this!

Target was pretty busy and very messy, understandably. Especially the discounted Christmas section. I was expecting long lines at the return counter but I didn't even have to wait. There were longer lines at the cashiers though. I tried to take a picture to show how busy it was, but it doesn't do it justice...

The lines were snaking towards the back, but it's
hard to tell from the picture.

When I came back home, I wasn't as exhausted as I usually am after going out since the surgery! Victory!

Tomorrow is my appointment with the surgeon. He may or may not remove my bands. I think he wants to see me mostly because of the pain I have on the lower right side of my jaw, which hasn't gotten better even after massaging and applying heat. Although honestly, I can feel the muscle being really tight and slightly swollen compared to the left side, so I really think he's right about the pain being muscle-related. It might take a while to get rid it, especially since I'm probably re-injuring it every time I clench my jaw, and I know I do it often. I'm slowly learning to relax.

I'm excited to see what he's going to say about removing the bands though!