Has a catchy ring to it, doesn't it?
So the verdict on the punctal plug is two thumbs up. It is doing what I had hoped in that I don't have to put drops in as often. I still have to use the thick Celluvisc drops, but I knew that switching to a lighter drop was a long shot, so it's okay. Of course, this means I still can't really drive much at night because the thicker drops just cause too much blurriness and headlight glare. Oh well, I never much liked driving at night anyway - so there!
Glad so many of you can see so much progress in my face - the improvement in the last 5 weeks or so has been the most dramatic. I have a lot of movement in my whole cheek area now, as well as my upper lip. Lower lip is still dead, which has the net affect of pulling that corner of my mouth down a bit. Still, it's a smile I can be quite happy with - funny how you don't fully appreciate your own smile until you are suddenly without it.
I've noticed that my face still droops more noticeably when I am tired, which is also when I have a tendency to slur my words, dribble food, etc. Willie still has to remind me sometimes that something has escaped my mouth and is stuck to my lower lip or chin - what a charming picture. When I eat in public, I just make sure to wipe my lip/chin after each bite with my napkin - it's really the only way to make sure I am not wearing part of my meal on my face. Kind of funny when you can allow yourself to see the humor.
The weather for the last few days has been crisp and cold which seems to be very, very good for me. This is the first time in months that I haven't been in pretty constant pain - yahoo! I suspect that when the weather changes I'll start to get some of the pain back, but I can't begin to say how wonderful it has felt the last few days to not have noticeable pain. It just makes a huge difference.
I'll post more later about the latest feline jihad and about my "Fitover" glasses ...
ANA... sounds familiar, somehow.. can't think where I came accross that before... lol
ReplyDeleteI have another thing to add as a benefit to numb faces / lips: I can now eat REALLY hot food on my left and it doesn't melt my face. Amazing. It's a great party trick. Wasabi? Bring it on! Chillies by the spoon full? Ho hum. Was that hot? Oh, really?
:)
Sounds to me like you're doing very well! And anyway driving at night is way overrated I think. Much better to sit and have a glass of wine.
Ciao, Lorenzo
Salute, Lorenzo! Since it is cocktail hour in the NY Metro area, I believe I will pour myself a glass of Tampranillo...
ReplyDeleteLet me think... I think t should be cocktail hour in Moscow, I think I'll pour myself a glass of Petit Syrah. :)
ReplyDeleteDebbi,
ReplyDeleteMy husband was just looking over my shoulder at your blog and said oh she's a pretty lady. I went on to tell him that you had facial paralysis. He was shocked and said that by your latest picture he would have NEVER known. Thought you'd like to know this as it is sometimes hard to see our own improvements especially when we look in the mirror a thousand times a day to look for changes. You are looking fab.
Angie
Angie-
ReplyDeleteI am sending you the biggest cyber hug ever! Thank you so much - you don't know how much I needed to hear that today. And thank your hubby, too.