Jackie Diels and My Smile

Instead of a New Year's resolution, I am making a fall resolution - to blog more often! I've been horribly remiss this summer, not because there wasn't a lot going on, but maybe because there was TOO much going on.

Anyway, I started my day off today with a video chat with Jackie Diels, who is (in my opinion) the BEST facial re-trainer on the planet! You may recall that I went to visit Jackie 18 months ago pictures here. I was so blown away with what she was able to teach me that I went to her six months later for a follow up visit. By the way, she is in Wisconsin and I live in NJ - so that tells you how great I think she is! The improvement I've seen in my face, and especially my smile, is amazing. My smile won't ever look quite like it did pre-brain tumor, but I am pretty darned happy with my "new" smile. And, for that, I have to say "Thank you, Jackie Diels!"

If anyone reading this wants more info, please shoot me an email or message me from here.

I'll be back soon with another update!

Update on Wisconsin Trip

Well, Willie and I arrived back at the homestead at about 11:30 last night. Our last two days with Jackie were as filled with learning as the first one. I will attempt to deliver just the highlights here...

We spent the morning of Day Two going over the stretching exercises again - this time with me doing them as Jackie made corrections. Then, in the afternoon, we got to work on the actual muscular retraining. And, boy, is it a lot of work!

Imagine being able to isolate one small muscle on your face? Yes, it is just as hard as it sounds. I found myself willing my brain to make some small muscle move at my direction. I am happy to say that I was finally able to actually feel my chin when it started to dimple, and actually control it (well, at least to an extent.)

Jackie describes the facial retraining movements as isometrics for your face. The movements are so subtle that someone else might not even be aware of them. For example, on of my challenges is to completely relax my face - Jackie calls it "draining" the face. It takes some time and I am far from perfect at it. After the face is sufficiently "drained", I press my lips together ONLY until my chin starts to pucker, or my eye starts to scrunch or the muscle on my neck starts to tighten up. Ideally, I do this without a mirror - relying on my senses to tell me when something is moving. I am using the mirror to check once I think I'm at the right place. I have not yet been able to tell when my neck starts to tighten, although I can see in the mirror the Platysma (hah! impressed, aren't you?) starts to get tight.

For someone like me who is all about quick results and instant perfection, this is a very trying process. However, I am 100% determined to stay the course.

To start, I am doing two hours of facial stretching (some of which seems to involve most of my hand in my mouth) - broken into two one-hour sessions, morning and night. Then, another 30 minutes to work on the subtle facial movements. So, quite a time commitment. However, as the knots in my face start to subside, I will reduce the amount of stretching time.

It is strangely relieving to know that all of this endless tightness and sore spots on my face are actually real and not mis-firing nerves. It is like I have a bunch of little charlie-horses all over the right side of my face. Hm. No wonder I have been uncomfortable for the last year and a half!

Pictures tomorrow!