Hello everyone! It's been a week of both progress and challenges. My pain continues to subside and become more manageable. It is mostly localized to swollen areas behind my front teeth and, in a new twist, in my teeth themselves. I'm now able to manage it with 3-4 doses of ibuprofen per day. Swelling in my cheek has gone down considerably while swelling in other areas persists.

I began to experience some new symptoms last week, which I learned yesterday at my speech and swallow evaluation are due to the fact that my "newly constructed palate'' is not fully functional. My soft palate is not rising to prevent air from escaping to my nasal cavity when it is supposed to. As a result, I'm belching when I drink or eat (sorry), have a rattling in my nasal cavity at times when I speak and sometimes have a hard time blowing air out my mouth without it also coming out my nose (making it hard to blow with any strength). Today, I had another follow up visit with my surgeon's nurse practitioner to discuss these new symptoms. I was told that healing can take 12-16 weeks and that we need to wait and see whether my functionality improves. The opening in my soft palate has not changed. I'm scheduled to see Dr. Mehra again on December 22nd. The option of another surgery or other interventions remains on the table. I try hard not to think about them. 

I continue to be told by friends that I sound just like my old self. That is good news and, at the same time, it is not reflective of my experience. I hear the rattling in my nose and feel my tongue hitting the roof of a very foreign mouth. I don't quite sound the same to myself. I'm struggling emotionally in some ways but am doing my best to take care of myself with that. I've had wonderful visits from friends and that definitely helps. I'm planning on returning to work part-time next week and am hoping that will feel like progress and not be too taxing. 

To end on a humorous note, George asked me last night why I was watching the series I was watching on Netflix when I had seen it just a couple of weeks ago. I have absolutely no recollection of watching this series but George insists that we watched the last couple of episodes together. When they say that it can take a few weeks for anesthesia to fully leave your system, they're not kidding! I've felt like there are gaps in my memory from the first two weeks after my surgery, and this confirms it! 

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for the incredible love and support that I have received during this season. I'm thankful for each one of you! Especially those in "Susan's Army"! I genuinely don't know where I'd be without each of you and I love you very much!