Laughter is great medicine. Don’t worry about what people think of your lip! You have a solid reason it looks like that. Laugh & smile to your heart’s content…REALLY - it’s very healing! 
Great that you’re wanting to smile & laugh again, & have more energy! I think we’ve all overdone it some days, it can set healing back a bit though…Hope your trip goes well 
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Best of Luck! Dr. Hackman did bilaterian intra oral with the Davinci robot on me November 2019
and 90 percent of the symptoms gone immediately. I think he is amazing!
Day 14 doing pretty well today. Yesterday on the other hand was horrible. Day 12 did lots of packing for a trip across the country. Day 13 woke up feeling good but as the day progressed and i continued to straighten up the house. My nerves were going unbelievably crazy. Felt like i was ready to have a nervous breakdown. Today my husband and i are laughing about my behavior. Thank goodness he didn’t run the other way. I would have! 
Jaw still tight when i try to open my mouth. My lip is still funky. I can’t smile or laugh without looking strange.
I have lightened up the ice to a few times a day and still sleeping upright.
After surgery, it’s good to test your physical limits, but carefully. You experienced your body saying it’s not yet ready for the level of activity you gave it on day 12. Glad day 14 has been better! I hope your trip is going well & getting away from home for a bit will be a nice change.
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Take care! Glad your hubby is patient & that you can both laugh 
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Thanks the trip is going well. Almost two thousand miles behind us. I had forced down time with ice. Day 15 post op and i can see one side of my lip coming alive. Yay. I have been focusing today on icing in front of my ear. Thinking the nerve branches are close by that area.
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How are you doing now?
I’ve been thinking of you and wondering how your recovery is now a few months have passed?
HI Zoe
I am sorry I haven’t been on in such a long time!
I am doing so great post op. The numbness from the surgery is going away. My smile is back, I can open my mouth and I am symptom-free! I am so pleased with my results.
How is everything going on your journey?
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What great news, Suzzetteas!! Thank you for coming back to update us (even if it took Zoe’s prompting. 
).
Your Welcome!
I am going to get on here more often to try and help others be inspired to get the help they need!
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Suzzetteas,
Whenever you’re ready, we would LOVE that!! 
That’s great news, so pleased for you! Glad you want to share your story to encourage others
did they give you the jaw bra in the hospital? post drain removal? had surgery and still here now. can’t move anything on the right side, close my mouth or even close my eye, which I wasn’t expecting as I hadn’t ran across anyone else saying they couldn’t close their eye post surgery.
Hi tp12,
I’m so glad your surgery is over & now your healing can begin! Dr. Hackman typically outfits his bilateral ES surgery patients w/ a neck bra which seems to really help w/ post op inflammation. Did he give you one?
We’ve had several members who’ve had the eye closing trouble you’re having & also a somewhat paralyzed or droopy lower lip. The eye blinking & mouth problem usually resolve within a few weeks to a month or so. One of our members used eye drops or some type of optical ointment to keep her eye lubricated so she didn’t have to constantly make it blink manually. You should talk to the nursing staff or Dr. Hackman about this.
Today through next Wed or Thurs will be when your post op pain will be the worst. After that, you’ll start to notice healing occurring at a more steady rate, but keep in mind that healing nerves can feel better for a few days then worse for a few then better, but finally better wins.
I’ll be praying for you these next few days & hoping your eye & mouth recover quickly.
Sending a gentle hug
he hasn’t yet, he’s been giving me steroids. I only had right side removal. the nurses told me they put it on when they take out the drain though and seemed to believe I would have one put on then. I have bruising and swelling around my eye more than surgery sites really, but my nerves evidently tested ok and no one is concerned about it. they gave me two eye drops and made me tape my eye shut for the night.
Hi tp12
I had surgery on a Friday and I kept my jaw bra on till Monday. Even though he said 48 hours the nurse said if you can keep it on longer it would be better. I did have drains and they removed those on Saturday. Once I didn’t have much drainage coming out. I did have a problem moving my mouth. It was very hard to open my mouth. I had trouble swallowing also. I couldn’t smile, my lower lip was straight but all that resolved over a period of time. At my post-op appointment he told me about 6 months and I’m 4 months post-op and everything’s doing really well.
I didn’t have the eye closing so I can’t speak for that but I’m sure he will say all that will resolve once the nerves heal. I
Iced 24 hours a day for the first week and slept upright to keep the swelling down I think that really helped me heal.
Your going to do great! Your incisions look great too
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I had the bra on when I woke after survey. I did have to ask the nurse for ice in the recovery room.