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May 27, 2006
Unwired jaw
Courtney can now open her mouth. Yesterday, at Dr. Park's office, they removed the rubber bands that held her jaw together. I had misunderstood Dr. Park, and she didn't get the arch bars removed. Since the jaw has been shut for 6 weeks now, it is important for her to slowly stretch out the jaw muscles. I'm guessing they don't remove the arch bars because the muscles in the jaw are so tight that they don't have the clearance desired for extraction. Even if Courtney *could* fully open her mouth, and felt like chewing, she's not allowed. Dr. Park said that he wasn't worried about the strength of the jaw anymore, but really the facial fractures above the jaw. Since they were so many plates, it might take longer to fully mend. However, Courtney was able to finally clean the other teeth. I don't think Courtney's in the mood to French kiss right now, but it sure is nice to see her tongue. ;-)
Dr. Park seemed genuinely pleased with her occlusion (ie. how her teeth came together in back), so it looks like the setting/plating of the jaw bones went about as well as it could have. I'm sure it was mildly disappointing that she didn't get the arch bars removed. They are terribly uncomfortable, but Courtney was pretty worried about the process of taking them off, so I'm guessing that she tempered her frustration with knowledge of avoided pain.
Courtney's eyebrow and eye have continued to improve, but one of the issues that had become increasingly apparent is that her right eyeball is somewhat sunken. The level of the eyeball is correct, but the depth is not. It doesn't look terrible, but it is noticeable, so I asked Dr. Park about it. He agreed that the eyeball is definitely sunken, and that he would guess as much as 4-5 mm (I think that's what he guessed). He said that there was a procedure that they could do to try and move the eyeball forward, but that it had to be done sooner rather than later. When he asked Courtney how she felt about more surgery, her first response was, "I'm tired, I'm just really tired." However, she held it together, and he said that we could take the week, and next Friday when we return to have the arch bars removed, we could give him our answer. They would reopen/make and incision beneath her right eye, and also possibly go in through her mouth. The surgery would likely happen on Thursday the following week. At this point, I think we're leaning towards the procedure, but we have a few follow up questions that will help with the decision. Obviously, we need to weigh the risks, the likelyhood of sucess, and other complications. On the way home Courtney suggested that if she was going to have the surgery, perhaps they could remove the arch bars while she was under -- smart woman.
As far as Courtney's teeth are concerned, it doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as I initially thought. Courtney thinks that she's only missing 4 teeth. By missing, I mean above the gum line. In at least two of the front teeth, you can see that the root of the tooth is still there. Of course, the condition of the remaining teeth is somewhat in question, since it's obvious that some of her front teeth have been moved, but there's a LOT more to work with in terms of good teeth than I had thought. I cancelled the dentist appointment I had made for next Tuesday since I want the panoramic x-ray to be taken without the metal arch bars. I'll reschedule when I know more about the next surgery.
All in all, Courtney is doing fantastic. She's getting lots of exercise by walking, and is holding up really well. My step mom, Lynne, has been helping out this week (Emma went to Columbia with Courtney's mom). Lynne brought some exercies resistance bands and has helped Courtney with an exercise routine every day to start getting some strength back into her legs. She's been a huge help! Thanks for your continued prayers; we still have a long road ahead of us.
Once again, I'm sorry for the delay in posting this update. Work has gotten pretty busy, and I had a father-son campout at the neighbor's house last night. James and I had a lot of fun, but I probably only slept a total of 2 hours.
Posted by mark at May 27, 2006 1:18 PM Subscribe (FeedBurner)
Comments
Nice, thanks for the French Kiss comment. Woudl she do that before the accident?! ;)
Posted by: Nate at May 29, 2006 11:58 AM
Courtney: Our prayers and thoughts are sill with you daily as you continue to endure. I guess Judi and Emma got to Va ok today. Wish I could see you all. I will, soon enough and when the time is right. Take care!!! Mike
Posted by: mike cushman at May 30, 2006 6:47 PM
Hey Mark and Courtney,
You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Thank God for the progress you have made and for answered prayer.
We love you, Donna, Phil, Erin and Matty
Posted by: Donna at May 31, 2006 3:18 PM
Things are sounding up and up! Thanks for keeping us posted. Love ya Courtney! Amy
Posted by: Amy Bashaw at May 31, 2006 7:31 PM