Two weeks and a dream

I peered over the balcony railing and saw the floor about 30 feet below. No problem, I thought. I was standing on the second floor, looking down at the first. Why take the stairs? Swinging myself over, I lowered my body down to where I was hanging over. Then, dragging my toes along the wall to slow me some, I dropped. See? No sweat. Next thing you know, I'm out on the beach, grabbing a board and heading toward the water. Look at those waves! Why are there so many lights in the surf? Why, I must be dreaming. ...

Yes, I had a long, complete, real dream last night. I've probably been having a few all along since the surgery, but this was the first one I remembered. Sleep seems to be getting better, though I'd still like to have my energy level higher. I still need a nap in the afternoon. But, my head seems clearer and I am now consistently making it through the night without waking up more than once or -- rarely now -- twice. That's a sharp contrast to pre-April 10, when I'd wake up several times a night that I knew of and probably even more that I didn't consciously notice.

Below are the obligatory two-week mugs. Not much different from a couple of days ago. The only bruising left is that stripe on my chest. Other than that, I've still got a little swelling on my chin and around my cheeks. The splint still makes closing my mouth completely a little hard, but my jaws seem to be positioned correctly.




The numbness hasn't changed much. Most of it is on the left side, where I've got a patch about three-quarters of an inch wide. It runs from under the eye where the nose meets the face in an arc down around my cheek and chin. Most of the chin is numb as well, including my lower lip. That's what makes eating so hard. I say eating. It's really slurping out of a cup or glass. Essentially, I take the glass and find my upper lip (which is only a little numb), then I will my lower lip to come up and (I hope) form a seal. Then, the slurping begins. Have you ever heard a 3-year-old drinking from a cup? I think it goes like this: PFPUP, SPURP, GUP, SPURP, PFPUP, GUP. That's what I sound like.