Days 9-10: The Great Awakening

Days 9-10: The Great Awakening

We’ve reached the part of the superhero epic where, with the cheers of his friends and fans, the superhero finds the strength to stand up to the villain. In this part of the movie, the superhero still has a set back, takes a punch, or two, or three, but keeps getting back up again. He has a small victory, the villain kicks him down, he gets back up. This is usually the part where we all start cheering inside our heads because we just know that he’s going to make it through. I’m sure, in the superhero’s mind, getting punched in the face isn’t the greatest moment, but knowing he has the support of his fans, he gets back up again and again.

That’s how days 8-9 felt for me. Victories and challenges. So, a few pieces of bad news (the punch) followed by the good news (the getting back up).

Day 9

• Pain: 5/10
• Inconvenience: 5/10

The bad news, I’ve had some really severe nausea over the past few days. For two days straight, I could not take in anything but water and one cup of apple juice. More bad news, my personal record that I’ve held for 29 years has been broken. I won’t get into the details, but think back to something that ended for you around age 1 ½ to 2 years old. Add tons of nausea. And, you probably get the picture. If you don’t ask your friends with toddlers what they’re busy doing from ages 1 ½ to 2 years old. The good news is, I now get to try and beat my old record. Also, at the end of day 9, with the help of three days of nausea meds, I was able to down an Ensure! More good news, the swelling has gone down some and, I’m finally recognizing my eyes again:

Day 10

• Pain: 5/10
• Inconvenience: 5/10

The bad news, my nerves in my face have begun waking back up. That means that I randomly feel this sensation like my face has caught on fire from time to time. It also means weird tingling feelings and a lot more achiness. The good news, THAT MEANS I’M HEALING!!! 

The bad news, it went from 70 degrees F (21 C) to 32 degrees F (0 F) over night-literally. That’s Michigan, but it was sunny and warm one day and we had snow the next. Now, I’m not normally a fan of winter. It usually makes me want to stay indoors and hibernate. But, when your face feels like it’s on fire because it’s coming back alive and the meds are just barely helping to suppress the urge to douse it in some sort of fire retardant, going for a walk in 30 degree weather with your face exposed is one of the most glorious things you can experience. The good news is, I’ve never been more grateful that cold air numbs your face in my entire life.

Also, a sad side effect of healing is that the color is slowly starting to fade. So, there's also the news that the rainbow that has become my face is slowly, but surely becoming a bland, white face again. As a bonus, my nerves healing and the swelling going down means I’m getting feeling back in my face, so, you get to see this very awkward smile. You’re welcome.

So, there you have it, Bionic Man is in the midst of his epic battle and things are looking brighter each day (well, minus the bright color scheme that has been my face).

Signed,

 

Bionic Man