My mom celebrated her birthday two weeks after my surgery. Here is a picture of how I looked two weeks after surgery:
My family goes on an annual to trip to a lake in up-state New York. We are in a house that is surrounded by woods and a lake. Usually I enjoy skiing, tubing, swimming, and other water-filled fun. This year I was not able to go into the water because of my jaw surgery. I was not allowed to get water up my nose because I had to protect my sinus cavity from getting bacteria in it. During the surgery they cut into my sinus cavity leaving it easily susceptible during the healing process. Additionally, the doctor said it would extremely painful if I got water up my nose so I had to avoid putting my head under water even in a swimming pool for the whole summer. Instead I did an excessive amount of reading and finished both my summer reading books. I still enjoyed the trip because it is a nice place to get away and relax but it was not as fun because I could not get in the water. My family played some games and of course I slept a lot. Instead of getting exercise from being in the water, my family and I did kayaking and running. I was still on my special diet but my mom cooked foods I could eat. Also, I ate a ton of Jello, Pudding, and Lasagna.
The next week I went to the beach. Another place where the water is fun to play in. Because of my jaw surgery I avoided the beaches and pools and did a lot of running. I really got into running at the beach because it was so flat. I did not run on the beach but on the sidewalk at the resort. I spent time with family and felt like I could eat anything. My mom still limited me to my doctor-dictated diet of foods that I only had to chew a little. I was sick of Jello and pudding so I gave it to my cousins. I really enjoyed breakfast foods like eggs and grits.
My point in telling you this is that even though my vacations were all near water areas that I was not able to participate in, I still found other ways to be active and enjoy my vacations.
