Insurance, Jobs, and Cars

I have noticed on a lot of the other blogs, people have posted all about their insurance woes. I am lucky enough to have had my surgery at a military facility free of charge. I did not pay a dime, and right now, compared to all of the other stories, that seems like it was a good thing.

i did have to pay out of pocket for my orthodontics however, and that was $5000. Not a shabby chunk of change when you consider all of the other things in life that need to be bought and paid for. At this point, 12 days out, I feel it was worth it.

I am a little apprehensive about returning to work next week. I thought I would be able to talk a little bit, but I can't talk at all. This is going to be a bit of a burden on me and my fellow co-workers. Assuming that I am healing well (and this is what I hope to hear at tomorrow's visit), this may or may not be an issue. If there are any complications I will need to call my ST disability provider and get the ball rolling to extend my claim.

I did drive the car today for the first time since the operation. It was a little tricky because my neck it so bruised it was pretty painful to turn around, but I managed. When I picked my kid up from school she announced all the details of my surgery to her teacher. She's five so it was quite scientific...I am sure you can imagine.
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I just keep thinking that in the end I will have a healthier jaw, better tooth alignment, and I will no longer be preoccupied by the one thing that permeated my thoughts on a daily basis. I am sure I will still have things to be self-conscious about, and perhaps I won't look exactly how I envisioned, but I will know that I did everything I could to take care of an unfortunate situation, and that makes me feel good.

I am also surprised as HOW MANY people get this surgery. I did not realize it was such a common thing, and there is something comforting in knowing that! So, in support of my fellow liquid dieters I present

A List of What I Ate Today:
Cup a Soup
Juice
A Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie
A Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smoothie from home
A little Vitamin Water
And I am about to have some more smoothie before bed.

I am trying really hard to keep my calories and weight up.