Things are coming along swimmingly!  I am tired in this pic and video, but I wanted to document the change anyway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, here it is.  The very first spontaneous photo of me in real life with my new smile.  I am still finding it difficult to get symmetry, but I am working on it!  Also, it is not truly spontaneous - I do have to think about smiling with both sides of my face, but this is probably the first photo of me smiling without being overly self conscious.  Click on the picture for a larger view!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a week makes!  I really thought it would take a lot longer to see real results...not that I am complaining, mind you!  I just wish the puffiness would go away!  Click the link below to see the video and compare it to the flickerings of week ten!

 

 

 

I have tons more motion and range now, but the Brando-cheek persists!  Eventually, the bulkiness will go down more, but for now, I am still conscious of the very puffy cheek.  I am noticing that I have tiny smile lines under my left eye now and that my ear moves when I smile.  I went to get a haircut the other day and decided against a much shorter cut until the swelling goes away and I can see how much my ear moves.  I am sure no one else would even notice it if I didn't point it out, but I can't stop pointing it out because it is so weird!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, here we are seven months to the day after surgery.  Yes, I took all these shots of myself in the bathroom mirror.  If you have been keeping up with my blog, you know that I am now living in Natuashish, Labrador, and that Carolynn is staying in New Brunswick until she finishes preparing for a national conference in November.  This means that I am left to my own devices when it comes to taking photos.  I am not all that good at it and I find it hard to get the angles right!

 

As you can see, my left cheek is bigger than my right cheek.  I am told that this will change more as time goes on, but considering how big I am, and consequently how big my leg is where the muscle cam from, I am not convinced it will change a whole lot more anytime soon!  I have to admit I am pretty happy with the results over all.  Spontaneity is still a problem - mother's cover your children's eyes - it is easier to smile when I have had an adult beverage or two.  Alcohol is a muscle relaxant after all, so maybe smiling with both sides isn't all in the 'inhibition' realm.  Far from it!  I am not DRUNK when I notice more spontaneity; just a little alcohol seems to make a difference.  Weird.  I'll bet no-one is doing any research on that!

 

It is weird to have my nose so straight in a picture and my eyes are closer to being equal in size than ever!  I got new glasses before I moved because I wasn't sure how the ol' eye would react to the abundant wind and snow here.  So far, everything seems to be fine, but the best weather is yet to come as we head into winter!  Plus, the glasses cut down on the glare from the computer screen - and I am in front of one a lot more these days!

 

Sometimes, I wonder how this sugery would look on someone with bilateral Moebius.  I suspect it must take quite a while for the lips to get used to stretching when smiling.  I know it has taken a long time for mine to look more natural.  At first, the left side of my mouth looked like it was stretched to the maximim, but now there less pull on it.  I think I am showing about as much of my teeth when I smile as will ever be possible.  I still have a funny sound in my ear when I smile - kind of like having my finger in there or something.  It is amazing how I have gotten used to it though; I hardly even notice it anymore.