Small Successes

When I first started treatment last year with Dr. Yakes, he told me up front "I'm not the 'pretty' doctor." Meaning that his treatment wouldn't fix my face from a visual perspective, that would be done later with reconstructive surgery. No big deal, I understood. I've looked like this (or some version of it) forever and I'm fine with. I will turn myself into a super model with the plastic surgeon later!

But I have noticed changes to my face during the last year. I have less swelling in some areas because the blood flow has been reduced. The contours have changed in many ways. Some areas are smaller, some bigger. I have some weird "hard" parts that are...well...just weird!

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I was putting on my little diamond stud earrings (despite my high maintenance personality I'm not a big jewlery person) like I do everyday. But then I noticed I could actually SEE both of those earrings when I looked in the mirror. My cheek used to be so big that I would have to turn my head a little to get the angle where I could see the diamond on that side.

So a small success! But one I am very excited about. Dr. Yakes may not be the "pretty" doctor. But I'm pretty happy to see both diamonds sparkling at me when I look in the mirror. And it feels like a very big indication to me that the treatments that I am doing are making a difference and taking me in the right direction.

Hope everyone has a sparkly diamond day! I will!
Shalon