Not All the Same

Since I've had the MMA, I have become very aware of other people's facial structures, particularly the jaw & chin. I look to see if they have a very strong jaw line or a weak jaw and chin. I also look to see if their upper jaw is setback like mine had been, or more dominant like others. I then wonder, based on my non-existent medical training, if these people have had an MMA or OSA. After careful observation of the jaw, I move on to check out their noses. Are their noses flat, proportioned to their face, too big, too small, etc. If their noses are flat, I then apply my lack of medical training to assess whether or not they have had an MMA.


Yesterday I met with twenty+ people who had the MMA. While I thought that we would all have strong jaws that would appear unique, I fully expected everyone would have the MMA nose - slightly flattened at the base and wide. Much to my surprise, I couldn't tell a thing about all these people based on their appearance other than they seemed very nice. We spent an afternoon together, relating to one an other's experiences, sharing our own stories, and providing support to those who joined the gathering in advance of their own MMA.



My major takeaways from the gathering were:

1. Be patient, healing takes lots of time
2. Don't overlook the psychological healing that goes with the physical healing
3. Everyone was in agreement that they would do the MMA again. Almost everyone felt they had improved, a few of us felt they still had room for improvement (including me)
4. Many of us have had at least one other medical procedure/surgery in addition to the MMA

As far as my own recovery goes, I've been focused on the behavioral aspects of sleep. Over the years of "bad" sleep, I've developed a number of behaviors that need to be relearned. The most significant behavior I need to learn is it will be OK for my day to start after getting a few more hours of sleep. I can't be in such a rush to get things going. In fact, I'm more likely to have a great day if I allow myself to get sufficient rest.