In Sickness and in Health

My husband, the man I love, is going in for surgery tomorrow.
They will break his jaw bone, realign his bite and wire his mouth shut.

The problem:
Some doctors have called it TMJ.
I disagree and so does our surgeon.

In MB's mouth the upper and lower teeth do not touch when he bites down. He grinds his teeth at night trying to find that fit. This puts enormous amounts of pressure on his jaw muscles.
Imagine trying to hold up a 10 pound weight above your head. Sure you can do it for a while, but at some point it is going to get heavy. Your muscle will fatigue. You can't hold it forever, can you?
I envision MB like this. He's been resisting that pressure for the last 9 years!! He takes 2-3 800 mg motrin a day. He goes in to have his liver and kidneys checked twice a year.
Some days are worse than others which may require ice packs, massage or a double shot of rum!! But everyday there is a headache. Everyday there is pain.

Tomorrow may be the start of a final chapter in this down side of life. Tomorrow could be the beginning of a life with freedom. A chapter without pain.

3 hours is a long time to be under, and that's if all goes well. I'm taking the girls to their grandparents house tonight. They will come home friday. MB will spend the first night in the hospital so they can monitor him. After that it will be my job. I hope I can do it. I hope I can be what he is going to need.