Well, as a member of the "pirate smile club", I have to jump in. First, for everyone here who shared their fears, anxieties and successes - thank you. Like you, I struggle with this every day and some days are harder than others. I will say, that nearly four months into this, I have more easy days than hard ones.
The worst, for me, is seeing pictures of myself. It is as if the camera captures the very worst possible view of my face each and every time. My solution to that, of course, is to insist on more pictures. I always feell like if I can face my fear head-on, it will diminish.
Like many of you have said, I also find myself wanting to explain to people why my face looks like this - some care, some don't, and some really don't want to hear the story. I keep reminding myself that I am in charge of how I feel about this all - hard advice to adhere to somtimes.
So, I allow myself to feel sorry for myself sometimes and then I kick myself in the butt and try to count all my blessings. My "glass" has always been half full, even in the worst of times, and it still it ... most days.
Debbi, still smiling even if it looks weird
