Personal Narrative: My Junior Year Of High School

The summer succeeding my junior year of high school I had my jaws wired shut for six weeks. It started in the seventh grade when an orthodontist first brought to my attention that I had an under-bite, or mandibular hyperplasia, to be technical. To correct the issue, I had to have surgery. It would be tough, it would be painful, but I would get through it and I would come out on the other side looking great, and luckily I had years to prepare myself mentally.
It was not until about two months before the nearing operation that my regular orthodontist told me that my jaw was to be wired shut for over a month post-surgery in order to recover fully. I was left jarred at this insight, also angry that I had not been alerted sooner. It meant six week of no talking or chewing and only consuming liquids through a straw. Again, I tried to think of the positives: the presumed pain and suffering would be over before I knew it. In my mind, I figured six weeks of no talking was not all bad; I did not see myself as someone who used their voice enough to begin with. I used to be someone who never contributed during class discussions, someone who absolutely dreaded speaking aloud in front of a crowd. …show more content…
Now that I was able to distinguish my neckline from my chin, I realized just how much my face had changed. I was rattled every time I looked in a mirror, wondering who on earth I was looking at, because it sure was not the girl I had known the past seventeen years. My facial alteration was probably the toughest part of this experience, even surpassing the constant nausea, hunger, and exhaustion. Now that time has passed since my recovery period, I cannot even look at a picture of myself from before the surgery, again, because I no longer see