my lifesaver gadget for getting through jaw surgery recovery

Yeah, I used one of those ice wrap things too—honestly didn't expect much at first because it looked kinda gimmicky and overpriced. Ended up DIY-ing my own version with some gel packs and an old scarf (budget life, lol). Surprisingly, it worked wonders for swelling, especially in the first week. Only downside was constantly swapping out gel packs from the freezer...but still worth it overall. Glad I'm not the only one who found it helpful.

Haha, I did something similar but with frozen peas instead of gel packs—talk about budget life level 100. Worked pretty well until my roommate accidentally cooked my "ice pack" for dinner...awkward. Anyway, did you find anything else helpful besides icing? I've heard mixed things about heat packs later on, but haven't tried them yet myself. Curious if anyone's had luck with those.

Haha, the frozen peas thing is too relatable—I tried using frozen corn bags myself, and let's just say I ended up with a weirdly shaped ice pack after they thawed and refroze a few times...not the smartest move. Anyway, I did give heat packs a shot after the swelling went down a bit. Honestly, at first I was pretty skeptical because I'd heard mixed things too, but they actually felt really soothing, especially for that tight muscle feeling around the jaw. Just don't go too hot or leave it on too long—learned that the hard way when my face turned bright red for half an hour. Another thing that helped me was gentle jaw exercises once my surgeon gave me the green light. It felt kinda weird at first, but it definitely seemed to speed things along. Curious if anyone else tried those?

I keep hearing about the jaw exercises but honestly I'm pretty nervous they'll hurt or mess something up. Did you notice any extra soreness or issues after starting them? The heat packs sound manageable though, might give that a cautious try...