Thinking this will be he final update!  Loie is doing very well and no issues post surgery. She is still banded shut and is supposed to be on a soft food diet (if you can cut it with a plastic fork, you can eat it). But...have you met her? Yeah right.  While her bones are fusing together she should not be chewing, but it's pretty hard to fight that fight. She does do a good job of managing the risks and is pretty smart about it. I think?!?! No pain, not even on OTC pain meds. Incredible. No issues to report. A recheck at Mayo later this month.  Waiting for stitches in mouth to dissolve or release. Still stiff and a bit swollen, but NO pain! Yay! Dr Viozzi and Mayo team and  Dr Leonard are all amazing! This wasn't as bad as I was prepared for! Phew!