Surgery Date Nov 4- Double Jaw- Excited!

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Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:24 pm

Thanks!!! We just got to our hotel! Quite exhausted from the long travel day! Looking forward to tomorrow's appointment!

#152 Post by **candycin** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:28 am

glad to hear things are looking better for you

#153 Post by **Marisama** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:24 pm

Mary,
Good luck with everything in SB. I read your blog everyday. Quick question. Did your TMJ make it hard to talk sometimes before you had surgery and do you feel it is more relaxed because your jaws are in the correct position? For example, when I talk sometimes, I have to loosen up my joints in order to start talking. This is my main reason for getting surgery.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:40 am

Hey Ryan- I know exactly what you're talking about. Before surgery I felt like I had to readjust my jaw, and take breaks from talking, and take lots of naps just to feel a bit more "normal" and to get rid of some of the TMJ pain. Now I do not feel any of those things. My jaw does get tired from talking right now, but that's because it is just getting used to moving as I've only been out of the full time bands for a week now...it feels incredible!!

I haven't posted to my blog yet but I thought you all deserved to know first, my appointment yesterday with Dr.Gunson was beyond amazing. The first words out of his mouth while looking at my teeth for the first time were, "Wow! This is incredible, everything looks so perfect." Whooohooo! He said my bone growth where the grafting was done is growing back faster than he's ever seen, and he cleared me for soft chew!! My first soft chew was the inside of a burrito. It was easier to eat than I thought it would be. They say to cut everything up very small before you even put it in your mouth, so when I am "chewing" it's more like practicing the act of chewing rather than breaking anything down really. I am on this diet for 8-10 more weeks.

The next best news is that he TOOK OUT MY SCREW AND HOOK!!! I didn't think he'd do this, but he did, and it was an experience for sure...but it feels so good and freeing not to have them in!! I thought I'd have to wait till March, but he decided that since I was looking so good, and that I was already out there that he would do it then. I will surely write more on this experience in my blog, but I am so happy to be rid of them! I'm glad I had them to serve their purpose, but I am so relieved to have them out of my mouth!

I will post pictures and blog on the rest of my intell from Dr. Gunson tomorrow. Today we are traveling back to the cold North East....

Today on the chew menu- lunch meat...allll cut up

Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:25 pm

Updated blog with pictures

Chewing is so awkward...seriously it is going to take me weeks to figure this out...but I am so happy to be eating real food!!

I hope everyone who is going in for or just coming out of surgery is doing well!

Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:40 pm

so, I just noticed today that a gap is growing between my right canine and the tooth in front of it...I go on Wednesday to see my ortho so i'm hoping this is okay and that she can fix it...although I'm getting paranoid about it. Wednesday will be my first real ortho appointment adjustment since surgery (11 weeks post-op)...

1 step forward...2 steps back...ughhhh

#157 Post by **candycin** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:35 am

glad to hear things are moving along smoothly
i wouldnt worry about the gap that is all fixable by ortho
how far can you open your mouth? i have had some set backs to and canbarely get one finger in now gggrrr what a frustrating process

Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:27 pm

Thanks candycin! I'm sorry to read about your set backs!!

Here at 11 weeks post-op I can now open my mouth 24mm, so I'm excited about that. I am eating only soft chew food, and in the last week of practice it still feels weird to chew...I am starting to get good at mac & cheese and banana's...but that's about it...I know it is going to take a lot of practice.

I saw my ortho on Wednesday and she said the gap was due to the screw being removed, the teeth had shifted and it was okay, nothing to worry about. I got a new archwire on the bottom, and I get my new top one next week. I think I'm going to go into details in my blog, I just don't want to repeat myself

I find myself wanting to stray from blogging just because I get so bored and tired of all of the details...BUT I will continue to do it because I'm sure it'll help someone.

#159 Post by **charlsie142** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 3:38 pm

Hey asmile! I just wanted to say that your blog is definitely helpful to those of us that haven't gone through surgery yet, so as long as you don't mind, details are always helpful.

I'm glad to hear things are going well for you!

Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:49 pm

no problem charlsie142

I am glad it helps...it's just hard to do it, when trying to get back to a "normal" life. But no worries, I will make time for it, even if it isn't as often as before! (Just posted again today!)

Tomorrow I get my top archwire changed, they have to take off some acrylic they have on two brackets on each side, and then replace the brackets too...(This acrylic is used instead of a splint to keep the bones in place after they've been segmented during surgery)I am nervous that this is going to be really painful, or shift my bite/jaw bones somehow, but I know my bone has healed very well, and they wouldn't do it if it would hurt my progress in anyway...i just can't help being a little bit paranoid....

I'm on day 82 post-op...nearly 12 weeks...and I am JUST starting to feel like I can find a new job, and get back to life as I new it pre-jaw hell. So...since the age of 5 I am just now getting to a place where I feel comfortable having a full time job, and not worrying about my teeth/jaw...incredible.

I'm very grateful I was able to take these 12 weeks off from work and focus on healing. I think it really has made a huge difference in my progress.

#161 Post by **OhioM** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:19 pm

Mary,

I just wanted you to know that I was studying your early post op pics and have stolen the idea for the tissue contraption that you had rigged up to catch the residual nosebleeds. That has really helped my today, because my skin was getting raw from the constant wiping.

Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:34 am

yayyy! Oh the constant drainage was so frustrating!! I hope that it continues to help!

#163 Post by **Marisama** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:44 am

Mary,

How are things going for you? I haven't seen any posts lately so I thought I'd ask how the recovery is going and how your joints are doing. Good luck with everything.

Ryan

Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:40 pm

Hey! Sorry, I've have certainly been slacking on the posts. I am doing well. My jaw is stiff, I am still working on getting good ROM back, I am at 25mm right now. They say 36-40 will be great for me. I plan on doing a blog tonight so I'll go into more details of my latest appointments. My joints are doing well they still make noise but nothing painful, and this could be due to more chewing and my joints needing to heal since they were so terrible before surgery. My bite still feels great. As I stated right before surgery I quit my job so I could spend time recovering...now I am at nearly 13 weeks post-op which sounds like a really long time, but I just now feel 85% ready to get back into the working world so I have started applying for jobs. I am ready for "normal" again. I know the time off really helped my body heal as best it could...the trauma we put our bodies through....I am so happy I had this surgery done, I really feel like I can finally start moving on now

Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:43 pm

Today I can officially whistle again!!! More so when I suck air in than when I blow it out, but I am quite proud I can do it!! WHOOHOOOOOO!!