Newbie with a few questions....

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#1 Post by **carrie26** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:21 pm

Hi all!
This is a great board. I have been reading your posts and wanted to ask a few questions. At 26 I'm on my second go round with braces but this time I'm also having jaw surgery to correct my open bite (wahoo!). My surgery is scheduled for the end of July...its going to be upper and lower (I belive the terms are LeFort I and BSSRO on the paperwork). i have a few quesitons and if you have a chance i would really appreacite your input...

1. is there anything i should be doing now to get ready besides going to the dr.'s apts. and giving those 2 units of blood later in July? someone told me to eat a lot of pineapple right before hand to reduce swelling. any other ideas you have?

2. my surgery is scheduled for a monday, and i'm planning to go back to work the following monday. i'm sure it varies for everyone, but do you think this is about right? i really spend my days in meetings, on the phone and on the computer so nothing too strenuous. i had my wisdon teeth taken out a few years ago and it was a piece of cake so i'm hoping to have the same results here. i'm planning to work from home the end of the first week.

3. anything specific i should request/ask about before my surgery? this is my first time being a patient in the hospital, so i have no clue what to expect. i have basically only been seeing my ortho until now, except for the initial apt. with the surgeon. i have another apt. with him in a week so i want to come prepared with the appropriate q's. anything you wish you had of discussed with your dr. before surgery?

4. what is it like talking after surgery? is it harder to project your voice? will i be understandable by phone within a few days?

5. was there anything that suprised you after surgery? any unexpected stuff that happens that no one tells you about?

thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions!!! all the best to those of you who are recovering or about to go through surgery!!

#2 Post by **HighandLo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:45 pm

Hi Carrie!

There is so much information on the board and it has helped me immensely. BrandyLeigh just had upper and lower surgery, so you could check out her blog. Also, Meryaten has a wealth of info already shared on her surgery. There are many others.

I am having lower jaw surgery June 30th and am pretty much following BarndyLeigh's suggestions for herbal supplements http://brandysjawjourney.blogspot.com
She seems to be healing really well, so I hope it works for me!

I would recommend for you to have someone stay with in the hospital if you need to spend the night. A hospital can be a scary place without a loved one who is close by. Hospitals differ in their care, of course, but my experience in 4 stays is that it is good to have an advocate on your side, especially if you can't speak right after surgery!

Good for you, getting this done now and doing your research!

Lo

#3 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:50 pm

Hey Carrie,
I just had upper, lower, and genio down 18 days ago and have been blogging it everyday (as others have mentioned.) I exercised and got into shape before hand, took recommended vitamin supplementation (which is posted in entirety on my blog (April & May.) I had a palate expansion last March that was far harder to recover from and way less extreme then this round of surgery. I'm convinced that the vitamin prep etc made a huge difference for me. Plus, I'm 43 years old, so the fact that I'm healing this fast has to be contributed to something other then just good genes.

My doctor said if you are in your 20's that you will most likely be feeling pretty darn good by 2 weeks. The first week is the hardest. I have a list of questions I asked on my blog, as well as all the answers the doctor gave me. Be sure and find out if you will be splinted, or banded, as every doctor does this surgery differently and knowing these things in advance will make your whole surgery much easier to deal with.

Just recently I listed some info I have learned through this whole journey. One thing I would seriously recommend is not giving blood! I originally was going to do that to thinking it would be helpful. should anything happen. My doctor however, said NO when I asked him. He said they used to routinely recommend that people give blood, however, after 30 years of doing this surgery he has never needed it and they have found that it actually slows down your recovery, as your body must not only compensate for the surgical blood loss but also the pre-surgical donar blood loss. Don't do it! This surgery is not that risky in terms of blood loss. I only loss 400cc (which is very little.) My doctor says he thinks I'm healing so fast because my body is not having to make up for lots of blood loss. As young as you are, you are in probably the lowest risk group for this procedure. If you are healthy you should be just fine.

I don't want to re-write stuff I have already posted so just check out my blog. You will most likely find answers to all of your questions and maybe even some you hadn't thought to ask. Honestly, it has not been that bad. I mean yes it has had its moments, but what I imagined was far worse then what I have actually experienced. You will be just fine and glad that you did this when you are done.

Good luck to you!

Brandy

#4 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:14 pm

Hi Carrie,

I am 29 and in good health and I had upper & lower surgery in March. I would suggest planning to take two weeks off work. You will likely still be quite swollen after one week. If you are comfortable going to work with a puffy face - more power to you! But, you may still be quite tired after one week. (I know I was - I had trouble getting through the day without a nap until about 10 days post op).

Whether you will be able to talk depends a lot on whether you will have to wear any wires, elastics, or a splint after surgery. I was wired shut for 10 days so I couldn't really talk too well - but was still understood most of the time. Also, if you are banded or wired you will want to stock up on liquids and shakes, etc. to eat. If not, soft foods (mashed potatos, cream of wheat, etc) will probably do, but check with your surgeon.

About the pineapple: there is something in pineapple called bromelain that helps reduce swelling. I tried it and it seemed to help me a bit. You can buy it in tablets at most health food stores. I think that is the only way to realize the benefits of it. Otherwise you would have to eat I don't know how many pineapples...

When I woke up from surgery I had a catheter in as well as a naso-gastric tube. I think that most people have these tubes taken out before they wake up, but it might be something to ask about )if you don't like surprises!)

Hope this helps!

#5 Post by **Gem** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:23 pm

In addition to what everyone else said, my OS had me take iron supplements approximately 1 month before to compensate for any possible blood loss. Also like everyone said, if you could get more time off take it but if you don't need it then go in to work but at least you won't have to be making last minute arrangements you can focus on the healing process.

#6 Post by **carrie26** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:01 pm

thanks so much for your responses! i just made arangements with work to take two weeks off, and work from home the second one. my parents live close by, so i'm planning to spend my week after surgery with them getting spoiled

i am going to be banded shut for two weeks and am not allowed to chew for about 8 weeks. i'm going to start taking vitamin supplements soon too...thanks so much for your blog Brandy!
also, those are a great list of questions to ask my os, i'm going to bring them when i meet with him in 2 weeks. Lo, I'm having my surgery exactly one month after you, on July 30th:)

if you guys have a chance, i have a few other questions (some pretty random).

1. did any of you go to a speach therapist after your jaw surgery? if so, did you find it useful and worthwhile?
my orthodontist says i should go to this one lady in particular who seems really good, but is very expensive (i paid 500 for the 1.5 hr. consult, and she recommended 20 sessions @ 140 each, and she doesn't take insurance) Is it just me or does this seem really steep? However the last thing I want to do is undo all the time, pain and $$ i've spent (and will spend) going through braces and surgery.

2. how long till you felt back to "normal" i love starting the day with a long run and it puts me in a great mood for the rest of they day. how long do you think it will be until i can start doing that again.

3. any suggustions of good liquid food that "sticks too you" and makes it easier to take medicaiton? i have a really sensitive stomach for medicine...i always need to have a good amount in my system to absorb stuff. i'm a little worried about the first week.

thanks so much for your help!!!!!!!!!

#7 Post by **Gem** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:37 am

I did not need a speech thearapist but I am currently seeing a physical therapist since the jaw muscles are in spasm and my rom was limited. I was banded for 4 weeks, allowed to take them off to clean and eat. The week after surgery I was drinking ensure/boost, carnation instant breakfast, pureed soups (real hardy soups), yogurt smoothies and I was able to eat cream of wheat or grits with scrambled eggs. The first five days was the problem for me with the medications. Surgery was on a Thursday and I was only allowed clear liquids so by Sunday my stomach was in total chaos. OS allowed me to consume anything I could tolerate and by Monday I was allowed to quit all meds because the stomach pains were too much.

#8 Post by **HighandLo** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:15 am

Carrie,

Those rates sound really excessive to me, and especially for out of pocket! You might try checking around for rates and someone who will take your insurance. But I think just practicing speaking on your own would do just as well (apologies to any Speech Therapists out there). I am thinking about seeing a massage therapist (maybe for the swelling).

Just my opinion, though!

Lo

#9 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:25 pm

Hi Carrie,

You might want to order some Zip n Squeeze bags if you're going to banded shut. Yikes, eight weeks is a long time for no chewing... the Zip n Squeeze company also has a recipe book - it's totally worth getting, especially if you're going to need eight weeks worth of no-chew meals.

I did not need a speech therapist either. Yes, my speech was fuzzy for a few weeks after surgery, but I think that was due to the numbness/stiffness/swelling. My speech has gotten back to normal all on its own as part of the general healing process.

Highandlo mentioned massage - a great idea. I went to a manual lymph drainage (MLD) therapist and that was fantastic. It helps the swelling go down and promotes healing.

As for feeling "normal" - for me it was about 3 weeks. I actually went rock climbing for a couple of hours on day 12, and it was great to get some fresh air but the day after that was a total write-off; I was so tired.

#10 Post by **Gem** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:07 pm

I just wanted to let you know that after having my open bite reconstructed the OS told me absolutely no chewing for 8 weeks. However I have been chewing for the past 2 weeks and I am just passing the 8 week mark. I even ate a piece of real tender skirt steak last week. Then I had pizza Friday night and just had an apple pecan cobbler at the Outback tonight. It was approximately at 5 or 6 weeks the OS said I could start chewing and probably the week before that he said fish and pasta. The only reason I mention this is that I remember Kate was 2 weeks ahead of me and she was allowed to chew very early where I was whining about having to wait 8 weeks. I think they tell you certain things to keep you from overusing the jaws and then as they monitor your progress they loosen up on the reestrictions. It is hard to believe that I am at the 8 week mark and I made it without using the zip n squeeze bags. Also my sutures only came out 2 weeks ago so I wasn't even allowed to use a straw until now. However I must say that I don't think I would be eating all of this food right now if it wasn't for the physical therapy. It has improved my rom and swelling tremendously. In a matter of 3 weeks I went from a 16mm opening and soft diet to a 26mm opening eating almost anything.