I've been lurking at this site since January and have learned so much.
I finally have a surgery date, December 12th. I will be having a LaFort 1 and a genio. I have a few questions if you guys would not mind imparting your experiences so I have some frame of reference.
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why?
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn?
I appreciate all the advice I can get at this point.
zou
Delurking and have a surgery date
Moderator: bbsadmin
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freerideuk
- Posts: 229
- Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:44 am
- Location: Glasgow , scotland
hey i can only speak from my experience which was also a lefort 1 and geno
i stayed in the hospital for 4 days i had to come in one day before surgery i was glad a stayin in hospital for a couple a days as i was quite out of it and pretty much needed people to tell me when to take my pain meds and when to eat and soo on plus it was nice to know if anything happened there were people that knew what they were doing but by the friday i was glad to leave
with the talking for the first week or two i was a little mumbley i was never not able to get across what i wanted to say but it doesn't last too long and am talking fine now i have a little lisp but that might be the elastics also i have no splint ver and i have herd that effects your speak
i herd not to use straws either but i found it too difficult anyway to use a straw as i couldn't suck anything up them lol i stuck to drinking everything outta cups for a day or two
with the assistance thing i think i needed my mum for about 4 or 5 days post opp just to reminde me to take pain meds and stuff i could have done it myself
with the swelling mine took awhile to come up about 4 days post opp it started brusing but only under my chin and on my neck and i still have brusicing even now i never done anything to try hide it it hurts to touch soo alll just leave it to go away on its own but if you need to hide it or want to hide it then am sure a little concealer would do it
i never got a spint after my surgery but if you do it will problay be attached to your top teeth like a bite waffer and can be in from a week to a few weeks but as i said i never had one =]
hope this helps
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
i stayed in the hospital for 4 days i had to come in one day before surgery i was glad a stayin in hospital for a couple a days as i was quite out of it and pretty much needed people to tell me when to take my pain meds and when to eat and soo on plus it was nice to know if anything happened there were people that knew what they were doing but by the friday i was glad to leave
with the talking for the first week or two i was a little mumbley i was never not able to get across what i wanted to say but it doesn't last too long and am talking fine now i have a little lisp but that might be the elastics also i have no splint ver and i have herd that effects your speak
i herd not to use straws either but i found it too difficult anyway to use a straw as i couldn't suck anything up them lol i stuck to drinking everything outta cups for a day or two
with the assistance thing i think i needed my mum for about 4 or 5 days post opp just to reminde me to take pain meds and stuff i could have done it myself
with the swelling mine took awhile to come up about 4 days post opp it started brusing but only under my chin and on my neck and i still have brusicing even now i never done anything to try hide it it hurts to touch soo alll just leave it to go away on its own but if you need to hide it or want to hide it then am sure a little concealer would do it
i never got a spint after my surgery but if you do it will problay be attached to your top teeth like a bite waffer and can be in from a week to a few weeks but as i said i never had one =]
hope this helps
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ask 10 people, get 10 answers...
I had LeFort I and BSSO - about 10 weeks ago.
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I had 1 overnight stay and went home the day after surgery. Difficult to say what the pros or cons were, as I have only 1 experience on which to base my answer! However, home was quieter and much more comfortable than hospital.
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I'd not had much fun on the speech front, to be honest with you. I still sound ridiculous. I've been in fairly heavy elastics since the surgery, and so still can't open my mouth (or poke out my tongue). My lower lip was also frozen until very recently when half of it started to wake up. This means I still can't talk properly unless I anunciate every syllable and speak more loudly than usual. My response has been to talk less. Talking more just tires me out and becomes frustrating, because it doesn't improve with practice - I just have to repeat myself that much more
Most people don't seem to mention speech problems so you can probably assume that they're uncommon. I've definitely had (and have) problems, though.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why?
Negative pressure on healing sites inside your mouth = bad. Also, for the first week, you probably won't have enough control over your lips to be able to manage a straw anyway. I managed it after 2 weeks.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
In all honesty, I could have managed without any assiatnce at all once I got home (24 hours post op and onwards). I had my husband and then my mum around for the 1st week and while it was nice to have their company, I hate to be pampered so I did everything for myself anyway. The only time I felt I needed someone else around was during my first shower, in case I became light-headed or something.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
I own a couple of funnel-neck fleece jackets, so wore those when going out anywhere, so you couldn't see my mouth and chin. My bruising was fairly funky (see at 4 days post-op):
It took 4 weeks for it to fade completely.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn?
You probably mean a splint, or bite wafer - an arch-shaped piece of plastic which has indentations of your teeth on each side. It is used intra-operatively to check that your jaws have been placed into the correct new positions, and some surgeons leave them in place for a time after the surgery. I had mine in for a week, but it was removed because my lower jaw muscles weren't allowing my lower jaw to fit into the splint properly so it was doing nothing to retrain my bite. Mine was fixed to my upper teeth with wires.
[/img]
I had LeFort I and BSSO - about 10 weeks ago.
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I had 1 overnight stay and went home the day after surgery. Difficult to say what the pros or cons were, as I have only 1 experience on which to base my answer! However, home was quieter and much more comfortable than hospital.
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I'd not had much fun on the speech front, to be honest with you. I still sound ridiculous. I've been in fairly heavy elastics since the surgery, and so still can't open my mouth (or poke out my tongue). My lower lip was also frozen until very recently when half of it started to wake up. This means I still can't talk properly unless I anunciate every syllable and speak more loudly than usual. My response has been to talk less. Talking more just tires me out and becomes frustrating, because it doesn't improve with practice - I just have to repeat myself that much more
Most people don't seem to mention speech problems so you can probably assume that they're uncommon. I've definitely had (and have) problems, though.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why?
Negative pressure on healing sites inside your mouth = bad. Also, for the first week, you probably won't have enough control over your lips to be able to manage a straw anyway. I managed it after 2 weeks.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
In all honesty, I could have managed without any assiatnce at all once I got home (24 hours post op and onwards). I had my husband and then my mum around for the 1st week and while it was nice to have their company, I hate to be pampered so I did everything for myself anyway. The only time I felt I needed someone else around was during my first shower, in case I became light-headed or something.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
I own a couple of funnel-neck fleece jackets, so wore those when going out anywhere, so you couldn't see my mouth and chin. My bruising was fairly funky (see at 4 days post-op):
It took 4 weeks for it to fade completely.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn?
You probably mean a splint, or bite wafer - an arch-shaped piece of plastic which has indentations of your teeth on each side. It is used intra-operatively to check that your jaws have been placed into the correct new positions, and some surgeons leave them in place for a time after the surgery. I had mine in for a week, but it was removed because my lower jaw muscles weren't allowing my lower jaw to fit into the splint properly so it was doing nothing to retrain my bite. Mine was fixed to my upper teeth with wires.
[/img]
Braced May 2005
Bimaxillary surgery Aug 2007
Debraced Jun 2008
Bimaxillary surgery Aug 2007
Debraced Jun 2008
Zou,
I am also a lawyer and will be having a Le Fort I done on December 4, just a little before you. My surgeon told me that I shouldn't plan on returning to work for at least 4 weeks because talking may be difficult. Also, I don't know about you, but I will be wired shut for at least 3-4 weeks, it could be as long as 6 weeks. Good luck!
mgigi
I am also a lawyer and will be having a Le Fort I done on December 4, just a little before you. My surgeon told me that I shouldn't plan on returning to work for at least 4 weeks because talking may be difficult. Also, I don't know about you, but I will be wired shut for at least 3-4 weeks, it could be as long as 6 weeks. Good luck!
mgigi
Good questions and good answers...
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I stayed in the hospital one night. They wanted me to stay a second night but I wanted to get the heck out of there... I wanted a shower, my own clothes, own bed, etc etc. I would not have been able to leave the day of surgery. I was so weak and dizzy, I could not even sit up in bed. I also seemed to have trouble breathing without the oxygen mask. Things started to get better the next day. In the morning I got out of bed to use the bathroom but then I needed the wheelchair to get back...
If you are well enough to go home the same day, more power to ya! But what happens if you're like me and you can't even sit up? Is there a back up plan?
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I was wired shut for the first 10 days, so talking was pretty hard, but then after I was unwired it was fine. It felt a bit fuzzy at first but it was basically fine.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why?
Well you can't use a straw when you're wired shut, so it wasn't an issue for me! But what others have said makes sense - sucking is probably a bad idea.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
I didn't need any assistance once I got home. I had a friend stay one night because the hospital wasn't going to let me go home otherwise.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
I wore a scarf. I didn't bruise much - I was a bit yellow. But I did swell pretty good.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn?
I didn't have to wear one.
[/b]
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I stayed in the hospital one night. They wanted me to stay a second night but I wanted to get the heck out of there... I wanted a shower, my own clothes, own bed, etc etc. I would not have been able to leave the day of surgery. I was so weak and dizzy, I could not even sit up in bed. I also seemed to have trouble breathing without the oxygen mask. Things started to get better the next day. In the morning I got out of bed to use the bathroom but then I needed the wheelchair to get back...
If you are well enough to go home the same day, more power to ya! But what happens if you're like me and you can't even sit up? Is there a back up plan?
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I was wired shut for the first 10 days, so talking was pretty hard, but then after I was unwired it was fine. It felt a bit fuzzy at first but it was basically fine.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why?
Well you can't use a straw when you're wired shut, so it wasn't an issue for me! But what others have said makes sense - sucking is probably a bad idea.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
I didn't need any assistance once I got home. I had a friend stay one night because the hospital wasn't going to let me go home otherwise.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
I wore a scarf. I didn't bruise much - I was a bit yellow. But I did swell pretty good.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn?
I didn't have to wear one.
[/b]
Thanks all for your input. If you think of anything more to add please just pile on the advice.
The plan has always been for the procedure to be outpatient, although now it will not ever be done at a hospital but rather a surgi-center. This is great since none of it is being covered by my insurance so I have to pay for the entire thing.
Fortunately, I really like having my Mother around and she's really good at spoiling. Plus, she's French and can do the most amazing things with otherwise bland food so hopefully that will help in the food area. I am not a big person and the loss of 10 pounds is about the max that I can handle. Any more than that and I will start looking really scrawny and unhealthy. I've been working out a lot to get in good physical shape before surgery and hopefully that will help in the recovery process.
I know from past surgical procedures that I have a very high pain threshold and tend not to need any meds after the first day, except at night, to help sleep. I usually do fine with over the counter analgesics. I also seem to heal quickly and with little bruising or swelling. I had four impacted wisdom teeth removed years ago and went skiing two days later as I recall. But none of that really matter as I'm not concerned so much with how I look, but more with how I sound. The good thing is that I work for a small firm and they will be understanding if I need a little extra time. I may even qualify for short term disability, Yeah!
I appreciate the information about talking. That is the one thing that could be a problem for me. I have some speeches scheduled for early January and I think it may be best if I see about moving them to later in the month. Especially since I'm talking to an older crowd and their hearing could already be dicey, I don't need to add mumbling to the mix.
I see my surgeon on November 5th so this is helpful g me know what I need to ask him about. I already know that I will not be wired shut. My ortho says that "old school" and he hasn't done that in years and it is not necessary. I will have eleastics, but I don't know for how long. My doctor has already had me in eleastice to start retraining the muscles in my lower jaw and it seems to be making a difference even before the surgery.
Mgigi, sounds like your procedure is being handled much differently than mine. Best of luck and let's hope that you don't end up in the wires for 6 weeks.
The plan has always been for the procedure to be outpatient, although now it will not ever be done at a hospital but rather a surgi-center. This is great since none of it is being covered by my insurance so I have to pay for the entire thing.
Fortunately, I really like having my Mother around and she's really good at spoiling. Plus, she's French and can do the most amazing things with otherwise bland food so hopefully that will help in the food area. I am not a big person and the loss of 10 pounds is about the max that I can handle. Any more than that and I will start looking really scrawny and unhealthy. I've been working out a lot to get in good physical shape before surgery and hopefully that will help in the recovery process.
I know from past surgical procedures that I have a very high pain threshold and tend not to need any meds after the first day, except at night, to help sleep. I usually do fine with over the counter analgesics. I also seem to heal quickly and with little bruising or swelling. I had four impacted wisdom teeth removed years ago and went skiing two days later as I recall. But none of that really matter as I'm not concerned so much with how I look, but more with how I sound. The good thing is that I work for a small firm and they will be understanding if I need a little extra time. I may even qualify for short term disability, Yeah!
I appreciate the information about talking. That is the one thing that could be a problem for me. I have some speeches scheduled for early January and I think it may be best if I see about moving them to later in the month. Especially since I'm talking to an older crowd and their hearing could already be dicey, I don't need to add mumbling to the mix.
I see my surgeon on November 5th so this is helpful g me know what I need to ask him about. I already know that I will not be wired shut. My ortho says that "old school" and he hasn't done that in years and it is not necessary. I will have eleastics, but I don't know for how long. My doctor has already had me in eleastice to start retraining the muscles in my lower jaw and it seems to be making a difference even before the surgery.
Mgigi, sounds like your procedure is being handled much differently than mine. Best of luck and let's hope that you don't end up in the wires for 6 weeks.
Hi, I had upper and lower jaw surgery, genioplasty and a cant levelled in my jaw in August 2006.
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I was in hospital for 4 days, but in Australia 3-4 days is the norm. My understanding is that outpatient surgery for this type of surgery is not an option here.
I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I'm a teacher and last year worked 1 day per week plus relief teaching. I took 4 weeks off from work initially, and went back to work for 1 day on Week 5, 1 1/2 days Week 6 and 2 days Week 7. It was good that I could stagger my workload like this since I found I had no projection on my voice (which was difficult as the class I taught was quite challenging.) I also found my jaw tired easily with all the talking - as you can appreciate as a teacher you need to use your voice all day. After Week 6 post-op we had school holidays for 2 weeks, and when I went back to work Week 9, I was back to normal speech wise. I know a lot of people have said that they had no problems with speech, but I am quite soft spoken normally so found those first couple of weeks back at part-time work quite challenging.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
You will need someone to lend moral support when you hit the lows. I only had 2 very brief episodes of this, and it was good to have a sympathetic partner for this. I was told no bending for the first couple of weeks post-op, so check with your surgeon on this one.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
Most of the major swelling and bruising disappears within 10 days, and the surgery and aftermath (for me) was not particularly painful with mainly an uncomfortable tight feeling. Drink lots of water and be patient -it is temporary.
1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I was in hospital for 4 days, but in Australia 3-4 days is the norm. My understanding is that outpatient surgery for this type of surgery is not an option here.
I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
I'm a teacher and last year worked 1 day per week plus relief teaching. I took 4 weeks off from work initially, and went back to work for 1 day on Week 5, 1 1/2 days Week 6 and 2 days Week 7. It was good that I could stagger my workload like this since I found I had no projection on my voice (which was difficult as the class I taught was quite challenging.) I also found my jaw tired easily with all the talking - as you can appreciate as a teacher you need to use your voice all day. After Week 6 post-op we had school holidays for 2 weeks, and when I went back to work Week 9, I was back to normal speech wise. I know a lot of people have said that they had no problems with speech, but I am quite soft spoken normally so found those first couple of weeks back at part-time work quite challenging.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any?
You will need someone to lend moral support when you hit the lows. I only had 2 very brief episodes of this, and it was good to have a sympathetic partner for this. I was told no bending for the first couple of weeks post-op, so check with your surgeon on this one.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal?
Most of the major swelling and bruising disappears within 10 days, and the surgery and aftermath (for me) was not particularly painful with mainly an uncomfortable tight feeling. Drink lots of water and be patient -it is temporary.
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
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1. How many of you had your surgery done outpatient? Any pros or cons to this option (besides the money which is a huge difference)?
I had my SARPE procedure done in my OS office with I.V sedation, but advancement of my upper, lower, and genioplasty were done in the hospital.
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
The biggest issue I had was the range of motion thing. I mean right after surgery I could open my mouth enough to get a spoon in and eat, as well as talk pretty well (and over half of my tongue was completely numb and void of taste buds.) I never really had any issues with talking itself, although for about 6 weeks people told me that I sounded different, sortof nasally like I had a cold or something. I attributed this to the swelling in the rear of my palate and as the swelling in my mouth has come down my voice has returned to normal.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why? My doctor said no suction for 3 weeks, it can put undue stress on the maxilla and mandible as they are trying to heal and solidify into their new positions.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any? No more then 1 week. I mean longer would've been nice, but I was actually pretty fine within 3 days. You will be tired, run down, and sleeping a lot, but most of your food will probably be liquid or pretty mashed, so it really wasn't that hard for me to do it myself after a few days. By about 12 days I was out walking around the neighborhood and short of having to take a few naps each day was more then able to take care of myself.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal? Personally I think one of the biggest indicators is your surgeons expertise. I tend to bruise very easily. With my SARPE I looked terrible, like I had been mugged. With my "triple" I had hardly any brusing at all. The best thing I did was use the zip and squeeze jaw bra for the first 2 days religiously. Like Meryten my husband changed out my ice packs regularly and I think it made a big differene. Then I switched to warm moist heat. I used two small cloth gift bags that I filled with about 2 cups of plain white rice. I would then microwave them for about 2-3 minute and keep them on my face. The helped me tremendously with the achiness, and were the only way I could get back to sleep at night when the muscles would have spasms. You can use a couple soft socks to make these too, they really work well and hold the heat for a long time. They helped bring most of my swelling down in about 3 days. As for bruising, I used Arnica Montana and Bromelain religiously immediately after surgery too. I used Arnica gel on my face, and took the arnica pellets for about 1 week. The Bromelain is more for swelling. I used that for about 8 weeks, and swear by it. Everytime I stopped using it my swelling would totally increase.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn? I think you mean a "splint" You will need to talk to your OS about this. Whether one is used will probably depend on what exactly they are doing to you. If you are having a 1 piece Lefort 1 then your doctor may not require extended wear of this, if you are having a multi piece Lefort 1 then you will probably need to wear one from around 3 -6 weeks. It is usually wired to the upper palate via the surgical hooks and braces to secure it. I did not have one of these, I had not post surgcial splint or bands. So ask your doctor about it.
I appreciate all the advice I can get at this point.
I had my SARPE procedure done in my OS office with I.V sedation, but advancement of my upper, lower, and genioplasty were done in the hospital.
2. I've read a lot about the challenge of eating, but no one really talks about the challenge of talking. I'm a lawyer and I make my living with my mouth (no comments on that one guys). What sort of problems, if any have folks had talking after surgery?
The biggest issue I had was the range of motion thing. I mean right after surgery I could open my mouth enough to get a spoon in and eat, as well as talk pretty well (and over half of my tongue was completely numb and void of taste buds.) I never really had any issues with talking itself, although for about 6 weeks people told me that I sounded different, sortof nasally like I had a cold or something. I attributed this to the swelling in the rear of my palate and as the swelling in my mouth has come down my voice has returned to normal.
3. I've heard some folks mention that they are not supposed to use straws post surgery....why? My doctor said no suction for 3 weeks, it can put undue stress on the maxilla and mandible as they are trying to heal and solidify into their new positions.
4. I live alone and my mother is coming to help me out. About how long did folks need assistance post surgery....if any? No more then 1 week. I mean longer would've been nice, but I was actually pretty fine within 3 days. You will be tired, run down, and sleeping a lot, but most of your food will probably be liquid or pretty mashed, so it really wasn't that hard for me to do it myself after a few days. By about 12 days I was out walking around the neighborhood and short of having to take a few naps each day was more then able to take care of myself.
5. What were some of the best and/or creative ways to deal with the facial swelling? Also, I haven't seen much bruising on most of the pictures. Is that pretty normal? Personally I think one of the biggest indicators is your surgeons expertise. I tend to bruise very easily. With my SARPE I looked terrible, like I had been mugged. With my "triple" I had hardly any brusing at all. The best thing I did was use the zip and squeeze jaw bra for the first 2 days religiously. Like Meryten my husband changed out my ice packs regularly and I think it made a big differene. Then I switched to warm moist heat. I used two small cloth gift bags that I filled with about 2 cups of plain white rice. I would then microwave them for about 2-3 minute and keep them on my face. The helped me tremendously with the achiness, and were the only way I could get back to sleep at night when the muscles would have spasms. You can use a couple soft socks to make these too, they really work well and hold the heat for a long time. They helped bring most of my swelling down in about 3 days. As for bruising, I used Arnica Montana and Bromelain religiously immediately after surgery too. I used Arnica gel on my face, and took the arnica pellets for about 1 week. The Bromelain is more for swelling. I used that for about 8 weeks, and swear by it. Everytime I stopped using it my swelling would totally increase.
6. I've heard about a "split" being used post surgery. Exactly where is this located and for how long is it generally worn? I think you mean a "splint" You will need to talk to your OS about this. Whether one is used will probably depend on what exactly they are doing to you. If you are having a 1 piece Lefort 1 then your doctor may not require extended wear of this, if you are having a multi piece Lefort 1 then you will probably need to wear one from around 3 -6 weeks. It is usually wired to the upper palate via the surgical hooks and braces to secure it. I did not have one of these, I had not post surgcial splint or bands. So ask your doctor about it.
I appreciate all the advice I can get at this point.