SARPE Surgery

[sauerkraut]

Aww, nesbob, I'm sorry you're feeling like that. It's still early days for you, though, and your dizziness could yet be something as simple as deyhdration and you'll be through it soon. I'm sure you had very good reasons for doing the op in the first place. It's just not always so easy to remember them when you're going through a low patch

My health wasn't the greatest before my op, so I suppose I have a resigned kind of attitude, where my dizziness is just something else to deal with and at least the odds are that it will probably go away eventually. But I can really understand that if you were fine before, you can start wondering what on earth you've done to yourself. I think the odds of permanently ruined health are really pretty low though.

I try to keep reminding myself why I'm doing this, when I have my doubting moments. Before SARPE I was at the point where my dentist was warning me about the likelihood of my teeth starting to fall out. I wasn't myself properly aware of such problems though. Sure, I didn't like the look of my teeth but I don't think I would have undergone surgery purely for the sake of my appearance. So I had to rely on the experience and wisdom of my dentist and ortho who both told me I was storing up trouble for the future if I didn't get things fixed.

But it does make it a bit harder afterwards when you can't say "Oh thank goodness that TMJ pain is gone" or whatever. Thinking "Oh thank goodness I've spared myself the risk of TMJ pain in 10 years' time" doesn't have quite the same effect! You find yourself wondering if you've done it all for vanity.

Ho hum. Sorry, I seem to have gone off into pontificating mode, here, so perhaps I'd better shut up and go to bed! And who knows, I've taken so long to reply perhaps things are looking up for you already

[Elspeth]

I know this is weird, but did anyone else's nose hurt during/after expansion? I just completed what I hope to be the last of the expansion on Saturday, and I've noticed that my nostrils and the middle of my nose are kind of sore.

This whole SARPE thing is really just so strange.

Yes! The skin in my nostrils has been feeling painful ever since I started (successfully) turning.

[lueyfufu]

Good, so I'm not alone at least.

I've been trying to look at all these little pains as signs of progress. But once in a while I worry that a new one might not be normal. And I really hate to call my ortho every single time.

[nesnob]

Hi sauerkraut, and many thanks for replying.

I went to my family practitioner on Friday, and was prescribed meclizine (aka anti-vert). So far it seems to be lessening the effect of vertigo a little, but not eradicating it completely. I still get dizzy if I move my head suddenly, but the dizziness seems to pass more quickly..

I was told to go back in a week or two if it doesn't clear up, and will be referred to the ENT.

I think my reasons for surgery were similar: partly cosmetic, but I was also told my dentist that there was a risk of bone loss, and therefore losing my teeth, if nothing was done. My palate was slowly but surely getting narrower each year. I could no longer fit my thumb in the roof of my mouth, and in fact the technician who made my PE said it was the smallest she had ever made!

So it definitely wasn't all for nothing

BTW, do you ski? I've been skiing in Austria, and loved it, and I hear Germany has some great resorts too. But I'm wondering if vertigo might affect my ability ... that would be a bummer.

[/b]

[Delag]

Just stopped in for a quick ¨Hello¨, and to see how everyone is doing. I am now 4,5 months post op and for all of you puffy folks....yep, I'm still a bit swollen, and I feel like my alar stitch is still holding my stupid lip hostage. The OS told me to start massaging my lip, but it hurts like the dickens. I go into the ortho next week and when I walk out I will be the proud owner of not one, but two TPAs! Oh boy, I can't wait. According to the ortho I still have a 50% chance of needing another surgery. I still haven't decided if the glass in 1/2 empty or 1/2 full I'll let you know what I decide.

Nesbob -my BIL suffered from vertigo that he thought was related to back surgery. He was lucky enough to be see a top notch ENT while still in the hospital. His vertigo was STRESS induced. I know....I couldn't believe it either. Long story short, he was given meds and excercises (turn head slowly back and forth etc.) and he is fine now. It did take him several months to feel better and he says he still has to get out of bed slowly.

[lueyfufu]

Just over a month post-op for me. I'm done expanding and am now in the healing phase. I get my upper braces put on next week.

I feel like my bite is changing every day. Most recently, my right molars bite together before my left ones do, which makes eating feel sort of weird. I often wake up in the morning to pain in my left TMJ. I think maybe I've started clenching my teeth at night. Anybody else notice they did that after SARPE? Did it eventually go away after your bite settled?

[sauerkraut]

Nesbob, hope the medicine does the trick! No, I've never tried ski-ing. Perhaps I should some time, as I'm not too far from a few leading ski resorts...

Delag, wow two TPAs! That sounds very interesting. I wonder how they'll fit them in! Sorry to hear the alar stitch is still giving you grief. That's something I was spared, thank goodness. Interesting about your BIL. I was also sent to physio to learn various exercises involving slow movement of the head. They were the same as people learn when they've suffered whiplash after a car accident. I was sceptical but perhaps there's something in it after all!

Lueyfufu, good luck with the upper braces. Have you still got the expander in? (Sorry, I've lost track on this thread a bit lately!) And yes, I'm sure I clench my teeth more post SARPE as well.

[lueyfufu]

sauerkraut: Yep, I'll have the expander in there forever!!! Er, I mean, I'll have it until November-ish.

Delag: What's an alar stitch? Also, I think you should consider yourself incredibly lucky to have two TPAs. Think of the bragging rights you'll have when your treatment is complete.

[chipmunkcheeks]

luey- july-november...not bad at all!

i had mine in for an entire year...365 days, literally. finally the surgeon called the OD to tell him that he thinks i had enough of it...im glad we had an "intervention" i dont miss it at all!

[lueyfufu]

chipmunkcheeks: Wow, a year! Did it feel weird to have all that space back after the expander came out? What was the removal process like? I thought I read somewhere that one person's ortho cut it out. (I'm envisioning the ortho with one of those cutting torches like they use on American Chopper.)

[badbite]

lueyfufu, When I got my expander out, it was the best feeling ever. It wasn't as bad as I tought it would be. I never got a TPA.

I also clench my teeth and have a weird bite. My bite changes all the time. As for the clenching, I go to bed telling myself over and over "do not clench." It does work if you try to make a conscious (SP?) effort not to do it. I still wake up sometimes clenching, but not all the time lik I used to.

Oh and to eveyone, my ortho is still saying I will Definately need another surgery.

I got a thick steel wire and power chains (florecent green) today. SORE

[fajitaman51]

Hi, im 17 yrs. old and am entirely new to the ortho experience. I just had a SARPE this past monday, and have been experimenting with different foods and methods of dealing with the pain, numbness, and swelling. I've tried using the search method, but couldn't find anything age specific, since, as the website mentioned, this is a mainly adults only site. Can someone help?

[lueyfufu]

fajitaman51: It may depend on your surgeon's orders, as I know they're all different. But here's what my experience was...

My surgeon said I could eat soft foods for the first week after my surgery. I had stuff like applesauce, ice cream (with no chunky bits), cottage cheese, macaroni & cheese, Spaghetti O's, pudding, and lots of chocolate milk.

For swelling, I was instructed to use ice packs as much as possible, and keep my head elevated.

For pain, my surgeon prescribed some pain killers, but I ended up doing fine with ibuprofen.

As far as numbness goes, it's normal, and it should eventually go away as everything starts to heal.

If you have questions, I think it would be totally fine to call your surgeon's office (or have someone call for you, if you can't talk yet ) and ask. Most doctors will send you home from your surgery with some post-surgical care information, but sometimes it doesn't cover everything.

[chipmunkcheeks]

luey- it literally took about 5 minutes, at most, to pull it out. mine came out in one piece, and i even got to keep it. beware though, your mouth will be sore after it comes out. i only got to feel the roof of my mouth for about 2 weeks before having my second surgery and being rubberbanded shut. it has been out for almost 2 months and i still have the impression of a bar in my soft palate, though it is getting better. sometimes it would still get tender, as it is where i place my tongue at rest...

[sauerkraut]

I thought I read somewhere that one person's ortho cut it out.

That might have been me They had to cut through the molar bands on one side because it wouldn't shift. I'm not sure what they used but it did cause an unpleasant taste of cooked metal! It was over in a few moments though, and overall not as dreadful as I'd been expecting.