October buddies

[mamaneedsanewjaw]

Hey all! I go on Monday for my first long ortho appointment which includes repositioning of brackets if necessary. I am nervous to have someone's hands in my mouth for so long. My poor mouth is unhappy just when I am trying to change my rubberbands. Then after my appointment I will have a quick meeting with my surgeon and then drive back to Ohio. A fun six and a half hours of driving! Oh joy! Well, whatever I have to do to bring this process to an end! I am just hoping to get the braces of by summer.

So some good news: my insurance has paid all of my bills....including...drum roll......my genioplasty!?!?!?! WHAT!!!! The billing lady from the surgeon's office said it is the first time they have had an insurance company cover the genio. I will get a refund from the surgeon's office! I can hardly believe it. Timing couldn't have been better as there is a pile of medical bills that I still have to pay and now this money will cover it with a little left over. I told my billing lady that the insurance company must have felt very sorry for me because I was so messed up prior to the surgery!

I am still pretty numb in my chin, lower lip and the roof of my mouth is totally numb. My chin and lower lip is starting to come back slightly as I can feel light touch, however, I still can not feel if there is food stuck on my lower lip! Lovely.

Strange seeing most of my family for the first time on Thanksgiving. I got a lot of stares and you look so different. I am pretty happy with my new look but I was starting to get paranoid with all of the analyzing!

Hope all of you are on the up n up!!!

[Izzy1979]

Colorado - Cannot agree more about the annoyance of pain/swelling. My oral mucosa just won't heal, particularly in front of my bottom lip - it just keeps digging in my braces. At the end of my weekend from hell at work Sunday night I was about to cry because I was out of wax and couldn't do anything about it! I want this done already!

I'm having my 6 weeks recheck today - hopefully he allows me to chew.
Are you guys allowed to chew yet and how did that do? I feel like I can't really fit much that needs chewing in my mouth anyways

After being back at work for a week, this is the list of "sh** stupid (but well meaning) coworkers have said" that would almost be funny in afterthought, but almost made me cry:
" Where the hell were you? You had jaw surgery? Wow I really can't tell. You look EXACTLY the same!" (this person has repeated a variation of this comment at least 3 times this week)
" I can't see the difference. I could really tell on "A." (other person who had lower jaw surgery 2 yrs ago), it really made a HUGE difference on HER! "
" Oh you didn't do your upper jaw then? I thought you'd go for it and have your nose done at the same time. Do you regret it? Do you think you'll get your nose done later?" (no joke)
" maybe you'll look better once the swelling is all gone" (hmmm it almost is)
" I left you my leftover bag of Doritos from overnight to snack on today!" (this one is just funny. I can't chew and Doritos is probably my favorite junk food and I looked at a bag of it for 10hrs by my computer yesterday. Yes, I tried to crumble one in tiny pieces and swallow without chewing. Doesn't work, don't try. )

Thankfully some other people aren't as clueless and either kept their upsetting comments to themselve or said I looked good/better/they saw the difference.

[Broadway Bill]

I saw my ortho today! He took my hooks out and reconfigured my bands, which feels great. He also estimated 4 more months in braces, which as we all know means 6-12 months in orthospeak. But, I'm happy to hear anything under a year, so I'll take it.

I see my surgeon in 2 weeks, for my 2 month appt. Hopefully he'll let me eat!

How are you other October people doing?

[ColoradoGirl]

Ooh, lucky, BB! The surgeon bent my hooks down, but they're on for another 3 weeks (my own fault--I'm off to other states for 2.5 weeks, so I won't be able to see my ortho for an archwire change). I don't get to eat yet. In fact, I was warned against crushing things against my palate as I have been in the last week or so. Apparently my palate is still unstable and micromovements will keep it from healing properly. He said the two surgeries he's ever had to redo have been necessitated by non-healing palates. Eek.

Oh well, holiday shakes for me. :/

How're the rest of our buddies?

[ennazusie]

Hi, everyone! I'm doing really well... which I guess is why I haven't posted in a while! I've been given the all-clear to eat pretty much anything up to chicken texture or thin slices of apple. I'm still a little sore and swollen in the mornings, but it goes away pretty quickly. I'm able to shove two knuckles in my mouth (not nearly my pre-surgery ROM, but I'll take it), and as far as numbness goes 1/4 of my mouth is fine, 1/4 is very numb, 1/2 is super sensitive and tingly, and my chin is numb but tingly as well. I'm remaining hopeful that most of the feeling will come back! Cold really bothers me--it feels like my entire face is frozen stiff--and running is still uncomfortable, but othewise I'm pretty happy with my progress. As soon as the braces come off (I was told 3 more months, but don't believe it), I'll be totally happy!

[Broadway Bill]

Hey guys!

Saw my surgeon today for my 2 month checkup. He said everything looks great, and he cleared me to eat "anything I feel comfortable with"!! Of course, for right now, that does not mean much, since I am not really comfortable with anything, but hey, it's a start!

My ROM is right around 31mm, which really pleased my doc. He gave me some exercises to do (using a stack of tongue depressors as a wedge tool to open things up) for the next 10 days, and he said that if I keep with it, in 10 days I will be at 41mm, which is nearly back to normal. I'm pretty damn happy about that bit of news!

Still have plenty of ortho ahead of me, since we sort of rushed into surgery before it was all set, but that's fine; I can handle anything my ortho can throw at me. I go in 3 weeks for my first cleaning since surgery, and I am REALLY looking forward to that (my mouth feels nasty, and it needs a good cleaning).

Almost all of my swelling and numbness are gone, with just a bit of lingering swelling around my left mandibular area. My surgeon thinks it will even out in time, but he also said that because of my previous alignment, the muscles on that side are way more developed, so it may always be a bit lopsided. I'm fine with it, though, and it is not at all noticeable unless you are looking for it. The only thing I am having trouble with right now is making myself wear my bands all day and night. It feels so much better without them in, that it is tough to stick with it. But, I know that they are a key step in finishing out my ortho treatment, so in they go!

Also, tonight was the first time I was around someone I know semi-well that did not recognize me at all! It was kind of weird, but she said that I looked fantastic, and she did not recognize me. Thankfully, she did not do the whole "YOU LOOK SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU DID BEFORE!" thing. She just did a double take after sitting at the table with me and a group of friends for about 15 minutes before realizing I was me. It was sort of cool, but I am still glad that my aesthetic change was relatively subtle and minimal.

So that's what's new here. How about you fine folks?

[chicago29]

@Broadway: Let me know how the tongue depressor thing works. I'm stuck at about 32-33mm but I really want to get to 40mm (I was at 44mm pre-op). I have slacked on my exercises since I completed physical therapy so I need to start something back up.

@Colorado: I was a bit taken aback by your latest post. Are you doing OK? You mentioned "micromovements" and I'm hoping things are healing OK for you. Can you detect the upper palate moving when you chew or forcefully bite? I've read that a lot of non-unions will take care of themselves over time if you are careful...but I am not sure what you are describing is a true non-union.

I think it was this message stream that talked about gum recession. I have some areas I am getting a graft done sometime next year, but most of these areas were receded prior to me starting any of this. The lower jaw front teeth (incisors) have pretty bad recession, and that's just from the movement I endured. I don't know if there is anything I'll be able to do for them, unless that stem cell therapy takes off where the gum regenerates. I'm keeping an eye on that...I'd really like to do something because the teeth are not nearly as stable as I'd like them to be. No biting into apples for me ever...but to be honest that's a small price to pay...

Anyway, I have an ortho tomorrow and am still scheduled to be debanded on Feb 8. It is getting close!

Happy Holidays everybody!

-Chicago29

[ColoradoGirl]

@Chicago re micromovements: Honestly, I have no idea. I've not seen my surgeon for 2 weeks now (feels like *forever*) b/c my hubby and I are out-of-state for the holidays. I can feel movement in my palate, but I'm hoping it's normal. My surgeon tentatively cleared me for soft foods just after I left, and I've been as careful as possible...but away from my own kitchen, it's definitely been harder to stay on soft foods. First, I'm *hungry*; second, when you're out to dinner at the home of your parents' friends and there's nothing seriously soft, it's hard to say no. So, let's hope I'm healing, yes?

Will grafting ultimately stabalize your teeth? I'm looking at a juicy red apple right now, and it seems like a real sacrifice (though admittedly small in the scope of this whole thing, ugh). I honestly feel like I might need that for my bottom 4s, especially since my both my parents have problem gums, but I'd like to avoid it if possible. Even after the grafts of cadaver and cow bone, gum grafts sound creepy to me.

[ColoradoGirl]

Bump, again!

How is everyone? I'm doing well, although the screw in my top jaw is driving me nuts...I actually dreamed last night that I got a Phillips head sd out of the drawer and removed it myself. Alas, it's still there. Other than that, though, things are good.

Updates, please.

[mamaneedsanewjaw]

Hello!!!

How is everyone doing?

I am feeling great for the most part. My feeling is slowly coming back in my lower lip and ching...I would say about 50% back. The roof of my mouth is still totally numb. Strange feeling!

I love the new profile. I feel like my nose still looks a bit strange on my face but I am getting used to it.

Still have a hard time biting into certain things....some meat, nuts etc.

I should be getting my braces off six weeks from today!!! I am happy that this is almost totally behind me!

[Rizzie]

Mandy, I don't recall any nose changes in your posted pics...what is different post-surgery?

[mamaneedsanewjaw]

Rizzie- I think it is me overanalyzing my "new look". It seems like my nose is a smidge wider and maybe turned up a bit. BUT everyone I have mentioned it to looks at me like I am crazy. I am hoping that once the braces are off that I stop picking apart myself so much!!

[Rizzie]

Ah, the "overanalyzed" nose! I'm sure I will do the same thing when my time arrives!

[ColoradoGirl]

Glad to hear you're doing well, Mandy!

My overanalyzing thing is a desperate fear that my chin is receeding. There's a line on the post-surgical instructions that says "the lower jaw will recede if prescribed supplements are not taken." Even though I'm taking the required supplements, I have this crazy fear that my jaw's receeding anyway. I've asked the poor surgeon about it numerous times, and he always says it's fine.

[hduggan]

OK, that's a new one for me.

What supplements are you supposed to take and how do they keep the chin from receeding?