February 2012 Surgery Buddies

[WoodWillow]

Hey all, it is nice to hear the varying stages of recovery everyone is going through.

I am a week and a day past my surgery.

Thursday night/Friday morning were bad for me. I had the worst pain since coming home from the hospital. And can I just get an "amen Hallelujah" for Gravol suppositories? I know I never thought I would praise medicine that is administered where the sun don't shine, but it has saved me a few times this past week.

The pain narcotic that was prescribed (Dilaudid) ran out yesterday so I am left with Liquid Advil and Liquid Tylenol (the Naprosyn made me feel sick to my stomach). Since they are Children's medicine I take now a tbsp of each every few hours. The pain I feel in my lower jaw (near the bone breaks in my lower jaw) is pretty intense and I am trying to keep distracted so it doesn't overwhelm me.

My lips are still very swollen and tender so I alternate slathering them with Polysporin, Vaseline and Lanolelle (a thick lanolin cream) to try and keep them healthy. They always feel like they are burning and I can't tell if the discomfort is because they're really dry or just really effing swollen.

I do have a few positives to share though...

I can almost sleep through the night. I wake up coughing/gasping at least once a night but I can fall back asleep.

I drank from a mug yesterday!!! It felt like such a "normal" thing to do, and when I was finished slurping my blended/strained vegetable soup from my mug, I cleaned up my chin (ugh) and happy danced to the kitchen.

I took the dog for a walk yesterday We made it around the cul de sac we live on twice and walked the loop of the next street over. That totally winded me! I figured it would be a piece of cake and I'd come back feeling fine, but by the time I walked up my driveway I was totally exhausted! The dog however probably wondered why we weren't going for our normal long walk! Poor dog probably wonders why I don't talk to him anymore...

And I still can't talk. The splint plus the crazy swollen face makes it hard to even try. My husband and mom tell me the swelling is going down every day, but I really don't see the changes the way they claim to. Even with some of the superficial swelling gone away, the area around my nose/mouth (where you'd cup your hands if you were shouting to someone far away) is swollen and hard and tender and bruised.

I am regaining more sensation every day, but with the more sensation I regain, I also gain the ability to feel the sore places. When things were numb, they didn't hurt. Now I can feel them but the pain is stinging and unpleasant. I have a few stitch sites that are really uncomfortable.

This is me shaking my fists at the skies... I just want to feel better.

[WoodWillow]

Oh, here is the picture I took and sent to my dad... don't mind the overspread of lanolin cream around my mouth



I sent a note with it saying it looked like I lost a fight with a highlighter

[WoodWillow]

I find my reflection in the mirror alarming... my swollen face looks perma-sad and I look more tired that I did earlier in the week.

On the other hand, I've lost about 6lbs and look like I did when I got married and that isn't a bad thing!

[emdanut]

I will probably get to go home the same day since I'm only having lower jaw surgery. My insurance covers up to 24 hours in the hospital so i can stay overnight if needed but my surgeon doesn't think that will be necessary.

[lattiee]

glad your recovery is getting better woodwillow

Does your neck hurt ?

edamut glad to hear that it will be a day one for you.

Are you doing anything special before your surgery day?

[worldpeace]

Hi everybody, today is day 5 and things are getting better except for the swelling and I still cannot close my mouth as im still numb. So my jaw is in elastics with my mouth prettty much wide open and it bothers me that the lips do not meet and I cannot close it. The reason i had this surgery was to be able to close my mouth without straining and showing teeth because of my huge overbite. I keep reminding myself to be patient and that maybe once the swelling will be down the lip imcompetence will be fixed. I did have double jaw surhery so I tell myself to be patient and time will tell. Are you all able to close your lips fully? Other than that today was the first day with no pain at all. I was prescribed liquid codeine for the pain to be used 4 times a days or when necessary and novo-lexin for the swelling. I only used the pain med once so far today...knock on wood. Brushing still sucks and i'm consistent with the cleaning. I can open my mouth a bit so i was able to drink water from the bottle although it was messy and that was encouraging instead of using a syringe. Sleeping is also good even though i do wake up a few times at night mostly due to my recliner and the position. I went on youtube today to see videos of people on day 4 and most are not as swolllen but I know its different case by case. Other than that, just hanging at home with friends and family, watching movies. I love comedies but it sucks not being able to laugh right now. ah well such is life. Hope everybody is feeling better everyday!

[lattiee]

day 6 I'm feeling like I overexerted eating because my cheek muscle tensed up, my cheek feels like its so stiff, sore throat ,coughing in middle of night ,lymph nodes feel so swollen,neck muscles seem to ache, my eye that has been itching, same with my nose.sometimes I get a bit lightheaded and fuzzy feeling but as soon as I eat and drink I feel better. I do feel like I have gas bubble in my neck as I keep getting burps up. Even bottom part of my cheek muscle hurts it feels as if there is a big knot in there. I also ended up with a mouth ulcer. My nose and eye started to itch. I'm feeling more pain than I did after my surgery proably because I was so numb

Worldpeace just a day behind me you will be a week post op on Tues right ? glad your able to drink from a water bottle and your lucky to find videos on this as I can't find really any videos for plate removal just a couple of journals about it as most of them said it was a piece of cake only 2 had issues as one said she was still pretty swollen for 5wks

[catsteeth]

Woodwillow, you actually look not bad, bruises and all. I can see that you are very swollen but it already looks really good. Such a lovely shade of yellow

Worldpeace, congrats on making it home. I laughed at your Sherman comment. That's quite a visual!

Lattiee, good luck with the plate removal. I've heard most people say it was easy compared to their surgery. I hope yours is too. Feel better soon.

Endamut, good luck tomorrow!

Ashleigh, you sound 100% more positive from last week. I know you had it pretty rough there. Thanks for coming over here and keeping us company.

My update: I had a very busy weekend so I didn't have a chance to post my visit with the OS on here. I'm going to be tight banded for 3 weeks with a splint. He thought I'd be able to sit at a desk after 2 weeks but there's no way I'm going to be giving presentations with the tight bands.

Mine is on Friday. I have been trying very hard to fight off my son's cold. I'm really hoping that I don't get sidelines because of it. I am working right up until surgery day. I wanted to relax this past weekend but it was very busy. I'm hoping to have time to get some things done before Friday like laundry and making some more pureed food.

[lattiee]

catsteeth- I had my plate removed 7days ago as it is worse than wisdom teeth extraction. The complaints I'm having are from the recovery process of plate removal,screws,wires and it's annoying besides uncomfortable. It feels like part of my right side of cheek is paralyzed especially in the lip area. I thought it was going to be simple recovery as what my OS was describing to me it and I'm suprised it's like this when I read how some people had easy recovery and only a couple like me didn't so I wonder what was the OS procedure done on people who had plate removed for them to have a simple recovery when Mine isn't even simple recovery.

[AWSeibert]

Endamut - good luck!! We will see you on the other side!!

WoodWillow - luckily I didn't have any Bruising ( shocking with an 8 hr surgery) but even with the bruising and swelling you look great!

Catsteeth - your day is coming fast!! Hope you can keep the germs away .

Worldpeace - hang in there! I had double jaw surgery as well with lip incontinence one of the major things I wanted fixed. I am day 14 post op tomorrow and my lips are still not touching either. I think the splint and still being swollen have lot to do with it on my side. I can hold my lips together. There is probably a space of about a quarter of an inch or maybe a little more in between my lips at rest.

I have my second post op appointment tomorrow morning! My skin around my lips is still irritated and sore and my lips feel as if they have been burned. Vaseline doesn't seem to be helping either so I'm not sure what the next step is. I have a loose bracket On my lateral incisor, lovely!! Only I would have something break when I can't even chew! I'm going to ask my surgeon about my septoplasty tomorrow. Since the surgery, one of my nostrils is practically totally closed off. I know they said to me after surgery that they were going to need to do more to finish up the septoplasty at a later date but I just want to make sure.

Another thing that shocks me after reading a lot of your stories is that y'all were given very small amounts of pain meds or narcotics. They gave me oxycodone and A LOT of it! I still have more than half of the bottle (it is liquid) left. I only take it at night cause that's when my jaws usually hurt from the days events and to help me sleep. I have had the hardest time getting to sleep. I lay awake til the early morning hours, it's brutal!

I still have 16 days before I have to return to work. I'm nervous because of my sleep habits and the fact that the splint makes it really hard to understand me. I'm self concious eating in public because with the soft foods I kind of slurp which probably annoys a lot of people!

I'll be thinking of you all!!

Ashleigh

[lattiee]

edamut -today is your day you do your surgery and beginning recovery.

ashleigh I recieved Lortab for my plate removal and I only take childrens tyenelol as I trying to not take any other pain pills upsets tummy too much .


Your two weeks post op thats great how many more weeks til your mouth is no longer wired 2 or 4 more weeks ?

[catsteeth]

Good luck today, Endamut!

lattiee, sorry, I was confused. I'd heard plate removal was easy but I guess yours was anything but. I hope you get some feeling back in your cheek.

Ashleigh, good luck at your post op. Hope you can have a good night's sleep soon.

I'm still fighting the cold. I'm going to take it easy tonight and maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. 3 more days!

[lattiee]

catsteeth no worries as I came in at beginning of my recovery process. It's disappointing that I wasn't the easy ones as I wish I was because it sounded like quick procedure I assumed it was going to be like when I had wired pulled out of my lower jaw which was simple but they didn't go thru my cheek then like they did this time.

So 3 more days for you so you go in for your surgery?

[catsteeth]

lattiee, Through your cheek sounds awful. If you don't mind me asking, why did they go that route this time? I've heard of drainage tubes in the cheek but nothing major.

Yes, 3 more days. Besides the cold, I also have the start of a migraine. That usually means I get my period is a couple of days so I timed this well (sorry, TMI I know). I guess my body is trying to get all the bad stuff over with at once. Since I feel sorry for myself and I have to give up solid food in 3 days, I'm taking myself for a lovely salt and fat lunch at Wendy's. Spicy Chicken Sandwich, here I come! Chicken soup is good for colds so if I drink a lot of liquid with my chicken sandwich, can I pretend it's healthy?

[lattiee]

No idea why they went thru cheek even mom was surpised she was like they didn't go thru your cheek but they told me they would tongue thru it and i going to have follow up tomorrow