Fall/Early Winter 2016 Surgery Buddies

[senecastudent]

Hey everyone! I had DJS on the 16th and the doctors said it went really well, but they kept me an extra night in the hospital because I could not keep anything down, the nausea was not fun. I'm doing much better now, but my mouth feels so slimy, which makes it difficult to drink anything because I just don't swallow all of it. The splint is not fun, I'm hoping that once the swelling goes down in a few days, I'll have an easier time swallowing and talking. Problem sound familiar? Everything else is pretty smooth sailing and I have an appointment to be unwired in seven days.

[pantlover]

Long time no talk! My tongue was a little numb, but it was mostly my mouth. It seems to be getting back to normal though, so that's a positive! How is your numbness now? My upper teeth are still pretty numb/roof of my mouth. Cheeks and some areas on my chin.

hey kpw818! good to hear that things are getting back to normal. Feeling has returned to my nose and cheeks but my upper lip, lower lip, entire chin, and the upper right side of my mouth are still numb.

IIRC, your surgery was 2 days before mine so I think we are around the same timeline. How's your range of motion coming along? I was able to open almost 1.5 fingers from the get go but haven't had much progress since (i can only open 2 fingers right now). Also, how are your sutures/stitches? and diet?

[pantlover]

Hi All, surgery lasted 10 hours, surgeon is happy with the results. I had a lot of difficulty breathing afterward--on Day 2, I had to go into surgeon's office for him to fix my deviated septum and to insert a nose trumpet (very painful!). Even with all that, I still wasn't able to breathe and almost ended up in the ER. Very scary. On Day 3 I went into surgeon's office again and they gave me 3 bags of IV fluid because of massive dehydration. I'm finally feeling a little better today, Day 4, and have been able to drink some Pedialyte and broth. The swelling is starting to decrease, which is very exciting. I only needed a little painkillers after the deviated septum fix; other than that I haven't needed any of the strong stuff. Hope you are all doing well!

oh gosh, that sounds brutal. if there's anything that this surgery has taught me, it's to thank god that general anesthesia was invented because i would not want to be awake or aware of ANY surgical procedure happening to me. and for painkillers. painkillers are nice too. regardless, very VERY glad you came out the other side alive. how are you doing now that you are past the 1 week hump?

[littlebird]

Hi All, I have had a really rough time recovering. After the one nose trumpet was removed, I was fine for a couple days, then when I saw the surgeon this past Thursday he noticed that my septum had deviated again, so he inserted TWO nose trumpets to keep it in place. It was traumatizing again. I had to have them taken out earlier today because they were causing such intense pain and pressure that full doses of Oxycontin and Ibuprofen barely took the edge off. I haven't slept at all. Now that they're out, the pain and pressure are gone, but both nostrils are so stuffed up that I can't breathe again. I have rubber hoses stuck in the sides of my mouth to help me breathe, but I'm unable to drink anything because I feel like I'm drowning. I'm so frustrated and disappointed at how horrible this recovery has been. To top it all off, surgeon told me today that he wants to keep the splint in for SIX WEEKS. I just want this all to be done with. Please does anyone have any advice on how to unstuff my nose, saline and Afrin aren't working.

[pantlover]

Hi All, I have had a really rough time recovering. After the one nose trumpet was removed, I was fine for a couple days, then when I saw the surgeon this past Thursday he noticed that my septum had deviated again, so he inserted TWO nose trumpets to keep it in place. It was traumatizing again. I had to have them taken out earlier today because they were causing such intense pain and pressure that full doses of Oxycontin and Ibuprofen barely took the edge off. I haven't slept at all. Now that they're out, the pain and pressure are gone, but both nostrils are so stuffed up that I can't breathe again. I have rubber hoses stuck in the sides of my mouth to help me breathe, but I'm unable to drink anything because I feel like I'm drowning. I'm so frustrated and disappointed at how horrible this recovery has been. To top it all off, surgeon told me today that he wants to keep the splint in for SIX WEEKS. I just want this all to be done with. Please does anyone have any advice on how to unstuff my nose, saline and Afrin aren't working.

littlebird, so sorry that you are having such a rough recovery. here are some things i did to decongest my nose since i found that the nose sprays weren't really working for me either (i also had a septoplasty during my jaw surgery):
-have a humidifier running 24 hours a day by your bed/where you spend most of your time
-sleep upright or at least elevated. I use a wedge pillow then stack even more pillows on top of that
-take a hot shower. close the door/windows, and just sit in the tub with the hot water going. try breathing through your nose to get that steam up there
-take walks if you are able to
-whatever you do, do not blow your nose!

lastly, and i don't necessarily recommend this because it seems like your nose surgery was more intensive than mine, but i would use the nasal spray in both nostrils, then spray some onto a q tip and run that q tip gently on the inside my nose to make sure the nasty dried up blood boogers were moistened... then just start picking my nose and pulling out those disgusting boogers. this was extremely risky because i wasn't really fully sure what a septoplasty entailed and i was afraid to hit any stitches but i was so desperate i did it anyway. and yes, i know, i'm gross. but it REALLY made a difference for me. although again, i do NOT necessarily recommend this for everyone.

you also mentioned you were having difficulty drinking. what are you able to eat for the time being? if i can make another suggestion, during the first week, i tried to get as much calories/nutrients as i could with as little as possible so i mixed nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cookie butter) as well as a little bit of extra calorie dense liquids into my Ensure/protein shakes such as heavy whipping cream or coconut milk. there are also dissolvable packets of vitamins that you can throw in there as well or grind up vitamin pills in a mortar and pestle and mix that in as well.

hope that helps!

[senecastudent]

[quote="littlebird"]Hi All, I have had a really rough time recovering. After the one nose trumpet was removed, I was fine for a couple days, then when I saw the surgeon this past Thursday he noticed that my septum had deviated again, so he inserted TWO nose trumpets to keep it in place. It was traumatizing again. I had to have them taken out earlier today because they were causing such intense pain and pressure that full doses of Oxycontin and Ibuprofen barely took the edge off. I haven't slept at all. Now that they're out, the pain and pressure are gone, but both nostrils are so stuffed up that I can't breathe again. I have rubber hoses stuck in the sides of my mouth to help me breathe, but I'm unable to drink anything because I feel like I'm drowning. I'm so frustrated and disappointed at how horrible this recovery has been. To top it all off, surgeon told me today that he wants to keep the splint in for SIX WEEKS. I just want this all to be done with. Please does anyone have any advice on how to unstuff my nose, saline and Afrin aren't working.[/quote]

I'll add to pantlover's post: Nasal Strips for snoring/nasal congestion. I didn't think these would actually work, but after a night of not sleeping because I was too focused on breathing through one partially blocked nostril, I was willing to try anything and these really helped.

I've also paired them with children's sudafed before I go to sleep, as well as a usual dose of painkillers, and this usually gets me through most of the night.

[littlebird]

Hi All, thanks for the advice about unstuffing my nose. I'm happy to report that my right nostril is clear. The left, not so much. I posted a new thread about some concerns I have over asymmetry if anyone is interested. Basically surgeon has recommended a rhinoplasty or septoplasty to fix nose, my midline is off, and my chin is uneven. I'm starting to have some serious regrets about having this surgery, and fear that a revision is in my future.

[senecastudent]

Update, ten days out: I got my wires taken out yesterday, and to my surprise, the doctor removed the splint as well! She wasn't the surgeon who did the surgery, and my mother and I were a little confused, but she said that I ended up not needing the splint, so I suppose the surgeon must have made a last minute decision to do a one piece LeFort instead of two, or else the amount he spread the planned two-piece LeFort was so negligible that the splint was unnecessary. I wasn't sure if I was going to need a multi-piece LeFort in the first place because up to very close to the date of surgery, my orthodontist was attempting to widen my upper jaw with wires and it seemed to be working.

So I don't know. I'll ask both the orthodontist and the surgeon two weeks from now when I see them. All I know is that as it stands, I'm unwired and un-splinted after ten days. My swelling has come down quite a bit, I just have chipmunk cheeks, and I can open my jaw to about a finger and a half when the bands are out. The doctor gave me the ok for soft foods and said the promise of thanksgiving leftovers would be good motivation for me to stretch my jaw a little bit and see how wide I could open it, so I pretty much ate my weight in mashed potatoes and stuffing when I got unwired.

I only have two real concerns at this point, with which perhaps some people a little further along in recover can help: one, when I'm eating and swallowing, I hear some very minor popping/stretching noises in my jaw. The sound/sensation kinda feels like the popping in your gums when you're pushing on a loose tooth--remember that feeling? I feel it in my upper jaw when I work it sometimes. There's no pain, it's just a little disconcerting since I feel like it's so early in the recovery. Did this happen to you? Anything to worry about?

Secondly, my TMJ on the right side hurts quite a bit if I open my jaw too far, but my left side is pain free. Is TMJ pain normal during surgery recovery?

[Branwillaws]

Hello. I had my double jaw surgery in may, i had some bad luck with the healing and required a second surgery which i had in july. Well things didnt fully heal again and just had little surgery last week.

I can say even through all this the whole experience was still positive. Ill be happy to answer any questions i can!

The surgery was the best decision i have made and would do it again a heart beat if i had to!

[pantlover]

Update, ten days out: I got my wires taken out yesterday, and to my surprise, the doctor removed the splint as well! She wasn't the surgeon who did the surgery, and my mother and I were a little confused, but she said that I ended up not needing the splint, so I suppose the surgeon must have made a last minute decision to do a one piece LeFort instead of two, or else the amount he spread the planned two-piece LeFort was so negligible that the splint was unnecessary. I wasn't sure if I was going to need a multi-piece LeFort in the first place because up to very close to the date of surgery, my orthodontist was attempting to widen my upper jaw with wires and it seemed to be working.

So I don't know. I'll ask both the orthodontist and the surgeon two weeks from now when I see them. All I know is that as it stands, I'm unwired and un-splinted after ten days. My swelling has come down quite a bit, I just have chipmunk cheeks, and I can open my jaw to about a finger and a half when the bands are out. The doctor gave me the ok for soft foods and said the promise of thanksgiving leftovers would be good motivation for me to stretch my jaw a little bit and see how wide I could open it, so I pretty much ate my weight in mashed potatoes and stuffing when I got unwired.

I only have two real concerns at this point, with which perhaps some people a little further along in recover can help: one, when I'm eating and swallowing, I hear some very minor popping/stretching noises in my jaw. The sound/sensation kinda feels like the popping in your gums when you're pushing on a loose tooth--remember that feeling? I feel it in my upper jaw when I work it sometimes. There's no pain, it's just a little disconcerting since I feel like it's so early in the recovery. Did this happen to you? Anything to worry about?

Secondly, my TMJ on the right side hurts quite a bit if I open my jaw too far, but my left side is pain free. Is TMJ pain normal during surgery recovery?

hi senecastudent, in terms of the popping and stretching sounds, i still get those at 5 weeks post op. Although i mostly hear it when i'm doing my jaw stretching exercises and am trying to stretch my mouth/jaw past it's current max. I also have occasional pain when I do this but my surgeon told me that was normal.

[WiredJon]

Well, that was a lot of fun - I'm day 5 post op, and have finally been let home from the hospital.
Not much pain to report, I stopped taking anything but ibuprofen on day 2, but the swelling isn't fun! The drooling was quite horrible too - for the first 3 days, any position other than lying on my back resulted in a constant stream of spit. I'm also not much enjoying the splint and having both jaws banded together. Oh, and my chin seems to have disappeared, but hopefully that will come back when the swelling dies down.
This seems a lot harder compared to the surgery I underwent for SARPE earlier in the year, by day 5 of that I was already on to soft foods again, whereas this time I've been told to wait 8 weeks before attempting to chew anything again (a result of a very thin lower jaw).
Anyway, good luck to the others that have this coming up!

[littlebird]

Well, that was a lot of fun - I'm day 5 post op, and have finally been let home from the hospital.
Not much pain to report, I stopped taking anything but ibuprofen on day 2, but the swelling isn't fun! The drooling was quite horrible too - for the first 3 days, any position other than lying on my back resulted in a constant stream of spit. I'm also not much enjoying the splint and having both jaws banded together. Oh, and my chin seems to have disappeared, but hopefully that will come back when the swelling dies down.
This seems a lot harder compared to the surgery I underwent for SARPE earlier in the year, by day 5 of that I was already on to soft foods again, whereas this time I've been told to wait 8 weeks before attempting to chew anything again (a result of a very thin lower jaw).
Anyway, good luck to the others that have this coming up!

Yes, the drooling was ridiculous for me, as well! I'm in the same boat as you with regard to not being allowed to chew for 8 weeks because I also have a very thin lower jaw. I'm stuck with the splint for 6 weeks, and hopefully at my appointment next Monday (4 wks. post-op) he'll decrease the number of elastics so I'm not banded as tightly shut. Hang in there, your chin will come back once the swelling goes down!

[madblogr]

Now 4 days post-op (surgery was 11/29) and I think recovery is going well, swelling has gone down much more quickly than it did with the SARPE. This one was for the mandibular osteotomy so they could widen my lower jaw (had SARPE already back in June to widen upper). I have two expanders installed now, on the inside of the arch which I received two weeks before surgery and makes it feel like I have a thermometer under my tongue all the time and then one, the surprise one since I wasn't aware of it being needed until day of, screwed into my chin. Apparently due to the additional muscle and connections around the lower jaw, just a tooth anchored distractor can lead to bowing of the jaw as it tries to flay outwards. It'll be interesting having to adjust both twice a day. I have post-op on Monday and if everything looks good, I'll start adjustments then. The surgeon thinks we'll get at least 5mm of expansion, possibly 6mm if I'm lucky before we run into pain at the jaw joints, so that means 10-12 days of turns (1/4mm per turn). Once we reach max expansion, then everything will sit for 4-6 months allowing the bones to heal solid, then back in for a quick surgery to remove the exander(s). During that time the ortho should be aligning teeth rest of the way too. We'll run some tests, take measurements, etc in June/July and decided what, if any, additional surgeries are needed.

[pantlover]

6.5 weeks post op and cleared to start chewing anything i want! can't believe i survived lol

how's everyone doing in their recovery?

[momo2015]

I have my surgery (2 piece Le Fort) on Monday. I have been told 6 weeks of a no chew diet, but I won't be wired shut. For you guys that have already done the surgery, what have been some of your favorite meals? I have a feeling ill get tired of mashed potatoes quickly