February 2010 Buddies

[traintraxx]

Hey cheeksara I'm so glad you are on the mend!

Jac... getting your braces off so soon? I couldn't be more jealous!

I passed the three week mark on Thursday and OS are still happy with everything. Said I could take the elastics off to eat and I was thrilled, not realizing how hard it is to eat without chewing, without feeling my upper jaw and without being able to open wide enough to fit a regular sized utensil in there!

Ah, but the human spirit prevails... my husband was having popcorn and I couldn't resist. I took each kernel and broke it into little pieces that I could swallow. He thinks I'm nuts. I told him to go on a liquid diet for three weeks then call me crazy.

Best wishes to all February buddies, life gets better each day on the other side!

[bb]

Yesterday at my 3 wk post op appt my surgeon put on lighter elastics and also put them on the sides instead of the front-to-sides.
I loved it, I looked so cute when I smiled without elastics showing!!

But my lower jaw moved out again overnight -from a slight overjet(bite?) to incisors touching.
So I had to go in and get super-strong elastics and he had to put them on the front again because there were no surgical hooks on the sides.
Now I'm completely clamped shut. UGH!

[bb]

How are all you February post-ops doing?
Soft chew? Elastics? Work? Exercise? Swelling? Numbness? Happy with results/used to new face?

4 weeks post op today. Saw surgeon and now I'm down to 1 elastic (strong) on each side to keep my lower jaw pulled back.
Going down south for vacation next week and was hoping to be elastic-free...darn! I'll let you know how I do with eating.
I am allowed to wear the snorkel mask (I wondered if the pressure was too much on the upper jawbone) but not the breathing tube - can't make a seal.
I also got my surgical hooks off today- they were on the front 4 teeth and weren't being used- actually they kept making the inside of my upper lip bleed.

I have been removing my elastics every couple of days this past week- to brush the inside of my teeth. OMG the insides of my teeth are stained badly!!! I tried using a scraper to get some off but it didn't work so great. And I can't open my mouth very wide to brush the inside firmly and thoroughly. Gruesome!! I've tried looking for kids toothbrushes or any toothbrush with a skinny handle but without luck. OS said it was ok to open mouth to brush teeth.

Lower lip and chin still numb. Upper lip, nostril and cheeks a lot better.

Still on liquid diet.
Back to work and working out.
Not used to my face yet but love my smile

[bb]

Back from Cuba.
I still can't chew but I can open my mouth a little to get food in. So on vacay I ate mashed veggies, scrambled eggs, soup soaked bread and flaked fish. Went better than I thought.

Bought a new oral B rechargeable toothbrush before I left and it worked awesome. It's fairly small so it fits in my mouth and it's powerful- it got rid of all the stains on the inside of my teeth!

I've been brushing 3 x day - taking off elastics(med-strong) to brush and can finally open my mouth wide enough to floss. w00t!!

Still completely numb on lower lip and entire chin. I'm going to get acupuncture to see if this will help.

One side of my jaw is still puffy and I have loose skin under my chin- eww! I hope that goes away.

I double elastic at night because I tend to move my jaw in my sleep and the excruciating pain wakes me up.

How is everyone else doing?

[Audra]

Hey! You are doing great. I was wondering how your vacation would go. Glad you had a good time and congrats on the progress you are making!

[cheekysara]

Hey BB we are in the same boat. We had our ops at the same time but I had a few hitches which set me back a few weeks but at the mo I am at the same stage as you. My nose is puffy in the morning, cheeks still slightly swollen. I can take bands off to brush teeth and eat and I slot as much into the tiny gap as I can. Flaked fish and shredded chicken ect, pasta. So how are we all doing? Is everyone liking the out come?

[bb]

I'm not loving my loose double chin. I'm worried that at my age it won't get tighter. Should've had this operation 20 years ago...
Everyone else thinks I look great.
Mind you, I don't even think about it day to day, it's only if I see a picture of myself.
I think that having braces has given me the I-look-how-I-look mentality which helps.
How about the rest of you?