DAY 3 Post-Op- *pics and updates* (upper/lower/genio)
Moderator: bbsadmin
day 10
Day 10
Yarr- my upper lip is muchhh more tender than my lower one. My surgeon said that's normal (not sure why?).
As for jaw exersizes- I see my surgeon in 3 days for him to put elastics on and im going to ask him how much my jaw should be moving right now. Not being banded or anything- it's a bit scary because I have no clue how much movement is too much.
I'm starting to hear all these weird clicks happening which are a bit terrifying but hopefully normal.
My nose is still painfully swollen, while the rest of the swelling seems to be decreasing fairly nicely my nose just doesn't wanna give up its size.
It hurts atleast as much as my jaw does.
Energy levels are up today- going to go on the reclining bike for 7min!
Yarr- my upper lip is muchhh more tender than my lower one. My surgeon said that's normal (not sure why?).
As for jaw exersizes- I see my surgeon in 3 days for him to put elastics on and im going to ask him how much my jaw should be moving right now. Not being banded or anything- it's a bit scary because I have no clue how much movement is too much.
I'm starting to hear all these weird clicks happening which are a bit terrifying but hopefully normal.
My nose is still painfully swollen, while the rest of the swelling seems to be decreasing fairly nicely my nose just doesn't wanna give up its size.
It hurts atleast as much as my jaw does.Energy levels are up today- going to go on the reclining bike for 7min!
Last edited by kate0310 on Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
my nose stayed pretty swollen for a while too but dont worry too much bout that the pain mine gradually fade after another week or so and the swelling will began to go down over that time too. smart of you to take advantage of high energy and get a little excercise doing anything seriously i believe helps you heal faster
no splint
I didnt have anything in my mouth when I woke up at the hospital, not even elastics. It was strange. next Tuesday I am getting some elastics put on by my surgeon, ones that I can take out when I eat. I'm sure my muscles are trying to drag my jaw back to its old spot, so we need to counterbalance that!
And as for the nurse, I had one for the 2nd and 3rd night home (11pm-7am). The first night home my dad and brother took shifts all night...and they were so exhausted the next day we called for one. I can't say that I needed her all that much- but she definately helped with medications during the night and it was nice to know that I wasn't alone all night incase I needed help. She also helped me shower and was nice female company since my Mom was away.
And as for the nurse, I had one for the 2nd and 3rd night home (11pm-7am). The first night home my dad and brother took shifts all night...and they were so exhausted the next day we called for one. I can't say that I needed her all that much- but she definately helped with medications during the night and it was nice to know that I wasn't alone all night incase I needed help. She also helped me shower and was nice female company since my Mom was away.
-
freerideuk
- Posts: 229
- Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:44 am
- Location: Glasgow , scotland
day 11
Day 11:
Your probably right about the headaches changing once elastics are in. I woke up today with my jaw aching more than the last few days...but nothing bad, just noticably more. Perhaps I held it funny in my sleep...
I also noticed that my teeth are sore. I'm not sure why they would be sore, but im assuming its normal?
My face is still veryy numb, but it's got some more movement in it (probably from the swelling going down). My talking is good except for the letters 'B' and 'P' which both just sound like 'V'
The good ol' nose is still puffy, but it no longer feels like its broken when I touch it.
I am going to go walk to the drug store now to buy a listerine breath freshener spray. Pre-surgery I was an obsessive oral hygeine toothbrusher, so I have lost some sanity from the grossness of my mouth's condition. If my friends come to visit, they will no longer be my friends after I open my mouth.
Here's a front view and profile picture to compare to the one I put up from Day 6. Thank's everyone for your comments and advice!
Your probably right about the headaches changing once elastics are in. I woke up today with my jaw aching more than the last few days...but nothing bad, just noticably more. Perhaps I held it funny in my sleep...
I also noticed that my teeth are sore. I'm not sure why they would be sore, but im assuming its normal?
My face is still veryy numb, but it's got some more movement in it (probably from the swelling going down). My talking is good except for the letters 'B' and 'P' which both just sound like 'V'
The good ol' nose is still puffy, but it no longer feels like its broken when I touch it.
I am going to go walk to the drug store now to buy a listerine breath freshener spray. Pre-surgery I was an obsessive oral hygeine toothbrusher, so I have lost some sanity from the grossness of my mouth's condition. If my friends come to visit, they will no longer be my friends after I open my mouth.
Here's a front view and profile picture to compare to the one I put up from Day 6. Thank's everyone for your comments and advice!
Last edited by kate0310 on Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The pictures look great! Your swelling is really going down. I had surgery Tuesday and my nose is numb too along with my upper lips and the front of my cheeks. So annoying... especially for washing my face, it feels really weird.
I know how you feel about not being able to brush properly.. It drives me crazy not to have a perfectly clean mouth on the best of days and this is SO much worse because it's just impossible to feel like your teeth are clean. I can't wait to get my splint out so I can brush completely.
Hope the headaches clear up soon. Take care!
I know how you feel about not being able to brush properly.. It drives me crazy not to have a perfectly clean mouth on the best of days and this is SO much worse because it's just impossible to feel like your teeth are clean. I can't wait to get my splint out so I can brush completely.
Hope the headaches clear up soon. Take care!
You are looking good kate. Your progress seems to be somewhat like mine. My swelling is going down day by day, although the more it goes down, the more I get worriend.
As you mentioned kate, I also have problems with cirtain letters. For me its "S", and "C". I did not pay to much attention to it when I was very swollen, but now as the swelling has decreased to the point when I feel I should be able to talk like I did before, I am having trouble. However, I am afraid that the trouble is bigger then I first thought. The thing is I also had some asymetry issues, and when I look at my teeth now, they managed to correct it perfectly. The problem is now my bite seems to be totaly off! Imagine the left upper and lower teeth resting on eachother while the ones on the right fit pretty good. However since my left teeth rest on eachother, there is a space between my teeth in front and on the right side. So my "S" and "C" get alot of air when I try to pronounce them. Ok, I am new to this non-underbite thing, so I am no expert, but it does not seem right. Furthermore I am abit concerned that even if my upper jaw is expanded so that it will fit my the lower jaw, my front teeth will not meet as they should.
When I put my teeth "together" (only my 4th upper and lower tooth meet), my front teeth are approx. 5mm in front of my lower teeth (horizontaly measured), and this is even if there is no contact between my lower and upper teeth. This is when my upper teeth cover 3mm of my lower teeth (veticaly measured). I dont know if this scenario is possible to picture for anyone, but if someone can get the picture; do I have anything to be concerned about?
At this point I am afraid that I have YEARS of braces in front of me! That is just too much! I was only prepared for 6 months after surgery. Minor frustration kicking in. Perhaps this is what some of you ment with "hitting the wall" in week2, just what I thought I had immunity from.
The REASON for my frustration is that my talking functionality was bad enough before, and after the surgery it is worse. When I was I kid, other kids used to be mean to me because of my disability you can say. This caused me to develope a bad temper, and even though I was boiling inside, I managed to control myself and did not get into fights and stuff. Although when I got a bit older, the teasing decreased and I discovered something even worse, "the look". Not sure, but I think alot of people that have come through this forum are familiar with "the look". For me it was not so much because how I looked, but more because how I sounded. Anyways, just at the time when I was about to burst, I came in contact with a talented kickboxer with titles all over Europe. I started to train MMA and kickboxing with him and other very talented martial artists and they showed me disiplin and gave me alot of self-confidence. However when I turned 19, I went to Oslo to study, quit MMA, started the treatment, and that was when I discovered how mean grownups can be. By this time I had endured alot verbal pain and the next 2 years were to prove to be hell! "The look" followed by whispers really got to me at a point, and all that built up temper was uncontrollable. For 2 years now, I have been responsible for countless 911 calls. I really did not care for the size or status of the person/people insulting me (nor his friends for that mather), I just could not hold back my actions. The first couple of months I tried to go out to clubs with my friends, thoes evenings usually startet with one of thoes 911 calls, and a hometrip for me. Ok, I am not telling yall this because I am proud of this, quite on the contrary! I am discribing what has been hell for me these 2 very imortant years of my life. So that is why I am a bit frustrated, I was really hoping to put that behind me after this surgery. So I am looking forward to my "brace-dentist"-checkup to get the overview, and I REALLY hope he has got some good news for me!
Dont get me wrong here, I am not the troublemaker type. Infact most of my friends know me as a calm "nerd". And most of my friends dont know what I have been going through these last couple of years, its because of my big ego. Really, I am the kind of guy who would rather drive my car off the road to avoid hitting a cat or a dog. Then again, cats and dogs have not been insulting me for as long as I can remember.
I am sorry kate, I feel a like hijacking your thread, but I kidna got on the roll there.
Hope you frogive me!
As you mentioned kate, I also have problems with cirtain letters. For me its "S", and "C". I did not pay to much attention to it when I was very swollen, but now as the swelling has decreased to the point when I feel I should be able to talk like I did before, I am having trouble. However, I am afraid that the trouble is bigger then I first thought. The thing is I also had some asymetry issues, and when I look at my teeth now, they managed to correct it perfectly. The problem is now my bite seems to be totaly off! Imagine the left upper and lower teeth resting on eachother while the ones on the right fit pretty good. However since my left teeth rest on eachother, there is a space between my teeth in front and on the right side. So my "S" and "C" get alot of air when I try to pronounce them. Ok, I am new to this non-underbite thing, so I am no expert, but it does not seem right. Furthermore I am abit concerned that even if my upper jaw is expanded so that it will fit my the lower jaw, my front teeth will not meet as they should.
When I put my teeth "together" (only my 4th upper and lower tooth meet), my front teeth are approx. 5mm in front of my lower teeth (horizontaly measured), and this is even if there is no contact between my lower and upper teeth. This is when my upper teeth cover 3mm of my lower teeth (veticaly measured). I dont know if this scenario is possible to picture for anyone, but if someone can get the picture; do I have anything to be concerned about?
At this point I am afraid that I have YEARS of braces in front of me! That is just too much! I was only prepared for 6 months after surgery. Minor frustration kicking in. Perhaps this is what some of you ment with "hitting the wall" in week2, just what I thought I had immunity from.
The REASON for my frustration is that my talking functionality was bad enough before, and after the surgery it is worse. When I was I kid, other kids used to be mean to me because of my disability you can say. This caused me to develope a bad temper, and even though I was boiling inside, I managed to control myself and did not get into fights and stuff. Although when I got a bit older, the teasing decreased and I discovered something even worse, "the look". Not sure, but I think alot of people that have come through this forum are familiar with "the look". For me it was not so much because how I looked, but more because how I sounded. Anyways, just at the time when I was about to burst, I came in contact with a talented kickboxer with titles all over Europe. I started to train MMA and kickboxing with him and other very talented martial artists and they showed me disiplin and gave me alot of self-confidence. However when I turned 19, I went to Oslo to study, quit MMA, started the treatment, and that was when I discovered how mean grownups can be. By this time I had endured alot verbal pain and the next 2 years were to prove to be hell! "The look" followed by whispers really got to me at a point, and all that built up temper was uncontrollable. For 2 years now, I have been responsible for countless 911 calls. I really did not care for the size or status of the person/people insulting me (nor his friends for that mather), I just could not hold back my actions. The first couple of months I tried to go out to clubs with my friends, thoes evenings usually startet with one of thoes 911 calls, and a hometrip for me. Ok, I am not telling yall this because I am proud of this, quite on the contrary! I am discribing what has been hell for me these 2 very imortant years of my life. So that is why I am a bit frustrated, I was really hoping to put that behind me after this surgery. So I am looking forward to my "brace-dentist"-checkup to get the overview, and I REALLY hope he has got some good news for me!
Dont get me wrong here, I am not the troublemaker type. Infact most of my friends know me as a calm "nerd". And most of my friends dont know what I have been going through these last couple of years, its because of my big ego. Really, I am the kind of guy who would rather drive my car off the road to avoid hitting a cat or a dog. Then again, cats and dogs have not been insulting me for as long as I can remember.
I am sorry kate, I feel a like hijacking your thread, but I kidna got on the roll there.
Hope you frogive me!Yarr, you will hit many walls, I'm afraid to say, but I'm sure your bite will come along as time goes on. I just now, after 9 months or whatever after surgery, am able to bite down and things finally feel right. Just hang in there and trust your ortho/surgeon team and stop thinking about timelines or it'll drive you crazy. Easy for me to say, right? There was a point, however, when I did think my bite would never be right but suddenly a few weeks ago things finally, literally, fell into place. Good luck.
Braces on July 2005
Upper/Lower/Genio July 2006
Braces off June 2007
Upper/Lower/Genio July 2006
Braces off June 2007
Yarr, I want to second what Anabel just said. Like you, I thought that I was going to be done with my braces at six months post op. It didn't work out that way for me as there were still things to tweak with my midline, and then a gap, and man oh man, it has been frustrating. I am now 10 months post op and like Anabel, my bite feels really good right now.
In the months after the surgery your muscles literally "retrain" themselves to the new position of your jaw. This is where the elastics help a lot.
Also, with regards to talking, I felt like I was learning how to pronounce again since my jaw was now in a new position and the way I had moved it before to talk no longer applied now that is was in a new position. I just learned to take it easy and was gentle with myself.
The same applied with learning to chew again. For years and years I had unconciously compensated for my jaw position and after the surgery I had to relearn chewing and biting. For instance, I no longer have to push my jaw forward to bite a sandwich because my bite is perfectly aligned. But at first, I would try to push my jaw forward and it actually made me bite with my lower teeth ahead of my upper teeth.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, be gentle and patient with yourself and your recovery. It will be over eventually, and for the best possible result, all we can do is to just go with the flow.
In the months after the surgery your muscles literally "retrain" themselves to the new position of your jaw. This is where the elastics help a lot.
Also, with regards to talking, I felt like I was learning how to pronounce again since my jaw was now in a new position and the way I had moved it before to talk no longer applied now that is was in a new position. I just learned to take it easy and was gentle with myself.
The same applied with learning to chew again. For years and years I had unconciously compensated for my jaw position and after the surgery I had to relearn chewing and biting. For instance, I no longer have to push my jaw forward to bite a sandwich because my bite is perfectly aligned. But at first, I would try to push my jaw forward and it actually made me bite with my lower teeth ahead of my upper teeth.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, be gentle and patient with yourself and your recovery. It will be over eventually, and for the best possible result, all we can do is to just go with the flow.
Braced 5/11/05, BSSO with advancement 6/21/06, Debanded: 8/1/07. Click on www for my braces story.
frustrations
Yarr- Your frustrations are completely understandable. (you did not hijack my thread, its a thread about post-op experiences and what you have to say is equally valuable to other people- so I appreciate what youve written)
I think its too soon for both of us to panic about our new bites- we still have swelling to go down, and numbness to go away, and elastics to re-train our movement...and when that's all said and done we can fairly assess where we are at. I say that because this morning I was feeling 'asymmetrical' when i looked at my bite in the mirror....but I dont have elastics on to guide my jaw and my right muscle is WAY stronger so its probably pulling my jaw. But i'm trying to not focus on those details for now.
Let's just keep healing
I set a rule for myself from Day 1 Post-Op where I give myself 3min/day to be upset/cry/unhappy and I can be as depressed as I want in those 3 minutes but when it's up I have to stop and be positive. It worked REALLY well for me because I got a daily release of built up tensions, but I knew that it wouldnt takeover and ruin my whole day.
I think its too soon for both of us to panic about our new bites- we still have swelling to go down, and numbness to go away, and elastics to re-train our movement...and when that's all said and done we can fairly assess where we are at. I say that because this morning I was feeling 'asymmetrical' when i looked at my bite in the mirror....but I dont have elastics on to guide my jaw and my right muscle is WAY stronger so its probably pulling my jaw. But i'm trying to not focus on those details for now.
Let's just keep healing
I set a rule for myself from Day 1 Post-Op where I give myself 3min/day to be upset/cry/unhappy and I can be as depressed as I want in those 3 minutes but when it's up I have to stop and be positive. It worked REALLY well for me because I got a daily release of built up tensions, but I knew that it wouldnt takeover and ruin my whole day.
Day 13
Day 13
Just got back from my suregon's office. He had originally said that today I would be getting elastics on, but he said my bite looked really good so he will see how things are next week- and so I remain Elastic Free
I got the 'ok' to remove the 30 degree sleeping angle...how exciting!! (its the small things that matter, right)
He said that my earaches and random pops and clicks and spasms and things are normal for Day 13, nothing to worry about yet.
He also said my swelling should be better next week (im still fairly swollen). Other advice was to try and stretch my face muscles, and massage above my upper lip and cheeks. The extreme numbness is really starting to annoy me.
The liquid diet continues....
.....only 4 wks left..... 
I am ALMOST in the habit of my liquids...but on the drive home from the appt. today my brother ate a toasted bagel and I had to hold back some tears.
Lastly, my surgeon gave me a note to give to my school for missed tests and its got the official surgery name- which for some reason makes me laugh everytime I read it. Ready....
"...Dr. { } performed extensive upper and lower jaw surgery: Maxillary Le Fort I Osteotomy, Manidbular Bilateral Saggital Split Ostetomy and Genisoplasty Procedure..." Looks pretty impressive, and im alive and smiling (sort of) 13 days after...not bad!
Yarr, how are you holding up?
Just got back from my suregon's office. He had originally said that today I would be getting elastics on, but he said my bite looked really good so he will see how things are next week- and so I remain Elastic Free
I got the 'ok' to remove the 30 degree sleeping angle...how exciting!! (its the small things that matter, right)
He said that my earaches and random pops and clicks and spasms and things are normal for Day 13, nothing to worry about yet.
He also said my swelling should be better next week (im still fairly swollen). Other advice was to try and stretch my face muscles, and massage above my upper lip and cheeks. The extreme numbness is really starting to annoy me.
The liquid diet continues....
.....only 4 wks left..... I am ALMOST in the habit of my liquids...but on the drive home from the appt. today my brother ate a toasted bagel and I had to hold back some tears. Lastly, my surgeon gave me a note to give to my school for missed tests and its got the official surgery name- which for some reason makes me laugh everytime I read it. Ready....
"...Dr. { } performed extensive upper and lower jaw surgery: Maxillary Le Fort I Osteotomy, Manidbular Bilateral Saggital Split Ostetomy and Genisoplasty Procedure..."
Looks pretty impressive, and im alive and smiling (sort of) 13 days after...not bad!Yarr, how are you holding up?
Last edited by kate0310 on Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Well kate, I am doing good today. These last couple of days I have been burying myself with schoolwork and hanging with friends just to keep my mind of things.(Damn, should have seen your tip before I did all this schoolwork 
) I have good friends, they keep me happy... by making fun of me. Love them! I even went out to a cafe yesterday, with my right cheek two times bigger then the left one. It was sunny out, and after five months without seeing much of the sun here in Norway, well I had to go for it. Although there were consequences. Dont know why but my braces are really shiny, and with all that surgical hardware in my mouth in combination with the sun, it looked like I had a "gangsta grill" or something.
How about you kate, have you had much contact with friends? I think for me it has been one of the best postop medicines. Since day1 I have had friends visit me or me go over to their house, and it really helped. Not that I need much cheering up nowadays, but they make me feel a bit more human again.
1 Month, 4 weeks left with a no-chew policy and eating liquids. To much for me! So every other meal for me is a swallow-meal. I have advanced from pasta to vegitables and small peaces of meat with sauce. MmmMmm. Its not wierd that its hard for me to feel like a human again when I am becoming more like an animal.
Anyways, Im glad your recovery is going good kate! Keep it up!
) I have good friends, they keep me happy... by making fun of me. Love them! I even went out to a cafe yesterday, with my right cheek two times bigger then the left one. It was sunny out, and after five months without seeing much of the sun here in Norway, well I had to go for it. Although there were consequences. Dont know why but my braces are really shiny, and with all that surgical hardware in my mouth in combination with the sun, it looked like I had a "gangsta grill" or something. How about you kate, have you had much contact with friends? I think for me it has been one of the best postop medicines. Since day1 I have had friends visit me or me go over to their house, and it really helped. Not that I need much cheering up nowadays, but they make me feel a bit more human again.
1 Month, 4 weeks left with a no-chew policy and eating liquids. To much for me! So every other meal for me is a swallow-meal. I have advanced from pasta to vegitables and small peaces of meat with sauce. MmmMmm. Its not wierd that its hard for me to feel like a human again when I am becoming more like an animal.
Anyways, Im glad your recovery is going good kate! Keep it up!