BSSO on the 22nd of FEb **DONE!!! DEBRACED!!!**

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#31 Post by **tazzle** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:14 pm

lol still a bit swollen but not nearly as much

and apart form having to do gymnastics to try and compare with the before pic

.... looks liks the general appearance part is returning to normal

....... but its the teeth thats the main thing so ... carry on the good work !

#32 Post by **OverJetSet** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:35 pm

how are you doing? are you back at work? how is the energy level? sleeping? chewing?

donna

#33 Post by **JayC** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:04 pm

i could have been back to work yesterday as my energy levels have increased dramatically.. i waited till the following monday so my bruising will have almost completely subsided and any noticeable swelling gone. chewing and eating is getting there. i am eating things like psta ground beef etc. the only thing is chewing with the new bite is a bit awkward .hth

#34 Post by **JayC** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:39 pm

scary stuff the past week..

i got my chin knocked and it actually loosened the screw to the point where i co wiggle my chin!! i was sooo scared sesame... i had a post op appt 2 days later.. and the ppl at the office told me to just see them then and not to worry as it wasn't a serious issue. went into the appt. and the surgeon said it indeed was loose (no kidding!) but that it will heal fine... i tried not to touch the chin for a few days and everyday it got more and more secure from healing. now its stirdy to the point where im not able to manually wiggle it.. mid you i am NOT putting any force on it at all cuz of the obvious. I got x rays and went back today a bit over a week after the incident, and he said things are looking good. he was worried about the aestethics of the chin being messed up as it was hit to the point where it was moving but today with all the sweling mostly down it seems it didnt set back my chin (Whew).. it would have been a good waste of 2200 for the extra genioplasty i had paid for.

on the note of the jaw it is going really well but i was super confused earlier. i had an appt with the ortho and he said "why are your elastics the way they are" and he actually gave me dif elastics and made me put it on a diff way which reversed what my dr. had them being. the way the ortho had me put it on actually promoted my lower jaw to go forward again?? so he told me to wear it until the next appt which was amonth away.

So, right after that i went to my appt with my surgeon and he looked at the elastics and asked "did your ortho get you to wear these like that"? and he was baffled as it contradicted what he did in the surgery. he assumed the orhto was making the lower jaw go a bit forward again to finish off and complete the bite.

I was really confused and the last thing i wanted to do was train my muslces to pull my jaw forward again... so i took off the elastics completely and i emailed my ortho asking why he had me doing what he did. i wont put the elastics back on until i get an answer. if anything i just mite put the elastics on the way the surgeon had it. :S

#35 Post by **JayC** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:35 pm

yea the chin incident really through me into a loop.. i was healing really well and that happens... because of that im taking off even considering playing hockey until probaly early may or until my next appt with the surgeon in six weeks and hopefully xrays will be on my side and i can ask him when i can play again or if the bones are healed. from the xray today he said "doing really well there kid" lol. and i looked at the xrays too and there seems to be a lot of white filling in where there was black only abotu a week ago... white=calcification so its going good. my diet has been very high in calcium amongst other bone healing attributors.

heres a pics abotu 3 weks post op as promised.

oh yea, the ortho replied saying something alnog the lines of "please trust us as you will get the best results if you do so. i have 14 yars of university studies and over 11 years of clinical experience. if you follow what we recommend, it is in your best interest. please wear the elastics as was shown to you today" with that said, anything bad happens i can offically complain him out lol.

swelling is down quite a bit. and it gets better everyday as more of my face's definition improves... i finally ave my cheekbones again and my jawline is forming once again

#36 Post by **jawbreaker** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 2:47 pm

I'm also located here in Vancouver and had my BSSO setback about a month ago. Everything went fine, I didn't get any numbness or tingling sensation around the lower lip/chin area following surgery. I also had to pay everything out of my own pocket. I have less money in the bank but it's all worth it in the end with a perfect bite.

#37 Post by **JayC** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:04 pm

good to hear jawbreaker... who is your ortho and where did you get your surgery done if you dont mind me asking...

#38 Post by **cyn** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:27 pm

hi! this is my first post here- i've recently been doing some research on braces and surgery, and came across your posts - congrats on your successful surgery and speedy recovery!! I'm 27 and also from vancouver, and i ALSO play ice hockey hahah (yes, i'm a girl).. , and i was wondering how long i'd have to take off of hockey - even rec hockey... but your story has made me realize that it's not worth messing around with Murphy's Law -
I'm just at the start of my journey though, and will be fitted with Invisalign in a couple of months before my surgery (probably a BSSO - to be confirmed by my OS). Just wanted to say THANK YOU for detailing your story and experiences - it's GREAT to read about other ppl's experiences, and being able to relate to it is a HUGE comfort.
p.s. - can I ask who your OS was?? .. I will be going to Dr. W - he's also going to take out my wisdom this wed, so i'll guess i'll see how he is!

#39 Post by **JayC** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:17 pm

I guess Dr. Wittenberg is the choice of facial surgeons in Vancouver! He was mine and jawbrekers surgeon as well. Who is going to be your ortho?

Well I willbe taking about 2 months off hockey to be on the safe side. I am only starting to work out again this week which makes it a bit over 3 weeks I took off from the gym. The suture on my left side actually tore and that side of the wound got infected... Caused that side of the cheek to feel extra tight. It got a tad swollen but nothing really too noticeable but I got a prescription of antibiotics just yesterday and it seems to be helping. I am crossing my fingers that this infection will go away and won't cause any further problems. I usually don't get infections that easily and I've really only been on antibiotics about 4 times in my whole life.

Congrats on your orthodontic journey!! PS> Dr. W is a great guy

#40 Post by **cyn** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:55 pm

Thank you for your reply!! This board is such a great resource

I wish I had found it earlier!! I really hope that your infection goes away soon, and that the antibiotics do their job- ripped sutures do NOT sound fun at all

It's a HUGH relief to hear the Dr. W is great - I've seen other posts stating the same.. so i guess that's one less thing to worry about! My ortho is Dr. Smith- primarily because i chose the invisalign route- but I'm pretty sure I will need to go into fixed braces prior to surgery - but that is still such a long way down the road for me- that's why I think it is SO great to read about your journey and your recovery-it reassures me that I've made the right decision (finally!! after soo many years hahaha)
I think you made a wise decision by staying away from hockey for now-maybe watching the Canuckleheads or I AM A SPAMMER!!!!! '08 will be enough??

#41 Post by **JayC** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:02 pm

for me, becuase my job entails me to be on my feet all the time (which i love) i hated being in bed all day.. if not the low energy from recovery but the swollen face prevented me to get out fo the house haha. I AM A SPAMMER!!!!! 08 was good to me.. i played online everyday for about 4 hours. mtv canada and tlc became my new best friends lol. but ya, i was going to go the invisalign ruote but it was a good 2 gs more. and i would have to go to fixed prior to surgery and also to finish off as well.

so i opted for clear ceramic brackets top and bottom. i wonder how much time is left in my treatment. it was supposed to be a2 yar treatment which surgery 1.5 years in. but i wasnt ready for surgery until now which is abotu 2 years. it would be be amzing if i got these off by summer but i have a feeling fall is probably the most reasonable time.. but hey you never know!

#42 Post by **JayC** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:17 pm

the more i read up on plate/screw infections the more and more i am worried now.. i think i will need to have my screws/plates removed. simply because what was aninfection to my suture wound, probably spread to the inside of my mouth and since the screws are there, it is somewhere for the infection to hide since there is no blood supply there.. sigh.

well i emailed my surgeon letting him know i am currently on antibiotics but so far thre hasnt been any more improvement since a few hours ago. it hasnt gotten any worse, but it hasnt gotten better. i guess i will really know if it's doing the job in about a day or so. oh well, what can you do. if anything i just hope i dont need to stay at the hospital to get the screws out. actually it wont make too much of a difference. i just want this nightmare to end. and i wonder if il have to pay more to get them out of is healthcare(in canada) will pay for it since its s necessity to have it removed if it is indeed infected.

#43 Post by **loulou123** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:56 am

hey jayC

Sorry to hear your suffering too, in this case tho, i really do know how you feel

for what its worth tho (and im by no means a profesional) i dont think an infection in a suture site would spread that easily to the plates and screws, as one would be a local infection in the skin tissue and one an infection deeper inside. (as i said tho this is just my guess.)

I know in my surgeons case that taking the plate out was an absolute last case sceniro, after the antibiotics failed to do anything. But you must give the antibiotics time to work (at least 3 days) and i dont think your notice a difference hour by hour.

By the way no ones mentioned taking both plates out of me, only the infected one, so you may not need them both out. Cant help with the payment thing as im in the UK-sorry.

If you have any questions please ask me

im crossing my fingers for you.

#44 Post by **JayC** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:26 am

Yea I realize they won't take both plates out.. just the infected side. BUt I really do think it is the plate since its most sensitive around the jaw bone area.. and when i press on that cheek i hear a clikcing sound as if a screw or plate got loose. I was massaging the swollen area of my cheek and letting the puss kind of ooze out and spitting it out to relieve the pressure and reduce the swelling. It's weird, one hour the swelling is next to nothing, then Again it goes up. it seems like the antibiotics are trying to work but because it cannot reach the one on the plate it's like a cycle.. oh well ill make an appt to see my surgeon asap

#45 Post by **loulou123** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 7:05 am

Thats exactly what my swelling does, goes up and down. I think also the swelling kind of moves around abit inside. Hope your surgeon can see you soon and sort it out for you. Mine did mention one option is intravenous antibiotics (as they can give you different combinations and strengths this way) or putting a drain in to clear the infection that way, so even if it is infected you might not be definately looking at removal.

The reason im going straight to the removal stage is because i had a serious problem with infection in my jaw bone already once, and just want it sorted asap.

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BSSO on the 22nd of FEb DONE!!! DEBRACED!!!