March 2012 buddies!

[PrincessLea]

apparently people with open bites have a higher chance of relapse after surgery rather than underbites, overbites etc! I'm just the unlucky one with an open bite I guess! Its something to do with the muscle as they are now having to retrain the muscle for my bottom jaw and it could just go back where it wants to I guess! I don't think they will do the lower jaw but I think they should have!! grr! Yeah that's the same as me then they are training it to sit further forward so hopefully it should stay there!

not really I'm been a big boo hooer and a moper and I've decided I need to snap out of it. Its driving me insane!!! Going to try and go for a SHORT walk tomorrow to get out and about. Also going to my friends on tues and anothers on thursday next week! That will be good to get out of my house. How are you doing?

You should start to level out now really with weight loss. How are you now? I've lost 7lbs now in 9 days. Not sure if I will lose anymore. I don't think I'm even managing to get 1000 calories though. I'm getting less now I can eat real food. Go figure!!! I was at the low end of healthy I was told. But I'm not too bothered about the weight loss as at least I can have lots of leeway when I can eat again for real... NOM nom nom!! ha. I'm craving pepperoni pizza so bad

[keeponsmiling]

We do sound very similar. Once they explained to me about the bands I suddenly realised that the pain I've felt across the roof of my mouth and jaw on my lefthand side are spasms from my jaw trying to shift round to the right again. If I concentrate I can actually feel the muscles being pulled. Keeping everything crossed that the splint and bands work, though to be honest I never really realised I had a cant in my jaw until the surgeon pointed it out - my priority was for the surgery to fix my open bite. No one has mentioned relapse rates, so although I'm aware it's the hardest condition to fix, I don't know what the longterm stability is. Any ideas anyone?

On the plus side my weightloss seems to have levelled out at 7lbs thankfully, although I'm still banded shut so having three Complan milkshakes a day. I don't enjoy them in the slightest, so I can fully imagine that once I can eat soft food I'll ditch them and probably then get fewer calories, but I'm beyond caring to be honest - it's only for a short while and then I'll be able to eat normally for the first time in about 15 years!

Sorry to hear you've felt less up-beat than your messages implied. It's a good sign though if you've started to get on your own nerves - that's a major step towards recovery. I think after anything major happens you need a period of wallowing before you can gather the strength to put your life back together, and you're obviously getting ready to do that. Personally I thought I was fine last week and feeling confident that I was strong enough mentally and physically to get back to normal, then within a day of the kids coming home I just crumpled as I realised how far from 'normal' I really am. So now I've abandoned my family and moved into my mum's for a few days. It feels a bit like a failure, but I think it's best in the long run. Just trying not to think about what will happen if I'm left tightbanded next week. One of my bands fell off on Friday and although the MaxFac doctor I saw at A&E said not to worry because I'm still biting into the splint, it's making me a little worried... Go for that walk - you'll feel a lot better for it!

[Anna30]

I am getting my exposure surgery for my impacted canine TOMORROW! 0.0 I hope it all goes well.....

[PrincessLea]

Not a clue on the long term stability. I would be so sad if it went back to the way it was... what a waste! Just got to try and stay positive though!!

I levelled out at 8.5 lbs in the end and over the past couple of days half a lb has gone back on. Not really changed my diet though I think my body is just getting used to it now. So craving yummy foods.... I want pizza sooooooooo bad haha.

Thanks hun! I've been on a couple of walks and they definitely do help me feel much better. Today I went for one, the sun was shining and I had my ipod with me. Think I'll do the same again tomorrow Sorry to hear you've been struggling. I'm not surprised though, I can barely be bothered to look after myself let alone children. It must be difficult though. But if you stay away and get some rest, build some strength you'll be better for them when you do go home. If you stay there and are not able to get the strength built up you need the recovery will be much longer!!

Anna hope your surgery went well!!

[keeponsmiling]

Anna - I've not heard of that type of surgery. Hope it wasn't too painful and you're recovering well.

PrincessLea - how are feeling? Do you go back to work soon? I'm assuming your boyfriend has gone back and you're fending for yourself now. Hope that's going ok.

I saw the surgeon this morning and he removed all the bands! I was a bit surprised as I only expected the front ones to come off. It's a very weird feeling, and for a while I almost felt like running back in there and asking for them back - I just didn't feel like I could trust myself not to dislocate my jaw or something! Eating remains a nightmare though. I think 'soft food' is still a bit ambitious - I'd say 'slightly thicker puree' is a better description. I can get the spoon into my mouth but because of the splint I can't then get the food off it. If I put my top lip over the spoon then the food just seems to end up stuck to the bottom of the splint, so I've resorted to pulling my tongue back and pouring food off the spoon to the space under my tongue and then using my tongue to scoop it up to swallow. Is that insane? Is there an easier way? Still, it's brilliant not to have to fuss about with the blender and syringe any more. And SOOOOOOO nice to have a bit more room for cleaning. And I can just about manage a cup so I can enjoy a cup of tea that doesn't taste of plastic syringe - wayhey!!!

[keeponsmiling]

You're very quiet Princess Lea - hope that's just because you're out enjoying the sunshine.

Just got back from a check up. All going well, but I still have another fortnight of the splint to endure. Can't wait for the 11th!!! At least I can open my mouth a little wider now and eat almost properly from a spoon. How's your recovery going? Are you still concerned about your lower jaw or do you think your bite is coming together?

[PrincessLea]

Sorry Keeponsmiling!! My bf has been working from home quite a bit and so he uses the laptop and I just want to relax in the evenings! Glad your recovery is going well! annoying about the splint though. At least this is now the last stretch!!!!

My recovery isn't going too bad thanks. I went to the doctors and they signed me off again. When are you off work until? I am still concerned a lot about my lower jaw. I have an appt with my ortho on monday and I am going to ask to see my surgeon. My profile hasn't greatly improved and its like i have an overbite now!

[keeponsmiling]

Just wondered how you got on on Monday and whether the ortho or surgeon had anything to say to alleviate your concerns? Do you still have any swelling that could be affecting your profile? My swelling is almost gone apart from a very swollen and tender patch to one side of my nose and when I reach to put wax on the back of my brace, or rub my face when I'm washing, its like I can feel something snagging under the skin. I'm hoping it's just some residual bruising because at the moment it's making my nose wonky... I think most people reckon on six months before you should make any aesthetic judgements, and perhaps your profile will change again once the braces are off? It's certainly a long process isn't it. On the plus side, I think I'm getting more feeling back in my chin, so it's just half my bottom lip that's still totally numb. Did you get much numbness from upper only? Hope you're able to manage some Easter chocolate - I'll be saving mine for Wednesday when joy of joys the splint comes off!

[keeponsmiling]

So hooray hooray hooray the splint is OFF!!!! I did discover that I haven't got a clue how to eat or chew any more, but I'm sure it'll come back with a bit of practise! At least I can talk properly now and my lip incompetence has gone. And not only did I get the all-clear to fly, the ortho thinks it'll be less than six months before the braces are off!! I'm getting the hooks off on the 27th, which will be brilliant because since my jaw was moved up 5mm the top hooks and cleats are really digging in my cheeks.

Sorry to hear you've still got concerns, but at least your ortho got you another appt with the surgeon quite quickly. Hopefully they will come up with a straightforward solution for your lower jaw/profile. Do you still have any numbness? Now I can reach the whole of my mouth I've discovered the roof of my mouth is numb behind my front teeth (along with my chin and half my lower lip). As for work, I'm lucky enough to work freelance from home so it's not been an issue. Glad to hear your doctor has been generous with your leave - I imagine that going back to work when you're not fully recovered or eating properly would be really draining - and now you have extra time to plan your holiday! Good luck at your next appt, and try not to worry too much in the meantime - just concentrate on recovering from the surgery before you think about the road ahead.

[PrincessLea]

YES!!! I am soooooo happy for you! I bet that is such a massive relief YAY! Have you been told you can start to chew now?

I have been told 6 months also for the braces to be off... this means in 4 1/2 months we should have naked teeth YES! I saw my surgeon today and she gave me the go ahead to try chewing. I find it very weird. The first thing I went to do was go and buy an M & S egg mayo butty (weird I know but I have been craving one for ages) It was difficult. I couldn't get the sandwich in my mouth or bite it off with front teeth as felt tender. i ripped it apart and tried to chew with back teeth. I do admit it hurt a little and felt unnatural but I suppose you just have to be careful and keep trying! I asked also about exercising and I have been given the go ahead for that.

She mentioned my chin and said what do you think? and I just outright told her maybe it will change with swelling but at the moment I am not happy with it. I said I still don't like my profile, think my chin is too far back in relation to my nose/top lip, find it difficult to close my lip and get strain. I also think my nose seems too big for my face. She agreed and said she wanted to do a genio. I am not joking I could have leapt up and given her the biggest hug ever!! She said they will do it after braces removal probably september time so things have settled. So my bite will be fab, no braces, teeth whitened and a fab new profile!!!! SO HAPPY!!!

One thing that was a bit concerning but I will just learn to deal with it - I asked about my wonky lips/face and said is it just swelling. unfortunately she said she thinks a big part of it is just that my face isn't all that symmetrical. She said there may be some residual swelling that could make a difference when its gone but ultimately she thinks its here to stay. She did say when doing the genio she could possible tilt the chin ever so slightly and it will bring more balance!

All of my top gums are numb and the back of my palate, part of my nose and little bits on my face which is hardly noticeable now. hoping the gum feeling comes back purely because I keep cutting myself when flossing as I can't feel anything.

that's really good about your job. i bet that's been a big weight off everything!!!

[keeponsmiling]

Way hey!!! Sounds like a lot of good news all round! A genio will be SO easy to deal with after jaw surgery - and will still mean that your bottom jaw has remained intact throughout - that's amazing news. I wasn't going to have genio originally, but when I changed to a different hospital the new surgeon highly recommended it and I am so pleased that he did. In his words, jaw surgery would give a good result, but why settle for that when adding a genio is so simple and will give a great result? Aesthetically it's made as much improvement as fixing my jaws. It's so weird to have my mouth close naturally for the first time in memory. Not waking up with a dry mouth from having it gape open all night is incredible.

Chewing, however, is proving more tricky. I just can't seem to remember how to do it. I had some bread and it literally sat on my tongue and even though I was convinced I was chewing it just stayed put. It was like I had to push it between my teeth and really concentrate. Today was a little easier, but I keep forgetting that I can't open my mouth wide enough to fit a normal forkful in and end up with food all over my lips and chin, which I can't feel. My kids are getting very quick to tell me I have food all over me - talk about role reversal - they'll be getting me a bib next!

My swelling is uneven too. The right side of my nose is significantly more swollen than the left and I can feel a tugging sensation round my nostril when I wash my face. The surgeon says I need to give it 2-3 months for swelling to settle, and if the plate is still uncomfortable at that point then I may have to have it removed. I'm trying not to get paranoids thoughts about whether there's any infection in there... And it's weird to think I won't see the surgeon again until my braces are off - it's good that he clearly thinks everything's fine, but a bit scary too not to have any more reassurances! It seems as though six weeks is a massive turning point doesn't it.

[PrincessLea]

Hey keeponsmiling! Just thought I would see how you are doing?

How is the swelling? how is the chewing?? How are the energy levels?

SOOOO many questions!!


Ps. sorry for being rubbish at replying!

[keeponsmiling]

Yay!!! The hooks are off! Never thought I would appreciate how nice it feels just to have a 'normal' brace! I got transferred to a different ortho though who seems to have a different approach and that's thrown me a little. She put in a smaller wire, which the old ortho wasn't going to do yet, and has decided against elastics at this stage. I think her theory is that the more flexible wire will give the teeth a chance to settle by themselves - I'm not convinced and I hope it doesn't just give them the freedom to go crooked. So there's a little more fine-tuning and they estimate braces until Sept - contradicting the 'less than six months' they told me a couple of weeks ago, unless they meant six months from then, not Feb. Who knows...

Chewing is still tricky for me. Can you manage much yet? It took me half an hour to get through a small pizza last night, and even softer food seems to take forever. And I still can't open my mouth wide enough for a sandwich unless I squash the bread first. But still, after six weeks of liquids I'm not complaining!

Swelling is pretty much gone. I think my top lip is still a little swollen and that nagging area to the side of my nose. Can you feel the screws? I can definitely feel a lump under the skin right next to my nostrils. Is that normal? Sometimes it feels as though the skin is kind of snagging on them, like when I wrinkle my nose. The surgeon says to give it 2-3 months to settle so I'm trying not to worry about any potential need to remove them...

Oh, and the whole of my bottom lip is tingling now so it looks as though some proper feeling will come back there soon. How are your gums now? I was quite glad when the hygienist was poking around this week that I still can't feel some of mine!

Hope you have a good holiday too - just thinking of all that delicious Italian ice cream....!

[PrincessLea]

Yay that's great. My pesky hooks are still on for now even though most of them aren't getting used! How come you got transferred to a different one? Don't think I would like that so far into treatment especially when you throw surgery into the mix! Keep me updated!

Chewing is really difficult. I feel like it is never going to feel normal, EVER! Which I know is probably very dramatic ha! I managed king prawns the other night which I was super happy with. Some cereals (Special K take me ages and hurt after) but I am managing pizza - slowly and I had a chicken roast with roasties last night. Not sure if I am pushing myself too much? I have read on another forum of people who were told to chew at 6 weeks but didn't like it/didn't feel ready so didn't start properly chewing until week 12!!!!!!!!!! jeeeeeez! I can't be bothered with that hah! Yeah I can't fit a sarnie in! How wide can you open now? I am still at 2 fingers!

I can feel areas where when I touch them I get a LOT of pain. I am guessing they are my plates/screws sites? Next to my nostrils is one of them and if I press on them too much my face goes temporarily numb again? weird! Fab that you're getting some proper feeling back in your lip yay!! I can't feel ANYTHING on my gums and still part of my palette! Not sure if it will come back? Part of my nose is numb and tiny random sections of my face too!

Thanks!!! I can't wait so so so excited! When is it you go away? This week??

[keeponsmiling]

How was your trip? Hope you had a lovely time - certainly very much deserved! Our trip was great, despite the insurance company refusing to cover me and having to find new cover literally hours before leaving... It was so nice to be busy and not thinking about my face! Everything seems to have settled with just residual numbness in my lower lip and chin that's still improving slowly. I'm more aware of scarring now though. I think it's just because I've got more movement in my mouth and so I can feel with my tongue now where the incisions were. It's as though the join between my gums and the skin inside my cheeks isn't smooth anymore - it feels like the skin is all wrinkled and puckered. It doesn't bother me but it's a bit weird and I hope it smooths out again eventually.

I'm very jealous you can fit two fingers in your mouth! I can only do that if one of them's my little finger!! I least I can get a normal-sized forkful of food in now though. I just forget sometimes that I don't have full motion so I'll push a cherry tomato or grape past my teeth, then realised I can't fit it between my back teeth to chew it! Weird about the numbness on your nose - I thought upper surgery didn't have any risk of permanent numbness though?

That's annoying to still have hooks on. Do you know when they're coming off? I don't see the ortho now til 22 June, which seems ages away. Everyone thinks I'm being paranoid about not fully trusting her and tells me that there's probably just more than one way to achieve the same outcome and I should let her treat me the way she thinks best, which is probably true, but I'm still anxious. She training to do the job that my previous ortho already does, and is supposedly working under her supervision, but from what I can make out she's doing her own thing. I said at the last appt that I was supposed to be having elastics and then a thinner wire in June but she decided elastics weren't necessary and put the thinner wire in there and then. Then the original ortho came over and said something like 'so that's the same wire then?', in a voice that suggested she was just doublechecking, and looked surprised when the new ortho said no it wasn't. The new ortho explained her theory about the thin wire giving the teeth the flexibility to settle by themselves and the old ortho nodded as though she was considering it, but obviously she couldn't say in front of me what her honest opinion was, especially after it had already been put in. It's a bit disconcerting to get differing opinions at this stage, especially when you know they've transferred you to a trainee, but I feel too embarrassed to insist on going back to the old ortho, and now the new one's started doing things her way perhaps I should just stick with her. I don't know. I'm trying not to think about it until the next appt...