June/July 2015 Surgery Buddies

[jaime]

Liz, I purposely put on some weight before surgery because I'm on the thin side too, and knew I'd lose weight. I put on somewhere between 5-7lbs and I've lost 10.

Kayla, I don't remember when I could drink from a cup. Maybe day 5? Initially I would sort of just dump the liquid into my mouth but now I can drink like a normal person and use my lips.

Since I was cleared to start drinking with a straw, I made a nice big vanilla iced coffee yesterday. It was actually really difficult to use a straw, especially with all the elastics. I had to put the straw in the less-numb corner of my mouth and try and close my lips around it. Easier said than done.

Also dude...these elastics. They are so uncomfortable! I feel like I'm going to grind my teeth down to nothing because of how tightly they hold my mouth closed. They're hurting my palate and my teeth and everything else. Argh. My surgeon said I can take some of them out during the day but I'm stubborn and want my braces off as quickly as possible, especially since my ortho says I have to wait a minimum of 6 months.

Snap, yay for mashed potatoes! I ate blenderized potatoes today and it tastes so good. I definitely recommend putting them in the blender so you get all the lumps and bumps out.

[kelse]

I have bought a kind of frame for sleeping upright post-op so I'm glad to hear that you feel sleeping upright has helped your swelling go down. Fingers crossed it works for me too.

[Nozzelnut]

I mix mine with almond milk. I like the "Less Sweet" kind. It has a lot less of the thick saliva feeling than regular milk does.

I mixed carnation or ensure with almond milk and a scoop of protein powder together for the first week after surgery. I had one squeeze bottle for meals and one for water and juice.

For me, the elastics aren't too tight and I can open just about my max with them on. They are more reminders of where to keep my jaw than anything else.

[Liz192]

I'll definitely try the almond milk. I think my tummy might hate me if I drink too much regular milk. I'm glad your elastics aren't too bad.

Jamie- I wish I had more time to pack on some weight. I thought I had another month and a half but my doctor surprised me. Haha

[Nozzelnut]

If you can put on a couple pounds between now and surgery do it. Think of it as a license to eat whatever and however much of anything you want. It will slow the weight loss the first couple days.

[snapdresser]

Nozzelnut - In time you will learn to love the elastics. Just kidding lol. But they're only for a short time, so whatever. You guys are lucky you can blow your noses! My surgeon still won't let me... No straws for me either. My surgeon seems to be real cautious and it sucks

Liz192 - I think we all had some weight loss. Day 1 you're lucky to get some water in you. Day 2 you might have a few cups of Gatorade. You'll probly lose a couple pounds from those days alone I am pretty loaded up with elastics. The most people seem to have is 4, but I have 9. Yes, nine. It feels like I'm clenching right after me or the doc replaces one, but generally it just feels like the resting position is fully closed with my teeth together. It doesn't strain the muscles or anything. It could be a good idea to bring up the migraines with your surgeon.

KaylaChristine - I always like hearing from you cuz your case is a bit different from the rest of us I was able to drink from a cup on Day 1. It was hard and I dribbled some, but pinching my lips together with my fingers was key. I was able to drink without pinching my lips together with my fingers on about Day 5. Btw, I discussed IVRO with my surgeon today out of curiosity and she said it's good because there's pretty much no chance of permanent nerve damage. I wouldn't have been a candidate because it's only for mandibular setback, not advancement. She said the reason people often do setbacks with BSSO is because of the 6-week wiring closed requirement for IVRO. Doing the BSSO (and therefore being able to give patients elastics instead) allows easier eating and breathing in case of nasal congestion during recovery, which I think we all can agree is an issue. Good on you for toughing it out

Jaime - The elastics will get easier. They get weaker over time so they won't hurt as much. Tho in all honesty, they're the reason I still take Motrin twice a day... Thanks for the advice about the blender! No mashed potatoes today tho, cuz I didn't have any

Kelse - Woah, a frame? Sounds intense! Yeah, sleeping upright makes a big difference. I've been bad about it the last two nights and I can tell in the morning. My face feels like crap and looks especially puffy

[jaime]

Snap, I've been instructed to change the elastics every few days so they don't loosen up.

Karma, I guess!

Woo hoo, we are both over the 3 week hump now. I CANNOT BELIEVE how fast the time is flying by! That first week felt like a lifetime.

[gruntled]

I agree, week 1 felt like a million years! Week 2 has gone very fast for me, I've started to get some shooting pain in my teeth. Taking it as a good sign that things are healing up!


Had my two-week check up today. Spent 20 minutes looking for parking and then another 45 minutes waiting to be seen, only to be told within 30 seconds of sitting down that everything was perfect and I could go. I'm not sure if I'm glad that it was so painless or annoyed that it was such a waste of time!


Starting to desperately crave solid food...wondering how long until I can have it again! I think I may brave some soft pasta tonight. How is everyone else doing?

[snapdresser]

Jaime - Ah crap... That's no fun. Any indication how long you'll have them all on for? I'll have been locked down a total of 3 weeks when my surgeon starts backing them off WOOOO 3 WEEKS POST-OP!!! The swelling is going away at a snail's pace for me these days, tho. Same for you? You doing a vlog post today? You gonna fit in an "aboot"?

Gruntled - I had an appointment just like that. Hour+ commute just to be told everything's perfect lol. Oh well, at least everything's perfect!

[jaime]

Ughhh gruntled, that would be so frustrating. You're in NYC as well, right? I do not envy you guys for having to deal with that kind of traffic. I have to travel about 70 minutes to see my surgeon and those appointments have been very quick as well. I wish there was a surgeon in my town who did this surgery.

Sorry to hear you're craving solid food. I thought that would bother me too, but it's been surprisingly okay.

Snap, I have no idea how long I'll have to wear the elastics for. No mention of that. I imagine I will have at least some elastics until around the time I get my braces off, but no idea when they'll take the surgical hooks off. I'm okay today with it. One was really pinching me but it's been okay the last 2 days or so.

My latest video is uploading as I type this. I added a thing in for ya at the end...you can see me turn red when I realize how dorky I sound, hahahaha.

I also said "lip incontinence" instead of "incompetence." Sigh.

Swelling went down a lot these past few days. I look ALMOST normal. Have you been doing any heat compresses? Or anything to help swelling?

[Nozzelnut]

Jaime- I've been doing some facial massage a few times a day to keep the swelling fluid and kinda moving. Bromelain, pineapple juice, tart cherry juice are all supposed to help.



So; I'm in a bit of a rut. Anyone else feel a little regret for getting things done? I guess I'm not completely happy with my results. I've still got a bit of a gap between upper and lower teeth where I had a gap before surgery. My tongue feels a bit too tight and it's a little difficult to lick my lips. I'm trying to stay positive about everything and I know I'm still healing....

I do like that I'm able to breathe through my nose though. First time in my adult life as far as I can remember...

[jaime]

No regrets so far. I'm sorry to hear that you do. Is it comforting to know that you're nowhere near finished? I wouldn't worry too much about the gap you're talking about. There is still likely much to be done to get you to your final product.

[snapdresser]

Jaime - Hahahaha awesome vlog post Thanks for the shout-out! I don't even know what that last word you said was lol. Something Canadian. Pooteen? Lol Happy Canada Day!!! I feel ya about the BBQ. I smelled it at Whole Foods yesterday and it was the worst You know, I actually just got permission on Wednesday to try my waterpik too. I didn't think it was a "weird" feeling per se, but when it got close to my sutures, it didn't feel good, even on the lowest setting. BUT my teeth feel cleaner than ever (on the outside. Still no luck cleaning the inside) and it works 1000x better than just swishing with water after meals. My face has also been getting some pimples. I rarely get them normally, but I wiped off the oils cuz it was looking gross earlier this week and suddenly bam, I had like 5 little pimples. Oh well... It's kind of a fight to keep my face from not looking greasy. Not sure why my oil production is suddenly so high! My nostrils were swollen too after the surgery and then one day they were suddenly back to normal. Pretty weird, but I was concerned about that a little too. Your swelling looks great! Big improvement over last week! You def look like a normal person now. I'm sure it's just a question of time until your lip incompetence comes together too, as the swelling comes down. I still haven't used any hot compresses... I really should Only Motrin and sleeping on the wedges to help with swelling, and I've been bad about coming off the wedges in the morning too my face feels like crap on those mornings that I'm bad about it. Like this morning

Nozzelnut - There are some things that I don't like about my appearance and other things post-op, but then I remember what I looked like pre-op and I kinda snap out of it lol. I expect pretty much all of the things I dislike to go away over time with the swelling tho. I have 9 elastics, so licking my lips has been out of the question since the surgery. That made eating mashed potatoes somewhat of a messy endeavor My mouth feels tight around my tongue, but when I put my teeth together pre-op it felt tight too. Not sure if that's what you meant about your tongue feeling tight. Congrats on breathing through your nose!!! I'm sure you'll be feeling better about the results as the swelling goes down for you too.

[jaime]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one with skin issues. Glad you liked my shoutout and omg, you don't know poutine?! Give your head a shake, man.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine

It is becoming more popular in the USA now, for good reason. I would bet any money there's probably at least a dozen places serving it in NYC. Oh look, I'm right!!

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaura ... hes-in-nyc

What difference do you notice when you sleep off the wedge? This morning my back was bothering me so I slept normally for about 2.5 hours. There is now a patch on my cheek with reduced sensation that had previously been normal. It also feels a little more swollen. My face in general feels strange today, and I don't know if it's related to being horizontal for 2.5 hours or not. I'm going to my husband's tonight and was just going to sleep normal. Now I'm not so sure.

[snapdresser]

It has cheese curds on it??!! Ughhhh suddenly I'm nauseous... Hahaha I appreciate you looking up places to go that have it. Actually, the first place they mention, Dinosaur BBQ is just a few miles from me. Maybe next time if I'm feeling REALLY adventurous...

When I sleep flat my cheeks feel really swollen in the morning, like you said. It's kinda painful but has a full, kinda stiff feeling to it, like it's harder to move. I haven't noticed reduced sensation, but maybe that too? Unfortunately, it's really hard to tell if it's because I was sleeping flat or because I hadn't taken my Motrin since the night before. I'd say give it a go for one night! My face always seems back to "normal" by the afternoon regardless of how I sleep, so it's probly no big deal.