August/September surgery buddies

[ijeko]

September 1st upper jaw surgery here (lefort 1 two piece expansion) Hope everyone is recovering ok and not hating their lives too badly.

I still look like a chipmunk but the residual swelling that made my lower jaw balloon out near my lips seems to be gone at least. Skin next to my nose and upper lip is the worst which I'm sure is to be expected. The splint is definitely the worst part of it for me, if sounding like I'm drunk all the time wasn't enough, today I realized attempting to eat some scrambled eggs for the first time backfired as pieces of it are now irrevocably wedged into the backside of the splint. My surgeon said some stuff will inevitably get caught there, but leaving food in the splint for another month sounds no bueno to me.

[slewsmissy]

As of today it's a week since I had both jaws done and I still feel horrible. I have absolutely no energy and my lips are still so swollen that I can't close them. I've been trying to eat a little here and there but I know I haven't been doing a very good job at it because I've lost 10 pounds in a week. Luckily they left the splint out so I don't have that to deal with. I just feel really down in the dumps and spend most of my time fighting back tears. And to top it off I'm still in a lot of pain and am out of pain meds. I tried to get a hold of the doctor with no luck so it's going to be a long icky night.

[uncleezno]

Ijeko, I had the same procedure done as you and my only advice is to rinse like a madman after any meal. I probably spent 10 minutes rinsing after eating any foods for the first two weeks, then once they took off the first half of the splint, keeping my mouth clean got easier. Good luck!

[uncleezno]

Slewmissy, sorry you're having such a rough go of it. It only gets better, though, and the early days are definitely the roughest. Are you in the UK or the US? If you're stateside, you can definitely just call your surgeon and get a new Rx for more pain meds. Have you tried asking for more?

I only had my lower jaw done, but after a month a lot of my numbness is gone, the swelling is way down, and I'm feeling better. Hang in there, you'll make it!

[ijeko]

Thanks for the tip unleezno. After i ate those eggs I felt something stuck in there, so i swished some water around but it was still stuck. Tried to dislodge it with one of those orthodontic fuzzy picks and got most of it, but there were other particles I could see that I just couldn't reach. Guess I'm just gonna have to live with that being stuck in there. What do you mean by one piece of your splint? I've seen other people say something about that before. The splint I have is just one solid piece with a bar going across the roof of my mouth so I can kind of feel a circle in the splint with my tongue. I didn't know there were two piece splints.

[slewsmissy]

I went and saw my primary doctor and switched my meds and I'm feeling a lot better now. My pain is managed without that foggy feeling. Now I'm just hungry!!! I am someone who eats meat at least once a day so I'm really craving some type of meat like chicken or steak. I'm getting tired of potatoes and applesauce and meal replacement drinks. I want something with some flavor!!! I'm seriously getting desperate enough to go get nacho cheese to eat just so I can have something with a little spice to it.

[slewsmissy]

So I made myself some super over cooked and soggy mac and cheese and it was fantastic!!! It was soft enough that I could smush it with my spoon and then swallow it whole!!! This is the first time I have felt semi full since I had the surgery. It's amazing what a full stomach can do for your mood.

So I was wondering what everyone's numbness is like. The only spot on my entire face that is totally numb is the left side of my lower lip. My chin is a little tingly but I can feel it. I hope this means I will get all feeling back since my surgeon originally said I may not get feeling back in my chin because I'm in my 30's not my teens. I have mastered drinking out of a cup without spilling on myself anymore and I can eat with a baby spoon pretty well. Now that I'm full and on the right pain meds that take the pain away but don't make me groogy I feel pretty pretty good. Maybe now I will start getting some energy back if I can keep up eating smaller meals of mac and cheese.

Yesterday when I went out in public I felt like a freakshow. I kept catching people staring at me probably wondering what I had done to myself. I was surprised how tired and shaky I got after walking around Target waiting for my prescriptions. The swelling is going down a little more, I can't wait until some of it along my jaw line goes away so I can see what I look like with a chin!! I have always hated my profile because I had such a small lower jaw so I always looked like I had a double chin. I'm hoping that now that I found at least meal I like that is filling it will help slow down my weight loss. I am normally right around 170 pounds and as of this afternoon I'm down to 157. I needed to lose some weight but I don't think it's healthy to lose that much weight in 10 days. My jeans that are normally a little snug on me were baggy when I put them on yesterday to go to the doctor.

[uncleezno]

Ijeko,

I can only speak to the kind of splint I've got which is a two-piece. There was a part that covered the front of my teeth and attached via wires to a bigger piece that covers the back of my teeth. Removing the front piece was easy, a few quick wire snips. Apparently removing the back piece, which is in place with wires running between the teeth, is slightly more involved so they give you local anesthetic in your gums before they do it.

[kim3721]

Slewsmissy,

I'm glad you're feeling better! You're lucky to have most feeling back in your jaw. Right now, I have most feeling on the right side of my face and barely any on the lower left half and lower lip -- and I'm only 20! Hope it all comes back it feels so weird.

Got my jaws unwired on Thursday so I've been feeling much better. Still on a liquid diet -- no chewing due to my small lower jaw for the next 4 weeks, and I'm finding it hard to keep up with eating anything at all. I'm just so tired of liquid to the point where I just don't want to eat. I've been venturing out and catching all types of stares -- fortunately it doesn't bother me much since I know I can't help it lol. It feels so good to not have to hold my lower jaw forward like I did pre-op, now my bite feels natural... its an amazing change!

Am I the only breaking all of the post-op rules? I've been bending over, picking up objects over 5 lbs, driving while wired, not meeting the 2,000 calorie limit each day, (I even hit my jaw on a table the other day) etc.. not really resting, trying to keep up with everyday activities since my mom and family aren't really helping... I'm hoping that all of this isn't going to effect the results in a negative way.

Does anyone know when we can start judging the results? I'm almost 2 weeks post op lower jaw surgery with some swelling. As of now, from judging my profile I look less (for the lack of a better word) stupid? Lol, having a short lower jaw made me look goofy in a way. Now, my side profile looks normal and as if I could be taken seriously when I'm viewed from the side. As of general aesthetics.. I do feel like I looked better from the front then I do now, which is kind of worrying me -- but having a better bite function and side profile stumps that worry anyway.

[slewsmissy]

Kim3721
I broke a lot of the rules too so don't feel bad. This last weekend I drove 1 1/2 hours to pick up t posts for the pasture, loaded them, drove another hour to my friends to drop it off, unloaded and then drove 45 minutes home!!

I had my 2 week check up today and it went great!!!! All my bands are off already and I only have to put the 2 back on at night to sleep. I also get to move up to soft foods, they said a good rule of thumb is if it cuts with a fork I can eat it and for meat I can ground beef and fish and maybe chicken if it's tender enough. He was amazed at home much feeling I have back already.The only 2 numb stops are half my lower lip and the roof of my mouth, otherwise I can feel everything. Thats good recovery wise because I should end up getting feeling back everywhere but kind of bummer because it's kind of painful feeling everything already. There is one tiny spot where my stitches opened up a little in the back along my bottom gum line so I have an antibiotic mouthwash to rinse it with twice a day but he said that's pretty common and will heal up fine.

They said my oral hygiene was very good so I've been doing a good job with my baby toothbrush and he doesn't need to see my until the 2nd week of October now. He told me to keep doing whatever I've been doing because I'm healing really fast. My swelling has gone down a lot and the little bit bruising I had is pretty much gone.

[kim3721]

Slewsmissy,

That's amazing! What have you been doing to have a super fast recovery? I need tips! lol.

[slewsmissy]

I wish I knew what I did. I hate being sick so I really pushed myself to get back to normal as fast as possible. I got myself drinking out of a cup really quickly and mastered eating with my kids spoon really fast too. I also kept ice on my face pretty much non stop thanks to my jaw bra for the first week. I also slept on in the recliner for the first week to keep my head really elevated and aimed a cool mist humidifier at myself all day and all night to help keep my nose clear and it helped my mouth from drying out. I pretty much slept on and off the whole first week too. I think it was just a combination of getting lots of rest, staying hydrated, and getting back to normal as quickly as possible. I also had an amazing surgeon so that helped a lot too!!

[zoina]

Hi all
I too had a lower jaw surgery on September 2 so now I am into the beginning of the 3d week recovery.
My surgeon did the best he could I am very grateful and pleased.
I am numb at the left half of my lower lip and left part of my chin although I have been feeling tingling,burning and itchy since day one post-op.
Best thing so far is that I never felt the post effects of anesthesia and it was my biggest fear.
First two weeks I was eating through a syringe and now by my surgeon and Ortho orders I am eating with a spoon and trying to open my mouth as wide as possible.
Lost around 4kg until now but I am trying to eat as much as possible to fuel bone creation and my walks around.
My favorite thing to have is full fat milk with a spoon full of peanut butter some almonds a banana ,2 scoops of vanilla protein whey and full fat yogurt in the blender. This can hold me up to 5hours easily! Other than that I blend soups with bone broths eat some egg yolks lots of milk, mushroom and cheese soup with bread inside blended...yummy
My only fear is relapse or anything that has to do with a second surgery

Wish you all a great recovery

[slewsmissy]

I think my feeling is coming back to the roof of my mouth and my lip. I get a weird tingling feeling in my lip where it's numb that comes and goes and I've been getting a weird tickling sensation on the roof of my mouth every once in awhile. Today I think I'm going to try a white castle hamburger. Those things are so soggy and thin that I know they can be mushed easily with my tongue. Since I was okay'ed to eat ground beef and anything I can cut with a fork one of those should fit the bill. I'm getting tired of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. I did eat some very tender and flaky salmon last night and it was amazing!!!

[uncleezno]

Hi All,

Went back for my six-week followup and got the second piece of the upper splint removed. I was convinced it would be full of food, but there was nothing there. Instead, all the gunk was between my teeth So happy to be able to really brush and floss up there again!

The surgeon said he'd see me once more when the braces come off...in six months or a year. I have very little tooth movement left to do, so I'm praying it's not three months of really needing braces and then nine months of elastics! My ortho will know for sure, seeing him next week.